On Saturday, March 31, KARAMAH held a held a discussion at America’s Islamic Heritage Museum, celebrating Muslim women’s leadership throughout history and today. The event featured Engy Abdelkader, Vice President of KARAMAH, and Asma Hanif, Executive Director of Muslimaat al-Nisa, two women who are active leaders in the fields of law and social work. Throughout the afternoon, both women shared their paths to becoming respected leaders in their fields and gave insight on the strategies and practices that helped them overcome challenges they faced in achieving their positions of leadership.
Ms. Abdelkader spoke about the unique challenges that many Muslim women face when entering the legal field, and the importance of facing these challenges to pave the way for future professionals. During her speech, she spoke about the importance legal professionals place on developing credibility with their clients, and how this can become more difficult in the face of rising anti-Islamic sentiment. In particular, Ms. Abdelkader spoke about an experience she had as a young lawyer when she was refused entrance to a courthouse based on her refusal to remove her hijab in front of a male officer. While this event was unfortunate, Ms. Abdelkader explained how her persistence in bringing attention to the situation allowed her to change the courthouse’s implementation of new procedures, and improved conditions for other women who were unable to effectively advocate for themselves and their clients.
Ms. Abdelkader’s message of persistence in the face of injustice was echoed by Sister Amsa Hanif, who spoke about her own journey becoming a nurse and then founding a number of social organizations. Sister Asma spoke about her experience becoming Muslim while in nursing school and taking on the niqab. She recounted the challenges she faced from employers who threatened to dismiss her for wearing the niqab, and noted that each time she had the option to simply leave, but instead chose to fight for her right to religious freedom. Sister Asma also spoke about the source of her desire to help others, informed by her own experiences.
While both leaders faced different struggles and responded with different tactics, both stressed the importance of Muslim women taking on leadership roles and addressing the challenges they face today, to make it easier for others to follow in their paths tomorrow.
To read a sample of Engy Abdelkader’s work, visit KARAMAH’s scholarship section here.
To learn more about Sister Asma Hanif’s organization Muslimaat An-Nissa, visit its website here
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