A Look At Rana Abdelhamid’s “Malikah”: A Safe Community For Muslim Women In NYC
Being a Muslim woman in a country like America means living each day as a minority person, which puts the possibility of getting assaulted, violated, or threatened at stake. When a Muslim woman decides to wear the hijab, she is publicly identifying herself as Muslim, and it triggers some people to commit hate crimes against those women.
Malikah as a grassroots, anti-violence and wellness organization advocates against gender and hate-based violence. It is goal is to equip women with four pillars: healing, self-defense, organizing, and financial literacy.
The story of Rana Abdelhamid is not new, yet her response to the story is what makes all the difference. When she was only 15, someone stanched her hijab that was covering her head. Today, Abdelhamid is teaching Muslim women in Queens, NYC how to defend themselves, not just against such crimes, but against patriarchy as well.
Since the October 7 attacks, and as reported by the news, Muslims and Arab people abroad have faced hate crimes due to this politically and religiously heated debate. One woman in Abdelhamid’s class recounted the moment when a stranger spit on her just because she was Muslim.
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