AMWRRIRaising Awareness Every Day
AMWRRIDate of Birth: September 19th, 1997
Place of Birth: Kenya
She was the first woman to compete in the Miss Minnesota pageant wearing a hijab and burkini. After making it as a semi-finalist, she was signed to the IMG Models label. Since then some of her accomplishments include walking during New York Fashion Week for Yeezy Season 5 in February of 2017 and appearing on the covers of Allure, Vogue Arabia and British Vogue as the first woman wearing a hijab. She retains the modesty she feels comfortable with while keeping up in the fashion world. She has made great strides in representation and diversification of the fashion industry and is showing that women of all backgrounds and religions are beautiful.
Sources:
Blumberg, A. (2016, Dec 12). 17 Muslim American women who made America great in 2016. Retrieved from www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/17-muslim-american-women-who-made-america-great-in-2016_us_584204b7e4b09e21702ec3b1
(2019, March 30). Halima Aden. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Aden
Date of Birth: January 2,1917
Place of Birth: Egypt
Zainab al-Ghazali founded the Jama’at al-Sayyidat al-Muslimaat (Muslim Women’s Association) in 1937. Jama’at published a magazine, maintained an orphanage, assisted poor families and mediated family disputes, and offered lessons for women. Her entire life was oriented towards activism and advocating for individual rights that facilitate women’s inclusion in society. Similarly, she regarded Muslim men as having a significant part to play as support systems for their wives. Her own organization was banned in 1964 due to the Egyptian government’s suspicion of Muslim organizations.
Sources:
https://funci.org/great-women-in-islamic-history-a-forgotten-legacy/?lang=en
http://www.naseeb.com/journals/zainab-al-ghazali-dies-at-88-102268
https://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/muslim-woman/zainab-al-ghazali-4/
Date of Bieth: 1048 CE
Place of Birth: Haraz, Yemen
Arwa was orphaned at a young age and adopted by the king and queen of Yemen, her uncle and aunt. Queen Arwa focused her attention on the welfare of her people, setting up several centers for education for cultural and religious studies. She built roads, mosques, fountains, and Dar al-Izz, a grand palace of whose remnants exist today. She was the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of hujja in the Isma’ili branch of Shi’a Islam. She had remained in power until she died in 1138.
Sources:
https://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/muslim-woman/queen-arwa-al-sulayhi-2/
Date of Birth: 1793
Place of Birth: Sokoto Caliphate
Nana Asma’u, in her writings, her relationships, and her educational system, was a transformative leader. She was particularly known for her poetry, as a teacher, and female voice speaking out on the patriarchy and advocating for women’s independence. Her works include and expand upon the dan Fodio’s strong emphasis on women leaders and women’s rights within the community ideals of the Sunnah and Islamic law. She witnessed many of the wars of the Fulani War and wrote about her experiences in a prose narrative Wakar Gewaye, “The Journey”. Starting around 1830, she created a group of women teachers (jajis) who travelled throughout the Caliphate educating women in the students’ homes. Nana Asma’u’s continued legacy rests not just on her literary work, but also on her role in defining the values of the Sokoto state.
Sources:
https://almadinainstitute.org/blog/muslim-women-in-leadership-nana-asmau-daughter-of-the-shehu/
Umm Kulthum
Date of Birth: December 31, 1898
Place of Birth: El Senbellawein, Egypt (Ottoman Empire)
Umm Kulthum began singing with her father when she was a child but dressed as a boy on stage to avoid shame/disgrace since singing was viewed as a disreputable occupation in Egyptian society during this time. In 1923 her family moved to Cairo where she began studying music and poetry. As her popularity increased, she created recordings, was in radio and film. She became known for her emotive, passionate renditions of arrangements by the best composers, poets, and songwriters of the day. She cultivated a public persona as a patriotic Egyptian and a devout Muslim. She remained one of the Arab world’s best-selling singers even decades after her death. In 2001 the Egyptian government established the Kawkab al-Sharq Museum in Cairo to celebrate the singer’s life and accomplishments.
Sources:
http://www.famoussingers.org/umm-kulthum
State Rep. Ilhan Omar
Date of Birth: 1981
Place of Birth: Somalia
Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia but immigrated to the United States after living in Kenyan refugee camps for over 4 years. She ran for House of Representatives in 2016 and won, becoming the first Somali-American Muslim woman elected to the state legislature, the first naturalized citizen from Africa elected, the first non-white woman to be elected in Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress. Her stances on economic equality, clean and renewable energy, making college more affordable, and improving reform in the criminal justice system were seen as progressive and won her the seat.
Sources:
Blumberg, A. (2016, Dec 12). 17 Muslim American women who made America great in 2016. Retrieved from www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/17-muslim-american-women-who-made-america-great-in-2016_us_584204b7e4b09e21702ec3b1
(2019, May 20). Ilhan Omar. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilhan_Omar
Dr. Nawal El Saadawi
Date of Birth: October 27th, 1931
Place of Birth: Egypt
Born in Egypt, Dr. Nawal El Saadawi was a physician, writer, and activist. El Saadawi wrote over fifty books, short stories, and plays in her lifetime, including the novels Women and Sex and Women at Point Zero. Her book Women and Sex has inspired many second-wave feminist studies. Throughout her life, she has advocated and fought against the oppression of women and children, patriarchal systems, the lack of democracy in countries, and Egyptian military regimes. She has spoken out and written about the need to end female genital mutilation, including describing her own experience of being mutilated. She was imprisoned and exiled in the 1980s and 1990s but later returned to Egypt. During her imprisonment, El Saadawi wrote a memoir. El Saadawi founded the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association in 1982 and was a co-founder of the Arab Association for Human Rights.
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Date of Birth: 1879
Place of Birth: Minya, Egypt
Considered to be one of Egypt’s most central figures to the early feminist movement, Huda Sha’arawi was an upper-class Egyptian nationalist and the founder of Al-Ittihad al Nisa’I Misri, the Egyptian Feminist Union, which addressed social and economic issues as well as independence from Britain. Sha’arawi led women in mobilizing demonstrations, sending petitions to Britain and other colonial authorities, and securing economic aid for their national effort.
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