Malala Yousafzai & More: Strong Muslim Women Who Are Inspiring The World To Change For Better

It was a regular day in the life of a young 15-year-old girl who was on her way back home on her school bus with books in her hands and a dream in her heart. She was defying the edicts of the feared Taliban by going to school and getting an education. She had already become a marked girl as an activist championing the rights of other females that were being snatched away by the totalitarian regime. The Taliban had started to see her as a rising force that had to be snuffed out, and on an afternoon of 9 October 2012, the gunman entered her school bus and shot her.

That girl, Malala Yousafzai survived! They were not able to break her body or her spirit. She went on to become a global activist, one of the most recognized people in the world and youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner. 

The U.N in 2014, officially named 12 July, her birthday, as ‘Malala Day.' She has continuously striven for the plight of females around the world and has countered the growing Islamophobia. She has recently finished high school and joined Twitter to use social media to generate awareness on the education of all females.

(Image Courtesy: Mirror)

Malala is a well-recognized name today and has created quite a stir with her campaigns and her fearless attitude. Though, she is not the only Muslim female who has braved persecution to do what is right, joining her are countless other such brave hearts:

#1. Ayaan Hirsi Ali

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She is perhaps the most eloquent and forceful female speaker who has not only renounced Islam but has been an open critic of the religion. She has continually highlighted practices such as honor killing, female genital mutilation and forced marriage that are some of the evils performed by the fundamentalists' sect of the religion. She is one of the most powerful faces of real feminism and was born to a Muslim family in Somalia. She is also an MP in the Dutch parliament.

#2. Behnaz Shafiei

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Her country prohibits women from riding on the street and even refuses to issue them a license. Such repressive environment would suffocate any woman, but Behnaz Shafiei challenged all those patriarchal rules. She pursued her passion and went on to become the only Iranian female motorcyclist to have professionally road raced.

#3. Tima Shomali

(Image Courtesy: The New York Times)

Arab countries don’t have a liberating view on women. Far from letting the females celebrate their sexuality, they are rather encouraged to stay repressed and not toe the lines. Tima Shomali, though decided to do things differently, the gorgeous damsel armored with an incredible sense of humor decided to start a web show titled Female Show. The show has her talking on subjects such as sex, dating and sexual harassment. She has not only earned a place among one of the 100 most powerful Arabs under 40 but is also called the Tina Fey of the Arab world.

#4. Ibtihaj Muhammad

(Image Courtesy: The Independent)

Being a Muslim female athlete is hard, and there is a lot that you need to defy to be able to compete professionally. Ibtihaj Muhammad is a fencer who made history by competing in the Olympics wearing a Hijab. In the present political scenario where Muslims are under the radar, Ibtihaj wanted to represent Muslim and black women globally.

#5. Ilhan Omar

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Born in Somali, Omar immigrated to the US when she was 12. She had spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya. She is Somali-American Muslim woman elected to a state legislature and has campaigned for various issues such as affordable college, criminal justice reform, economic equality and clean energy.

These Muslim women have defied social and religious norms and proven that their determination and courage would not bend in the face of any challenge.

What are your opinions on this subject and do you know of females who defied odds to make a mark of their own. Do share your views using the comment box given below. We value your feedback and look forward to them.

(Feature Image Courtesy: Vimeo)