MUSLIM women during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were not marginalized or discouraged from active participation and involvement in the development of society. Women were known to accompany the Muslim army in battles to nurse the wounded, distribute food and water, and to support and raise the morale of fighters; reminding them to fight for the cause of Allah. Today, we hear stories of great Muslim women from around the globe making their mark in medicine, jurisprudence, hadith, recitation of the Holy Qur'an, education, business, and other areas; serving their families and communities. In a city in the Northern state of Minnesota in the United States, a Muslim woman made headlines and was the talk of this report on the local CBS Minnesota news channel. St. Paul Police welcomed the first Somali female officer to the department last Saturday. Kenyan-born Kadra Mohamed graduated from Central High School in 2010. She will graduate from St. Cloud State University with a criminal justice degree in May, but she was awarded her badge last week and she spoke some words of wisdom to future recruits. “The reason I'm even here today is because I had an idea firmly set in my head, and I worked really hard to try to get to this dream of mine. I want to tell you guys to continue on doing a good job,” Kadra Mohamed said. No other department in the state of Minnesota has hired a Somali woman to work on their force. St. Paul is also one of only a few across the nation to now allow the hijab, or headscarf, to be worn on the job. Police Chief Tom Smith says the department hopes that Kadra Mohamed will be a role model for other Somali women that may want to become police officers. The department's decision will enable other Muslim women to consider serving their community through a career in law enforcement. The US Muslim advocacy group, CAIR, expressed appreciation and enthusiasm towards St. Paul police department for passing the new policy which allows Muslim policewomen to wear the headscarf. Praising this move, Lori Saroya, executive director of CAIR, Minnesota, said that Muslim women wear the hijab because it is their religious obligation and asking them to remove it is akin to asking someone else to remove a shirt or other piece of essential clothing. Regarding her feelings of being the first women of Somali descent in the police force at the tender age of 21, Kadra Mohamed admitted that the pressure was on. She said, “It's nerve-wracking in a way. I want to be a good role model for others, especially Somali women,” reported TwinCities.com.
