Hajar Brown

Hajar El Bahraoui, known professionally as Hajar Brown, (born March 15, 1996) is a Spanish-Moroccan actress, model, and activist, best known for her role as Amira Naybet in Skam España, the Spanish adaptation of Skam.

Hajar Brown was born in Madrid, Spain to Moroccan parents. She dreamed of being an actress at an early age, going on to study acting professionally for four years, from 14 to 18 years old. However, she then decided to focus on her university studies, opting to major in Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Even so, she remained linked to the world of acting, participating in different short films, usually with other college students.

Brown is also a practicing Muslim. She can speak Spanish, English, French, and the Moroccan Arabic language, Darija.

A fan of the original version of Skam, a Norwegian teen drama created by Julie Andem, Brown was contacted by the production team in charge of adapting the show for a Spanish audience. They had seen how she talked about her day-to-day life as a practitioner of Islam on various social networks, and were seeking guidance on how to translate the character of Sana Bakkoush, a Muslim teenager who is religious by choice, and encounters prejudice she must deal with regularly.

After the Skam España showrunners worked with Brown to better understand Muslim life in Spain, she was later cast herself to portray Amira, the Spanish counterpart of Sana.

Skam España officially premiered on September 16, 2018, on Movistar+ to positive reception and popularity. The fourth and final season centers around Brown's character of Amira Naybet, and how she faces the challenge of being a Muslim faithful to her beliefs and customs in an environment and society that looks at her in a strange way for being different and wearing a hijab. Brown's appearance in the show made her the first actress with a veil recognized in Spain for her achievements.

The success of Spain's version of Skam also helped to open other doors for Brown, who later debuted as a Spanish ambassador for the Chloé perfume in October 2020, as well as collaborating with Elle Spain [es] magazine that same year. She has also collaborated with the Spanish counterparts of Cosmopolitan and Vogue in later years, appearing on the latter's YouTube channel in July 2023 demonstrating her makeup routine and hijab tutorial.

She also has done influencer work on behalf of companies like Hugo Boss, Bershka, and Electronic Arts.