US model Bella Hadid has spoken out against president Donald Trump’s attempted travel bans, saying she is proud to be a Muslim and the daughter of a refugee.
Twenty-year-old Hadid is one of the most photographed and in-demand models of the moment, dominating the catwalks of the fall/winter 2017 fashion season in New York and Europe.
She is the younger daughter of Palestinian-American real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, who emigrated to the United States when he was a teenager, and Dutch-born model Yolanda Hadid.
Her older sister, Gigi, is a supermodel while their younger brother, Anwar, is also a model.
"My dad was a refugee when he first came to America, so it’s actually very close to home for my sister and brother and me," Bella Hadid told fashion magazine Porter of Mr Trump’s attempted travel bans.
"He was always religious, and he always prayed with us. I am proud to be a Muslim."
Her father was born in Nazareth in 1948, and lived in the Middle East before moving to the US.
In January, the Hadid sisters marched against Mr Trump’s first attempted travel ban, which sought to block travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries until it was slapped down by the judiciary.
They were photographed in New York carrying a poster that said "We are all Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Christians, Jews".
The Trump administration is appealing against the decision of a US federal judge to freeze a revised travel ban, which had been due to come into effect last month.
"I come from a really diverse background," Hadid told Elle magazine in February about her decision to take part in the march.
"We shouldn’t treat people as if they don’t deserve kindness just because of their ethnicities. It’s just not right."
Hadid was recently interviewed by The National in Milan where she spoke about her work, health problems and her relationship with Gigi.
Gigi graced the cover of the first edition of Vogue Arabia last month, wearing a jewel-encrusted veil.

Source: The National