Muslim Women’s Alliance (MWA)

Muslim Women’s Alliance’s main areas of activity are developing female leaders and activists, community service, mentorship, and gender equality.

Background

Muslim Women’s Alliance was formed in 2009. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for left-of-center feminist policies and community services from a Muslim perspective. ¹

The alliance claims that women are traditionally held in high esteem in Muslim culture and Islamic history. It sees its work as a project of empowering Muslim women through leadership development and community aid and aims to spread its influence and advocacy nationwide through founding more local MWA chapters. One of its local chapters, MWA Chicago, designed the alliance’s website. ¹

Activities

Muslim Women’s Alliance’s main areas of activity are developing female leaders and activists, community service, mentorship, and gender equality (or “equity”). ¹

Develop Women Leaders

MWA aims to “elevate” female leaders, activists, and scholars by hosting annual conferences and online workshops. It supports students with its Aisha Scholarship program and claims to provide welfare to women in need through its Khadija Fund. ²

Community Service

MWA’s community service program provides development to “civic-minded Muslims” through its community service programs. It claims to help “people of all faiths” with these community services and through them “promote the roots of caring that run deep within our Islamic tradition.” ²

Mentorship

MWA has three mentorship programs: one for high school girls, another for a Chicago neighborhood run out of a local masjid or mosque, and a third “Emerging Leaders program” for women enrolled in undergraduate university programs. ³

Gender Equity

MWA advocates for gender equity in mosques and claims this would be a return to “Prophetic tradition.” It created a four-step strategy for a local mosque to allow women to have access to pray in the main prayer area, put women in leadership positions, allow women to speak at mosque programs, and create or participate in “gender panels” with other organizations. ²

Funding

According to its tax returns, in 2019 Muslim Women’s Alliance had a total revenue of $77,358, total expenses of $104,597, and net assets of $62,230. ⁴

Leadership

As of 2022, Noor Raheemullah Hasan was serving as executive director, a position she had occupied since 2007. She was a founding member of the organization, having previously served as the director of community relations before becoming executive director. She is a volunteer for a Chicago school Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and a mosque. ⁵

In 2022, MWA’s board was comprised of Sabina Abdul-Qadir, Suroor Raheemullah, Khadija Husain, Esra Rahima, Tahani Hassan, Aisha A. Ghori Ozaki, and Taiser El. ⁵