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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Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

By bringing the voices of the ordinary people faced with extraordinary challenges to television screens around the world, I hope to affect change in one community at a time.

photo of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Known For: Documentary filmmaker with a focus on the Muslim world
Dates: Common Era 1978– present (CE)
Country: Pakistan

About

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Pakistani-born, American-educated film-maker and journalist. Many of her fifteen documentary features highlight various aspects of life in the Muslim world, particularly with regard to the status of women. These include: Saving Face, a story of women acid attack victims in Pakistan, Women of the Holy Kingdom, a profile of Saudi Arabian women, and Afghanistan Unveiled, a look at how the U.S. intervention has impacted ordinary female citizens.1 Other films, such as Pakistan’s Double Game, Reinventing the Taliban, and Terror’s Children, focus on the current political, social, and religious climate in Sharmeen’s home country of Pakistan.

Her visual contributions have earned her numerous awards, including the Academy Award for best short film and documentary (2012), and the International Emmy Award (2011), the One World Media Award for Broadcast Journalist of the Year (2007), the South Asian Journalist Association Award (2004 and 2006).2 Ms. Obaid-Chinoy regularly gives lectures and presides over film screenings at colleges and universities across the United States. In 2007 she helped found the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, whose projects center around the preservation of Pakistan’s cultural and social heritage.3 Sharmeen is a fellow at TED - Technology, Entertainment and Design - a nonprofit dedicated to the power and spreading of ideas and knowledge through innovative technologies and audiovisual media.4

Sharmeen graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Government and subsequently received two Master’s degrees in International Policy Studies and Communication from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.5

 

[1] Sharmeen Obaid Films
[2] ibid.
[3] Citizens Archive of Pakistan
[4] TED Speaker Profile: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
[5] Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Facebook page

Sources

Sharmeen Obaid Films
TED Speaker Profile: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Citizens Archive of Pakistan

More Information

Sharmeen Obaid Films

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Twitter

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Facebook page

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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.