Hijab Entrepreneur Turns Politician's Attack Into Viral Win

When life hands you a political attack, create a discount code and watch solidarity sell out your inventory.

Büsra Sayed, 27, made history last March as one of the first hijab-wearing contestants in the Miss Germany finals. The entrepreneur wore a headscarf from her own collection onstage, drawing national media attention for bringing visibility to Muslim women in Germany.

Days later, far-right politician Beatrix von Storch used her International Women's Day speech in the German parliament to criticize Sayed. Von Storch called her "an Islamic activist" and claimed her participation represented life in a "dangerous Absurdistan."

But Sayed wasn't shocked. She was thrilled.

"I thought to myself, there's really no better way to raise awareness about my mission than to be mentioned in the Bundestag," Sayed told DW in an interview. Her mission was simple: help shape a future where diversity is visible and every woman feels like she belongs.

Her response went viral instantly. Sayed posted a video thanking her "friend" from the AfD for doing promotional work in parliament. She ended with a kicker: use discount code "AfD10" for 10% off all hijabs.

The Instagram reel exploded to six million views. Orders flooded in from unexpected places.

"Non-Muslim women and men suddenly ordered hijabs," Sayed explains. "We had comments from Christian woman pastors saying we're ordering hijabs too, just out of solidarity. That was totally overwhelming."

The Ripple Effect

The campaign sparked something bigger than sales. Sayed's follower count jumped to over 160,000, building a community united against discrimination.

She spontaneously added an "AfD Blue" hijab to her inventory. It nearly sold out immediately.

The attention brought hate comments from AfD supporters, but Sayed had learned to handle negativity with humor and love. She reports violent threats to police but otherwise counters darkness with light.

Recently, she visited the German parliament at the invitation of an SPD member. The experience reinforced what the viral moment had already shown her: solidarity speaks louder than hate.

"You generally hear just negative voices, because they're normally louder," Sayed says. "It gave me hope to see how many people spoke up and showed solidarity."

Her message now reaches hundreds of thousands: the more people stick together in a diverse society, the more they'll fight to protect that equality.