American Journalist Noor Tagouri usually sees negative comments on social media from Islamophobes who take issue with her hijab.

But now the 22-year-old is taking some heat from her own Muslim community. Tagouri appears in Playboy magazine’s October “Renegades” issue wearing her hijab proudly.

Tagouri is depicted fully clothed, wearing jeans, a leather jacket and Converse sneakers. 

The article discusses her struggle as a journalist wearing a hijab.

“To be honest, I think being a hijabi Muslim woman, helped me gain that trust [from interview subjects],” she told Playboy.

“I know what it’s like to have the narrative of our community be skewed and exploited in the media. I was like, ‘Hey, I know what it’s like to be misrepresented in the media. I won’t do that to you. I want to tell your story because it’s important and deserves justice’.

“I know first-hand that once people are re-empowered, they realize their own story is powerful and they begin to share. It’s incredibly rewarding and can even help enlighten or save others.”

She produces stories for Newsy, an American video news network that produces short form video news pieces.

Tagouri was born in West Virginia to Libyan parents.

The 22-year-old said her goal is to become the first hijabi anchor on commercial US television.

Meanwhile, Playboy in the last year has received a makeover. The magazine decided to change focus from featuring women in erotic form to taking an angle that focuses on female empowerment. 

Following her announcement of her appearance in Playboy, Tagouri’s social media pages were flooded with negative  comments.

“The sin of every person who views haram content by following your link to this magazine may or may not fall on you,” said one Instagram user.

But the criticism might not be affecting her. Tagouri told the magazine that she usually ignores negative comments.

“It’s just negative energy and unhealthy. I make sure to keep a great circle of people around me who keep me grounded,” she said.

“Whether it’s at work or at home, the people who have my best interest at heart voice their concerns and their critiques, and I work on them.