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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Queen Rania

Study after study shows that investing in women’s leadership and development is one of the smartest investments societies can make.

—from Queen Rania’s speech in Washington, D. C., at the “Vital Voices/United Nations Foundation (UNF) International Women’s Day Event,” March 4, 2008

photo of Queen Rania Photo credit: Jerome Delay/AP Images

Known For: Queen of Jordan
Dates: Hijri 1389 – Present (AH)
Common Era 1970 – Present (CE)
Country: Jordan

About

Queen Rania has been an enthusiastic supporter and advocate of women’s empowerment and children’s rights.  She is an active philanthropist involved with numerous non-profits and UN agencies.

Queen Rania was born to Palestinian parents in Kuwait, where she completed her primary education.  She received her college degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.  After graduating, she worked for Apple and Citibank.  In 1993 she met and married King Abdullah II of Jordan, who was then a prince.  He succeeded his father as King of Jordan in 1999.

Queen Rania’s philanthropic work focuses on gender equality, children’s rights, and micro-finance.  Through the Madrasati Initiative, Queen Rania aims to improve the quality of Jordan’s public schools. She serves on the board of the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA), which helps the world’s poor gain easier access to basic financial services. Queen Rania is also the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jordan River Foundation, whose mission is to improve the wellbeing of Jordanian society through economic development and youth projects. In addition, she is also a board member of the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Foundation.

In 2008, Queen Rania launched her own YouTube site, which she uses to dispel misconceptions about Islam and women in Islam by, for example, posting videos on development and social justice issues.  Her YouTube site has millions of viewers.

Sources

Vicki Woods, “Royal Appeal,” Vogue, March 2009.

BBC News, ”Profile: Jordan’s Queen Rania” 7 November 2001.

”Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan – Official Website” at: http://www.queenrania.jo/

Videos

“Queen Rania on YouTube”,

More Information

http://www.queenrania.jo

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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.