Known For: Women’s rights activist, writer
Country: India

About

Naish Hasan is the founder and president of Muslim Manila Aandolan (Indian Muslim Women’s movement) which has been working in India since 2007. She is chief editor of “Musalman Auratein (Muslim women)” and writes on issues of Muslim women in a number of journals and magazines. She is committed to raising the voices of Muslim women in India through written and visual media.

During the communal riots which broke out in 1992 in Ayodhya, Naish witnessed the destruction of her parents’ home and the death of many household members. These riots had a negative impact on Muslim women and girls in this region. Women’s education came to a halt, burqa restrictions were increased, Muslim women were not allowed to go out freely and could no longer work. It was at this juncture in her life that Naish realized she had a role to play in combating the injustices toward Muslim women in her community and in India. A victim of violence against women herself, she struggled to complete her education, and eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Economics from Avadh University, as well as Master of Philosophy in Social Science from Lucknow University. Naish also joined a women’s organization which further inspired her to pursue a career in women’s rights and advocacy.

For over a decade Naish Hasan has been working in the women’s rights field in India, and specifically with Muslim women. She is a passionate advocate for Muslim women’s identity in India. Her aim is to protect Indian Muslim women who experience simultaneous exploitation by their male counterparts in the name of religion and by the government due to their minority status. Naish has conducted trainings on the subjects of gender violence, women’s law, women’s rights, and women’s rights in the Qur’an. Her goal is to create society free of discrimination and gender based exploitation where human rights, dignity, and secularism are the foundation of one’s existence.