Muslim Women Description
Shamsia Sharifi is the General Director of Help Poor Women Organization in Afghanistan. Ms. Sharifi is responsible for collaborating with and securing donor relationships to help the women of Afghanistan.
She regularly attends and participates in conferences, seminars and other sessions to advocate for women’s rights.
Mahfuza Folad is a judge in the Kabul Primary Court and Executive Director of Justice For All Organization in Afghanistan. The organization is dedicated to strengthening the rule of law by ensuring that justice is upheld at all times. They document the main sources of legal conflict in Afghanistan and propose legal solutions that institutionalize public legal systems and promote the law as the principle avenue for conflict resolution. They provide free legal aid, legal advice and representation to those in need and who are often deprived of access to justice. The organization aims to increase public awareness of the law, especially on the rights of women and children, and to cooperate with the justice sector and other relevant agencies in the country.
Born in Kabul, Ms. Folad has worked with the Ministry of Higher Education, ICRC, Action Faim, PARSA, Afghan Women’s Judges Association, and Global Rights and Human Rights Organization since 1991. She has participated in several conferences, seminars and workshops in Afghanistan as well as the 2008 South Asian Regional Conference, “Combating Violence against Women in Politics: Revisiting policies, politics and participation” in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Ms. Folad graduated from Kabul University’s Faculty of Law and Political Science in 2004 and from a Judiciary Stage Course in 2007.
Azizah Kahera is the chief operation officer for Azizah Magazine. Ms. Kahera has been working with Azizah for over ten years and has a background in customer relations, project management and business operations. She is motivated by her desire to make Azizah a prosperous and sustainable business that will transcend the constantly evolving global market. She also shares the vision of Azizah to be a vehicle for the voice of Muslim American women – a vehicle that portrays their perspectives and experiences, and shatters commonly held stereotypes.
Ms. Kahera has traveled extensively in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. She has served as a representative in several conferences such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim American Society and Muslim Alliance of North America. She currently serves as a member of the Sisters United in Human Services.
Hind Jarrah is co-founder and former President of the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation (TMWF), a non-profit, educational, philanthropic, outreach and social service organization dedicated to empowering Muslim women and their families. The organization was established in order to end the widespread prevailing misconceptions about Islam and Muslim women. On its launch in August 2005, 300 Muslim women attended from 29 different countries and 22 different careers. Dr. Jarrah currently serves as the Outreach Chair.
Born in Beirut to Palestinian parents, Dr. Jarrah has been engaged in the promotion of understanding and respect for multicultural diversity since 1982, when she co-founded the Arabic Heritage Society, a non-profit, educational organization. After September 11, the widespread misconceptions about Islam and Muslims resulted in her becoming a frequent guest speaker on topics, such as the fundamentals of Islam, the peoples and cultures of the Muslim world, women in Islam, and Muslim non-Muslims relations. More recently, Dr. Jarrah has been the only Muslim woman participant in the pioneering ISNA/URJ Muslim –Jewish Dialogue being held in 6 cities nationwide. She has organized and participated in interfaith dialogue presentations and panel discussions in schools, colleges, churches, rotary, lions’ clubs and international societies.
Dr. Jarrah served on the Faith and Feminism Committee at the Dallas Women’s Foundation and on the Board of Trustees from 2006-2009. She was featured in Rana Pederson’s “What’s Missing: Inspiration for Women Seeking Faith and Joy in Their Lives.” She graduated from the American University of Beirut with a B.Sc. in Pharmacy (1974) and a PhD in Pharmacology from University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas (1980). She received her Master’s in Neuroscience and Cognition from University of Texas-Dallas in 2000.
Maha ElGenaidi is President and CEO of Islamic Networks Group (ING). Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, ING is a national educational outreach organization with affiliates and partners in 20 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. ING promotes interfaith dialogue and education about world religions and their contributions to civilization by annually delivering thousands of presentations and other educational programs in schools, universities, law enforcement agencies, corporations, healthcare facilities, and community centers. Reaching hundreds of groups and tens of thousands of individuals a year at the local, grassroots level, ING is building bridges among people of all faiths.
Ms. ElGenaidi has presented to hundreds of schools, churches, synagogues, police departments, corporations and other public agencies and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. She is the author of seven training handbooks on outreach for American Muslims as well as eight training modules for public institutions on “developing cultural competency with the American Muslim community”. Currently active with many state and federal governmental agencies, Ms. ElGenaidi was a commissioner on Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante’s Commission for One California and the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission. She also serves as an advisor to California’s Commission on Police Officers Standards and Training for cultural diversity and hate crimes. She is a recipient of numerous civil rights awards, including the “Citizen of the Year” Award from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Mouna Ghanem is currently the Director of Center for Development in Syria. A senior gender advisor with extensive experience in the Arab region, Ms. Ghanem has worked for more than nine years as an assistant representative for the United Nation’s Population Fund in Syria and has chaired the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs. She was also the Regional Director for the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and deputy chairperson for the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).
Ms. Ghanem has represented her country in different international forums and meetings, including the presentation of a CEDAW report to the UN’s CEDAW Committee. She has attended several regional and international meetings, and has written several papers and articles. Ms. Ghanem is a medical doctor with a Master’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in USA.
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Ndeye Andujar is co-founder and Vice-President of Junta Islamica Catalana (Spain), which has organized such events as the 2005, 2006, and 2008 International Congress on Islamic Feminism, held in Barcelona, Spain. In 2008, Ms. Andujar was named director of www.webislam.com, the most important Islamic website in Spanish. She has been working with Muslim communities since 1998, focusing on gender equality and educating teachers on Islamic education in the public educational system in Spain. In August 2008, she participated in a Conference on Secularism and Religions (vis-a-vis fundamentalist violence) in the European parliament.
Author and lecturer on questions surrounding women and Islam, Ms. Andujar has spoken at numerous congresses and seminars, and has published her many of her articles and essays. She collaborated on the book La emergencia del feminismo islamico (The Emergency of Islamic Feminism) a selection of communications presented in the first international congresses of Islamic Feminism. She is currently preparing a book titled Viaje por el islam femenino. Las mujeres en el Qur’an y en la tradición islámica (Journey to the Feminine Islam: The women in the Qur’an and the Islamic Tradition).
Ms. Andujar is also a secondary school teacher and lecturer on Islamic Religion, Culture and Civilization at Camilo Jose Cela University. She graduated with a degree in General Linguistics from Barcelona University.
Samar Fatany is Chief Broadcaster in the English section at Jeddah Broadcasting Station, which is affiliated with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and Information. Over the past 28 years, Ms. Fatany has introduced many news, cultural, and religious programs and has conducted several interviews with official delegations and prominent political personalities visiting the Kingdom. She has participated in the media coverage of many local and international conferences.
Ms. Fatany has made significant contributions in the fields of public relations and social awareness in Saudi Arabia and has been involved in activities aiming at fighting extremism and enhancing women’s role in serving society. Ms. Fatany has published two books: Saudi Perceptions & Western Misconceptions and Saudi Women towards a new era. Her third book, Saudi Challenges & Reforms, is in print now.
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