Muslim Women: Past and Present

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Throughout the ages, from the earliest days of Islam to contemporary times today, Muslim women have been and continue to be active leaders in their communities and countries across the world. This directory is a growing archive of leading Muslim women scholars, activists, writers, politicians, artists, religious and spiritual leaders, civil society leaders and more. Please contribute to this archive by suggesting Muslim women to be featured through our recommendation form.

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Abida Malik

photo of Abida Malik

Known For: Senior Vice President, Behbud Association of Pakistan
Country: Pakistan

About

After living in the USA for 20 years, Abida Malik moved back to Pakistan with her husband and two daughters in 1989. She wished to be a part of Pakistan’s culture and work for the less privileged.

Ms. Malik joined “Behbud” in 1994; Behbud is a nongovernmental organization that works for the empowerment of underprivileged women, regardless of color, creed, or cast. At Behbud, she focuses on enterprise development. She is passionate about training women in wage-earning skills (e.g., sewing, knitting, and embroidery), mostly as home-based workers. As women become wage earners, they become economically, socially, and politically empowered. As the Senior Vice President, Ms. Malik oversees Behbud’s numerous projects. She has overseen the organization’s meteoric growth from 400 to nearly 3,000 workers.  Today, Behbud is the largest industrial home in Pakistan.

In 2004, Ms. Malik actively participated in relief efforts for the earthquake-affected areas of Pakistan. In 2010, when devastating floods hit Pakistan, she again participated in the relief efforts, distributing dry rations, clothing, and bedding and working towards the construction of shelter homes.

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This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women alphabetically by their first names. Many Muslim names have alternative spellings once rendered into English so if you cannot find the name you are looking for, please try the general search tab where you can enter keywords of your choice.
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This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women chronologically by the Common Era century. We are actively building the archive of Muslim women leaders from the past, as well as from today, and we would welcome your recommendations of women to feature. Please complete our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.
This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women by their Country. We are actively building the archive of Muslim women leaders from the past, as well as from today, and we would welcome your recommendations of women to feature. Please complete our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.
This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women leaders by entering the keyword(s) of your choice. If you cannot find a particular woman that you are looking for, please let us know by completing our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.