Fatin Bundagji is the founder of the women’s section of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, where she is also the Director of Women’s Empowerment and Research.
In 2004, at the 3rd Arab International Women’s Forum, she presented on women’s role in the Saudi economy, citing Royal Decrees with the intention of activating the participation of Saudi women in the economic development of the country. She said, “Women in Saudi Arabia are known to own and manage their own businesses…They have the freedom to manage their own finances to which they have an inheritance right.”
In 2006, Bundagji was the first Saudi woman to run in the Saudi Municipal elections.
Her Royal Highness Lolwah Al-Faisal is on the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum. She is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees and General Supervisor at Effat College, and has been a vocal supporter of women’s and girls’ access to education.
In 2007, her remarks at the World Economic Forum inspired wide-scale discussion of Saudi Arabia’s ban on women drivers. The moderator, asked Lolwah Al-Faisal: “What would you do, princess, if you were queen for a day? I won’t tell anyone.” She responded dryly: “First thing, I’d let women drive.” After much applause, she continued, “Or else have a great transportation system, which we don’t have.”Al-Faisal acknowledged that Saudi women can now hold many jobs that were once off-limits, but that their inability to drive still holds them back from job and school opportunities.
In 2008, Al-Faisal’s panel at the World Economic Forum focused on the need for better education. Her father, King Faisal, who ruled from 1964-1975, had a reputation as progressive, and first instituted education for Saudi girls.
Empress Nur Jahan was responsible for the many artistic, architectural, and cultural achievements of the Mughal Dynasty’s Jahangir Era [1013-1037 (AH), 1605-1627 (CE)]. She was of Persian origin, born on a caravan traveling from Teheran to India.
Nur’s husband, Emperor Jahangir, was addicted to alcohol and opium, rendering him powerless at decision-making. He relegated all state affairs to her. She controlled all promotions and demotions within the royal government, and even had coins struck in her name, an honor usually reserved for men.
She took special interest in the affairs of women, by providing land for women and opportunities for orphan girls. Nur came from a line of poets, and she and encouraged the women of the court to write and share their poetry.
Nur designed the Moghul gardens of Kashmir and Agra using a Persian-inspired garden layout with flowing streams and disciplined geometry. She oversaw the construction of her father’s mausoleum in Agra where she popularized a marble technique that that was used pervasively in the design of the Taj Mahal. Her tomb in Pakistan, which she designed herself, attracts many visitors with its pleasant walks and picturesque gardens.
Queen Arwa was orphaned at a young age and adopted by the king and queen of Yemen, her uncle and aunt. The queen, Asma, educated Arwa with poetry and the Qur’an, and she was known for her great memory.
Arwa married the crowned prince; yet in a series of traumatic events, the king and queen died. Their son (Arwa’s husband) was paralyzed, and retreated from the public eye. Consequently, Arwa was catapulted into rule much sooner than she had ever expected.
Queen Arwa focused her attention on the welfare of her people, setting up several centers for education for cultural and religious studies. She built roads, mosques, fountains, and Dar al-Izz, a grand palace of whose remnants exist today.
She was the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of hujja in the Isma’ili branch of Shi’a Islam. With religious authority, she ruled peacefully for over fifty years. She never lost support from the Yemeni people, who affectionately called her “Little Queen of Sheba.”
Bibi Hayati Kermani was born in the Kerman province of Persia, to a Persian family with a long tradition of Sufism. She was raised by her brother, from whom she received her early training. She was initiated into the Ni’matullahi order by its master, Nur ‘Ali Shah. She trained in the esoteric development—and exoteric ethics—of the Sufi path.
Bibi Hayati was the Ni’matullahi master’s first disciple, and later she married him. They raised one child. During her life, Hayati became well-known for her erotic and mystical Sufi poetry, and her passionate expressions of love.
In addition to being a poet, Hayati cared and cooked for the community at large until her death.
Amat al-Wahid, also known as Sutayah and “Servant of the Unique,” was a renowned master of the Qur’an, and able to give legal verdicts (fatwas). She was known for her presence in the decisions of sacred law made by Abu Ali Abu Hurayah. Scholars copied her traditions and transmitted them based on her authority alone. Al-Wahid—as well as another woman, Umm Isa bint Ibrahim—served as muftis in Baghdad at the time.
Al-Wahid was regarded for the generous alms she gave to the poor. Amat al-Wahid was the daughter of the prominent jurist, al-Muhamili. Educated by her father and several tutors, she memorized the Qur’an at an early age, and was able to command Arabic literature and grammar. She had one son, Abu al-Husayn, who followed his mother’s practices and became a judge.
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, born Salma Bennani, is the first women in Morocco to have been given the official title of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Salma after marrying King Mohamed VI of Morocco. Although she has remained distant from the public eye, Princess Salma has been an activist in the fields of cancer research, HIV/AIDs prevention and women’s right in Morocco.
Born in Fes, Princess Lalla Salma was raised by her grandmother after her mother died when Salma was 3 years old. After obtaining a degree in computer science from l’Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Informatique et d’Analyse des Systemes (ENSIAS), she worked for Omnium North Africa, Morocco’s largest private corporation. A few years later in 2002, she was married to the King.
Since receiving the title of Princess, Princess Lalla Salma has kept a low profile although she is more active than her predecessors. She is an advocate for cancer prevention, founding the Lalla Salma Association against Cancer foundation and supporting several cancer prevention foundations in the country. She is the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of prevention and cancer care, and was recently awarded the International Union against Cancer Special Representative position for their “Today’s children, tomorrow’s world” campaign. She is also involved in working on issues of AIDS prevention in Africa and women’s empowerment. In December of 2008, Princess Lalla was awarded the highest decoration in Senegal, the Grande Croix de l’Ordre national du mérité, because of her humanitarian work in Morocco and abroad.
Nadia Malik is a founding board member and treasurer of The Muslim Women’s Fund (MWF), a Women’s Funding Network affiliate. MWF is a grant making organization which raises funds and disperses grants in America and globally. The fund educates and supports Muslim women in reclaiming their human rights in Islam. Additionally, the fund promotes economic independence so that women can contribute to their families, engage with their communities, and advance and transform their faith.
By way of background, Ms. Malik is a founding board member of Hands on Louisville, a Hands on Network affiliate and has a corporate banking background with Brown Brothers Harriman. She holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.B.A. in Finance, Business & Public Policy and Organization & Markets from the University of Rochester and has completed Executive Education at Harvard and Columbia Business Schools.
