Muslim Women: Past and Present

Recommend a Muslim Woman

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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Famile Arslan

photo of Famile Arslan

Known For: Lawyer, Arslan Lawyers, Shura Council Member
Country: Afghanistan

About

Famile Arslan is a lawyer in The Hague with her own law firm, Arslan Lawyers, specializing in family, immigration, housing and labour, and social insurance cases as penalty cases. In addition, she is a board member of Islam and Citizenship, an organization dedicated to encouraging the Muslim community’s participation in the Netherlands. By addressing the relationships between norms, values, and citizenship, and the role Islamic organizations can play in these issues, it seeks to stimulate social debate within the Muslim community on citizenship, and when relevant, to broaden it to larger Dutch society as a whole. Ms. Arslan is also Chairwoman of the Commission for Complaints at Islamic Schools, and she was part of an expert group who advised the Minister of Education on the Islamic schools. She has organized courses on intercultural communication for health care organizations and has set up an emergency helpline for migrant women.

Ms. Arslan is currently working to establish a national Muslim women’s network, which she envisions becoming a platform for Muslim women to debate social, economic and political issues. This think tank would advise and partner with the Dutch government in creating laws and on other practical issues. Ms. Arslan is often asked to take part in panel discussions, provide lectures, or speak to the media on issues like integration and migration. She writes articles for the web blog and has published a book of Turkish poems. Born in Turkey and raised in the Netherlands, Ms. Arslan holds a Master’s degree in International Law. Previously, she worked 5 years for the Dutch Ministry of Justice, Immigration department. She is the first lawyer in the Netherlands to wear a hijab.

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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.