Bina Sharif is an award-winning Pakistani-American playwright, director, actor, poet, visual artist and performer. Ms. Sharif has had 24 plays produced in the U.S., Europe, and Pakistan. Since September 11th, she has written 7 plays dealing with Islam, fundamentalism, terrorism, and war, including Democracy in Islam, Muslim Glitter, Republic of Iqra, Why?, and Here Comes The Change, all produced in NYC.
Ms. Sharif’s one woman play Afghan Woman, written as a response to September 11th and the war in Afghanistan, was produced in New York City at the Theater for the New City in January 2002. Afghan Woman is still being performed in various universities all over the U.S. and globe, including the University of Hawaii, Islamabad Club Pakistan, Belgium, and Manchester (UK). Her play, My Ancestor’s House, is published in the anthology Contemporary Plays by American Women of Color and is being taught in many universities throughout the U.S.
Ms. Sharif has won a number of awards for her playwriting, including the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Jerome Foundation Award and Franklin Furnace Award. She was also nominated for a Joseph Jefferson award for her acting by Chicago’s Goodman Theater. She has an on-going project of visual art and writing combined called “Manhattan Days.” Ms. Sharif holds a medical degree from Pakistan and a Masters in Public Health from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rohema Miah is the Director of Whitepaper Consultants, a specialist political consultancy that bridges the gap between clients and the decision-making process when it comes to policymaking. Ms. Miah is an experienced political advisor having worked over the past fifteen years with a number of senior politicians, including the current Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC. MP (1987-2002). She advises both nationally and internationally on various issues for corporate companies and foreign government officials.
Previously, Ms. Miah held the position of Director for the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia and Policy, as well as Development Officer for the Centre of Muslim Affairs (2006-2007). In this capacity, she brought together scholars and senior politicians to discuss and influence policy change on a wide range of topics, from active citizenship, the impact of foreign policy on the ground, Islamic finance, and issues of child poverty and forced marriage. Ms. Miah believes strongly in interfaith dialogue and served as Director and coordinator for Alif-Aleph, promoting diologue between Muslims and Jews/ Sje was also Political Consultant Advisor for the launching of the UMCOR/Muslim Aid Partnership in the UK Parliament.
Ms. Miah currently sits on the boards of various Muslim and non-Muslim organisations, including the International Commission of Peace (ICOP) and the Muslim Women’s Network, part of an initiative set up by the former Minister for Trade and Investment. Her primary focus is to build capacity, promote understanding, and further facilitate the path for better economic, community and faith relations. In recognition of her work on equal opportunities and better community/faith relations, Ms. Miah was awarded the honour of Ambassador for Peace by a UN-affiliated NGO.
Salwa Baccar is an English teacher at the High Institute of Management at the University of Tunis. Ms. Baccar is also the Vice-Mayor of Hammamm-lif, a suburb of Tunis, where she has been serving her community for over 12 years, overseeing relations with sister cities as well as being greatly involved in family and children’s issues in her community.
Ms. Baccar serves in several organizations and boards concerned with issues of family planning, abandoned children, single parent families, and handicapped people (as Vice President of the National Organization for Hearing Deficient Children). She represented Tunisia in the Leadership Development Program for Muslim Women (US, 2003), where she strongly defended the rights of Muslim women as embedded in Islam and Qur’anic texts, denounced the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of Islam, and enhanced the position of Arab and Muslim women in their struggle towards social advancement. She has participated in several international seminars such as Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) in Tunisia dealing with women’s empowerment and was awarded several certificates.
Born in Tunisia to a Tunisian father and Italian mother who converted to Islam after marriage, Ms. Baccar is interested in learning about other cultures and interfaith understanding. She is the mother of two daughters (Fatima and Khadija) to whom she has transmitted her values and deep beliefs of faith, tolerance and service to others. She remains committed to serving others (community or other), fighting against injustices and inequalities, and spreading the truth of Islam, which calls for fair and respectful treatment of women and practicing faith with openness and tolerance towards others.
Lana Antaki is a board member and trainer at Al Moubadara Al Nissa’yeh (The Women’s Initiative), a Syrian NGO working in defense of women’s rights. As a board member, Ms. Antaki organizes activities and workshops throughout Syria, makes contacts with other international and local NGOs, writes reports, and organizes projects. She has researched violence against women in Syria and contributed to many workshops and training courses both in Syria and abroad. A geologist by training, Ms. Antaki graduated from Damascus University in 1997.
Parvin Ali OBE, is the founder and CEO of FATIMA (Forum for Advocacy, Training & Information in Multicultural Arena) Women’s Network. It is an independent, strategic and diverse organization using dynamic interventions for gender equity, social, economic and environmental justice. FATIMA was set up in 2002 as a social enterprise and is a founding member of the European Network of Migrant Women.
Ms. Ali is a member of several groups and committees including the WIEF World Islamic Businesswomen Network Task Force, the National Business Task Force, the National Muslim Women Advisory Group, and is an independent member of Regional Assembly. She is a board member of the Regional Development Agency leading on Business Support & Enterprise, and CEDAR European Network of Muslim Professionals leading on Women, a chair of British Muslim Women Business Association, and an inaugural member of EU Fundamental Rights Agency Civil Society Advisory Panel.
Ms. Ali has presented on a number of topics relating to women and enterprise in over 18 countries worldwide including keynote speaker at Minister for Women’s House of Commons Black History Reception in 2006. Her areas of interest include good governance, developing women’s leadership, and building capacity of entrepreneurs. Of Malaysian origin, Ms. Ali has an international MBA from De Montfort University and was awarded Officer of British Empire for her services to diversity on the Queen’s Birthday in 2007.
Nageen Hyat is a Rights Activist, Curator and Founder-Director of the Nomad Gallery. Established in 1984 in Islamabad, Nomad’s mission is to promote the rich heritage of Pakistan through art and culture, crafts development, human rights, and peace. Its program “Art for Social Change” has made major contributions in creating awareness and providing skills training and income generation schemes for artists and members of various communities. Another program, “Shanaakht – A Nomad Forum for the Arts,” is a voluntary group involved in fund-raising, art workshops, film screenings, talks, and presentations that offer a platform for fledgling artists, poets and writers.
Ms. Hyat is also the executive producer of “Shanaakht-mein houn zindagi,” a 13 episode program that focuses on women, professions, culture and taboos. Launched in 2009 by the Pakistan Television Corp, the program has been aired both in Pakistan and abroad. She is currently working on the documentary, “Rediscovering Greater Chitral,” which focuses on the culture, festivals and lifestyle of the people of Chitral and Kalasha Valleys in Northern Pakistan.
Ms. Hyat is a founding member of the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) Islamabad-Rawalpindi Chapter, and has served on the forum for many years. She has been recognized by Amnesty International-Canada for her services as a volunteer for Human Rights.
Photo From
https://www.youlinmagazine.com/story/nageen-hyat-making-a-difference-through-art/MjE0
Samina Bashir is an Assistant Professor and is in her second term of managing the Faculty of Shariah and Law at International Islamic University in Islamabad. Ms. Bashir has enrolled in a Ph.D, after researching “The Testimony of Woman in Islam” during her LL.M. She has attended many conferences and seminars and participated in inter-faith cultural dialogue in Germany. Ms. Bashir has been writing on different topics and has a long experience of teaching various subjects of Law and Shariah. Currently, she is working on a research project related to ‘ Female Criminality’.
Anissa Naqrachi is President and Founder of the Nour Association of Solidarity for Rural Women in the far-southern Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, with an approximately 1900 Muslim women membership. Ms. Naqrachi is also credited with making the Moroccan Center of Information and Documentation for Women (CMIDEF) accessible to women in Ouarzazate. She is also a committee member of the National Initiative for Human Development (NIHD), an innovative and ambitious project aiming at eliminating poverty, vulnerability, precarious situations, and social exclusion. Its main goal is to set up a modern, democratic social project, analyze disparities between social categories, sexes, and areas to establish perennial dynamics for human development. She is a local partner with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), which works to improve gender equality and human right in Morocco. Ms. Naqrachi is also an alumni member and consultant for the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an association created to support Muslim women in the most disadvantaged regions of Morocco. JIDA aims to promote social, economic and cultural action in rural areas through helping women and girls adapt their jobs to their environment and help disabled women.
