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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Sheikh Hasina Wazed

It is not possible to establish women’s rights and stop violence against women only by enacting laws. Rather, there should be proper coordination at government and non-government levels.

—Sheikh Hasina, quoted in The Times of India, “Hasina vows to raise seats for women in House to 100,” March 10, 2009

photo of Sheikh Hasina Wazed Photo credit: Pavel Rahman/AP Images

Known For: Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Dates: Hijri 1366 – Present (AH)
Common Era 1947-Present (CE)
Country: Bangladesh

About

Born in 1947 to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan, Sheikh Hasina Wazed took an active role in politics as early as the 1960s.  She acted as her father’s political liaison during his imprisonment in the late 1960s, when she was a student at the University of Dhaka.

In 1968, she married M.A. Wazed Miah. In 1975, her father and brothers were assassinated in a coup, but she and her sister survived because they were in Germany at the time.  She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 and ran against the military government of General Hossain Mohammad Ershad.  However, she spent much of the 1980s under house arrest or in prison.

In 1991, her political rival, Khaleda Zia, of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won the Bangladesh’s first elections after the resignation of General Ershad.  However in 1996, Sheikh Hasina was elected Prime Minister when her party, The Awami League, won 146 parliamentary seats.  It was during this time that she was credited with signing a peace treaty with rebels in the mountainous southeast of the country.

In 2001, she was forced into the opposition again as her party fell out of political favor, due to corruption charges and because it was seen as being too close to the government of India. Since 2001, corruption and murder charges have been leveled against Sheikh Hasina, resulting in temporary forced exile.  However, in 2008, she returned to Bangladesh to lead her party in the general elections.  The Awami League received a landslide victory, and Skeikh Hasina became Prime Minister for the second time.

Sources

Council of Women World Leaders, “Sheikh Hasina,”

Virtual Bangladesh, ”Biography: Sheikh Hasina,” 

More Information

BBC News, ”Profile: Sheikh Hasina,” 29 December 2008

Council of Women World Leaders, ”Sheikh Hasina,” at: http://www.cwwl.org/bio_Hasina-Sheikh.html

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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.