While the world is in a battle between burqinis and bikinis, a 42 year old Brazilian Muslim woman is doing so much more than breaking stereotypes about women and Islam.

Gisele Marie is showing the world how her burqa isn’t a life sentence everyone expects it to be.

She is not only a talented heavy metal guitarist, has her own band called Eden-O-Seed but she is also a Psychologist, a piano player and a part of an upcoming documentary in which she promotes Latin rock and also endorses the idea of freedom of expression in culture, art as well as religion.

In a non-Muslim country, Gisele Marie clearly stands out in a crowd but she doesn’t let the often judgmental and curious stares stop her from being who she wants to be.

Gisele Marie was brought up German Catholic. She converted to Islam after the death of her father in 2009 and has never looked back, ever since.

She is fearless and powerful when she climbs the stage and performs her music in front of a live audience in a niqaab and she is proud of the fact that her audience loves her.

Gisele has said people are surprised by her because that isn’t what the traditional image of a “practicing” Muslim woman is showed. “People do not expect to see a Muslim woman who uses a Burqa, practices the religion properly and is a professional guitarist who plays in a Heavy Metal band, so many people are shocked by it”, she says.

She encourages women to be comfortable not only in their skin, but also in their burqas if that’s what they prefer.

She recites Quran, she likes to put on mehendi and also rocks her guitar.

Who says you can’t do it all?

Of course where she is met with praise, she has also faced a lot of criticism. People have criticized her for doing something that, according to them, contradicts the basic teachings of Islam.

But she meets even her critics with positivity by says that she doesn’t intend to please everyone, she just wants to make her own music and has nothing against people who are against that.

She sure is a powerful and confident woman and an inspiration for everyone to continue doing what makes you happy, despite how hard criticism against you may be. At the end of the day, it is your religion and your personal space, no other human being has the right to judge what you do is wrong or right.

Cover Image via: english.alarabiya.net