Months after protesting Trump's travel ban in January, Bella Hadid continues to speak out about immigration, citing her Palestinian heritage. "I am proud to be a Muslim," the 20-year-old had said in April, explaining her participation in the No Ban No Wall demonstrations. Over the weekend, Trump signed an executive order restricting travel from six majority Muslim countries. The Supreme Court canceled hearings on arguments against the order, meaning the ban may be upheld indefinitely. Hadid's stance on the topic still hasn't changed.
"My dad was a refugee," Hadid told Harper's BAZAAR Arabia in her new cover story, published today. (The interview took place in June.) "He came from Palestine to America when he was a baby."
"Thankfully, he was able to come, but it was very hard and now it's probably 100 times harder," she continued. "It makes me sad that power is getting taken from a lot of people and they're not able to make a new life for their children and their families. It's crazy to me that one person can tell you whether or not you can have a better life."
When Bella and her sister Gigi took to the streets to protest, they did so with just a group of friends and no bodyguards. It's a risky move for two stars who get bombarded with paparazzi nearly every time they're in public, but it just shows how eager they were to join in.
"I just wanted to stand up for what I felt was right and I really didn't care if I was with 100,000 other people because, with or without security, I wanted to go and stand for something I believe in," she told the magazine. "Nobody was even looking."
In addition to her Palestinian heritage, Bella says she also gets her strong work ethic from her dad. Mohamed Hadid had to work for his family because they "started out with really no money," the model explained.
She learned a similar lesson from her mother, Yolanda Hadid, who immigrated from the Netherlands to the U.S. "by herself when she was 16 with just $20 in her pocket," Bella added. "They both taught me about what a dollar is."
Bella described herself as an "empath," remembering how she'd openly give strangers hugs as a child. "Since I was a kid I've loved helping people," she said. But she's aware the industry she's in can be superficial. "It's not very giving, being a model, it doesn't warm your heart," she said. "It's not as rewarding for the soul as most things."
However, she's set on using her voice to make a difference. "If I can't talk about something that I'm passionate about, why even be here?"
