Meet the 7 Powerful Muslim Women Speaking at the Women’s March on Washington
Today we mourn, and tomorrow we resist. Led by Linda Sarsour and a powerful group of women, the Women’s March on Washington is set to fill the US capitol with millions resisting hate and empire as the Trump presidency begins. With Linda Sarsour as one of the lead organizers of the protest she made sure to fill the protest in D.C. with powerful Muslim women. She wrote on Facebook about this,
“Proud to ensure that voices of Muslim women are centered at the #WomensMarch. You will hear from the daughters of Black Muslim American civil rights icons Muhammad Ali & Malcolm X — Maryum Ali & Ilyassah Shabazz, Sister Ieasha Prime, a teacher and faith leader, Zahra Billoo of CAIR, and my immigrant rights superstar Hina Naveed. You will also be musically blessed by Alia Sharrief, a Muslim American hip hop artist from Oakland who the whole world is gonna meet and fall in love with.
🙌🏽 I know my sisters are gonna make us all proud. Of course you already know I am repping my people to the fullest.
My Muslim sisters and brothers, you will be seen and your voices will be heard. I joined this effort with all of you in mind. We will rise up together.”
Check out this powerful group of speakers below:
Ustada Ieasha Prime — Executive Director, BarakahInc.com
Ustadha Ieasha Prime is the executive director of Barakah Inc. based in Washington D.C. She converted to Islam more than 20 years ago, after being an International Youth Ambassador to Morocco and Senegal. After having participated in several circles of knowledge in the US, Ieasha decided to pursue religious studies abroad. She studied Arabic, Quran at the Fajr Institute and general Islamic studies in other institutes in Cairo, Egypt. After two years in Egypt, she moved to Hadramaut, Yemen and enrolled in Dar al Zahra, an Islamic University for Women.
In 1994, her passion to educate and empower Muslim women to be leaders in America led her to the creation of the non profit organization, Sisterhood In Action. SIA is an international women’s organization devoted to helping women rise above social challenges to actualize their full potential in life and society. The expansion of SIA gave Ieasha Prime access to a worldwide network of women and like minded organizations. Thus, her work and studies began to expand internationally. She is now the Executive Director of Barakah, Inc. empowering women and youth with a foundation of Islam.
Maryum Ali — Executive Director, DMTL Family
Maryum Ali was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and is the eldest of Muhammad Ali’s nine children. She performed as a stand-up comedian for twelve years in venues across the country filling rooms with humor and insightful observations of social issues.
In 1992, May May’s rap album, “The Introduction,” was released by Scottie Brother’s Records. She viewed music as a way to inspire youth to strive for their dreams despite challenges and hardships.
Sister Maryum has 15 years of experience in delinquency prevention and family development and has worked in many capacities in this field; from having direct practice experience with over 300 families to working as a Regional Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction & Youth Development in the City of Los Angeles. She is currently seeking private funding for the non-profit organization, DMTL, a gang prevention and youth development program that she co-founded with Nason Buchanan. (www.DMTLFamily.org)
May May is the author of a children’s picture book about her father titled, I Shook Up the World: The Incredible Life of Muhammad Ali.
Ilyassah Shabazz — Trustee for the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center
ILYASAH AL SHABAZZ, third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, activist, motivational speaker, and author of award winning publications such as: a coming of age memoir entitled, Growing Up X (Random House 2002); a children’s illustration book entitled, Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X (Simon & Schuster 2014), and a young adult historical fiction book entitled, X, A Novel (Candlewick Press 2015).
Ilyasah promotes higher education for at-risk youth, interfaith dialogue to build bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world, and she participates on international humanitarian delegations.
Alia Sharrief — Hip Hop Artist & Founder, Hijabi Chronicles
Alia Sharrief is a hip hop artist, film director/editor, community activist and founder of The Hijabi Chronicles. She has performed all over the country and internationally, sharing the stage with such notable artists as Kendrick Lamar, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and others. After moving to the Bay Area Alia released her debut album, “Mental Cycles and Mood Swings” in 2012 and has released many critically acclaimed songs and music videos since, including the hit “Black Heroes.”
As a Muslim woman in Hiphop/ female emcee/vocalist, Alia expresses her beliefs in Islam while combating stereotypes in her music. Refusing to blend in with the trends, Alia Sharrief stands boldly with a unique style, sound, and lyricism. Alia is more than an image. Musically, she is a breath of fresh air that is much needed in Hiphop today and is coming to bring a revolution to the music scene.
Now she is set to release her new album, “Back On My Deen” which will take the masses understanding of Hiphop and Islam to another level. “Back On My Deen” also addresses current dilemmas in Black America.” Stay tuned as Alia Sharrief makes moves to change the face of music and media towards a more positive and creative direction.
Zahra Billoo — Executive Director, CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area
Zahra Billoo is a civil rights attorney and the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). In this capacity, she leads the oldest CAIR chapter in the country, serving the Bay Area’s 250,000 Muslims. Zahra is frequently seen at mosques and universities facilitating trainings and workshops as a part of CAIR’s grassroots efforts to empower the American Muslim community and build bridges with allies on civil rights issues. Zahra also provides direct legal services for victims of law enforcement targeting and Islamophobia.
Outside of her work with CAIR, Zahra bakes birthday cakes for foster children through Cake4Kids and is a coordinator for Project Feed, a monthly homeless feeding effort in downtown San Francisco.
Hina Naveed — Community Organizer IDNYC
Hina Naveed is a New York city based community organizer who has been deeply involved in the struggle for immigrant rights. She has been very vocal about her struggle as an undocumented immigrant to the United States. She stated recently about her work with undocumented communities that,
“While I was a part-time student at the College of Staten Island, I was awarded the New York Immigration Coalition’s DREAM Fellowship, and began to work with El Centro De Inmigrante, a local immigrant rights organization. When meeting the immigrants that I served there, I was struck by their unconditional acceptance of my appearance. They never cared that I am Muslim, wear a head scarf, or can’t speak Spanish. They just saw me as human, as someone they could trust. Feeling so easily accepted made me reflect on our own South Asian culture and how we often judge others. I have realized through my work that the divisiveness within our cultures and communities and the stereotypes we have against one another only operate against us in the long run. We need to learn to trust each other, work together, and support one another because the issues for which we are fighting affect us all. We all deserve to live with dignity and respect, regardless of our immigration status.
I was inspired and moved by my experiences working with undocumented individuals. I have learned to put things in perspective, to appreciate and value life, and to remain strong. It is easy to keep to oneself and endure challenges alone, but sharing my life story has been invaluable for my personal growth. In some ways, our greatest value as human beings is in connecting with one another, in being involved in each others’ lives and life stories.”
Linda Sarsour — Executive Director, MPower Change
Linda Sarsour is an award winning Brooklyn born Palestinian-American-Muslim racial justice and civil rights activist, community organizer, social media maverick, and mother of three. Linda has been at the forefront of major social justice campaigns both locally in New York City and nationally. She is the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York, co-founder of Muslims for Ferguson, and a member of the NY Justice League. Linda is most notably recognized for her focus on intersectional movement building.
