THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

Women’s Issuesyassine, nadiaNadia Yassine is the head of the women’s branch of the most powerful Islamist movement inMorocco, Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane (Justice and Charity). She has traveled to Europe, promotingthe mission of the movement to the Moroccan diaspora. She often serves as the movement’sspokesperson.PALESTINEel faqeeh, khouloudEl Faqeeh is the first female judge in Palestine and one of the first female judges in the Islamicworld for a sharia-based court. She graduated top of her class at Al Quds University and has herown private practice.QATARal missned, her highness sheikha mozah bint nasserSheikha Mozah is the wife of the ruler of Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani. She is apublic figure; advocating for women’s and children’s rights. Sheikha Mozah was the driving forcebehind Education City and Al Jazeera Children Channel. She holds several political positions,including chair of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development.SAUDI ARABIAal faiz, norah abdallahNorah al Faiz is the deputy minister for women’s education, becoming the first woman ever toserve in the Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers. She was formerly principal of a girls’ school andwas director of the women’s section at the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh.UNITED ARAB EMIRATESal haddad, dr ahmed [new]Dr Ahmed al Haddad is the grand mufti of Dubai and director of the Dubai Fatwa Administrationwith the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities. In late 2009 Dr al Haddadannounced the start of a program designed to develop a cadre of fully-trained and certified femalemuftis who will be able to issue fatwas and be recognized as leading Islamic scholars alongside theirmale counterparts. This is considered to be the first deliberate attempt at including women at thehighest levels of Islamic scholarship in Dubai, and presents the possibility of a female grand muftiin the future.YEMENali, nujood [new]Nujood Ali is the twelve-year-old author of the memoir ‘I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced,’published in English for the first time in 2010. The autobiographical account of her forcedmarriage to a 30-year-old man and subsequent rape and abuse is just one step in her personal fightagainst the societal injustices associated with polygamy and child marriage. Her efforts to educatethe world have garnered global attention and catalyzed efforts to address instances of forced childmarriage in other countries.East AfricaSOMALIAosman, hibaaqA Somali Muslim and women’s rights activist, Hibaaq Osman is Special Representative to Africafor V-Day—a movement against violence against women. She is the founder of Karama, a regionalmovement working to end violence against women in the Arab World. She is also the foundingCEO of the Arab Women’s Fund and founder of the Center for the Strategic Initiatives of Women(CSIW).132