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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Ghazal Omid

Known For: Iranian-Canadian author of Living in Hell
Country: Canada

About

Ghazal Omid is the founder of IranFuture.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to the liberation of Iran and education of women.  Author of Living in Hell, a personal and political memoir of her life in and her eventual escape from the Islamic theocracy.  Through her website, she remains active in Iranian politics and advocates for the humane treatment of political prisoners in Iran.

Recognized as an Islamic and Iranian expert, she has made more than 200 radio and television appearances and is a frequent guest on Fox and Voice of America as well as Farsi language media outlets. She writes weekly blogs for UPI and Global Politician, maintains six websites and is active with dissident Iranian groups in Iran and abroad. 

Born in 1970 in Abadan, Iran, Ghazal is the youngest of eleven siblings born to her polygamist father’s two wives, both of whom he abandoned during the revolution and the Iran/Iraq War.  Ghazal lived through the conflict in a heavily bombed area in Isfahan and refugee camps in Bandar Abbas. Her faith, lost at age thirteen due to her difficult life, was restored by her pilgrimage to Mecca. Denied entrance to medical schools because of her record of non-conformity to non-Islamic dictates and her demand for equal rights for women and men, she studied French, preparatory to a law degree, at universities in Isfahan and Tehran.  Abducted by the secret police, she escaped by jumping from a speeding car and made her way underground to Canada where she is now a citizen and continues work on a PhD in Psychology and eventually a law degree.

More Information

Ghazal Omid’s Google Profile

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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.