Alaoui felt that studying in the United States allowed her to become "even more exposed to questions of belonging and identity construction".
[6] As a result, she chose to focus her work on social and national realities of cultural identity and diversity, migration and displacement.
One of her commonly used techniques was to set up a portable studio in a public place such as a market square and to invite interested passers-by to be photographed.
[9] Art critic Lara Atallah described her work as a "rebuke [of] the orientalist discourse", referring to the theory of Orientalism proposed by Edward Said.
[13] In 2015, she completed a photographic assignment "Everyday Heroes of Syria", in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, focusing on Syrians living in refugee settlements.
[18] On her death, the director of the Maison européenne de la photographie and the president of Arab World Institute made a joint statement praising her work giving "a voice to the voiceless"[7] and noting that she was "one of the most promising photographers of her generation".
[4] The humanistic commitment displayed by Alaoui throughout her life and work led, after her death, to several tributes in Morocco, France, and many other countries.