The Founding Member Of SIS In Islam Zainah Anwar Tops The List Of Most Influential Muslim Women Of The World

Sister In Islam founding member and Sunday Star's columnist (+)Zainah Anwar has been listed as the most influential Muslim women by the San Francisco-based International Museum of Women (IMOW).

Also in the top 10 IMOW list is (+)Zarizana Aziz, a prominent figure in Women Living Under Muslim Lsws (WLUML). The two joined the list of women luminaries from around the world and from various fields in the IMOW's virtual exhibition, Muslima: Muslim Women's Arts and Voices, curated by (+)Samina Ali. The IMOW is an online museum that showcases art, stories and ideas to celebrate, inspire and advance the lives of women around the world. No matter what part of the world these women hail from, not one of these exceptional leaders is limited by her faith or gender. " Each uses her identity to overturn conventional roles and blaze an extraordinary path for herself," said Samina in US online news portal Huffington Post. Samina places Zainah first on her list for her role as an SIS founding member, commending her two decades of efforts in fighting discrimination against women. Samina quotes Zainah as saying, " The Muslim world needs a paradigm shift on how we treat and regard women." If we had been true to the message of Quran, we really should be at the forefront of feminist movement today. (+)Zarizana, a human rights lawyer and board chairman of WLUML, was placed seventh in the list. WLUML is an International solidarity network that provides information, support a collective space for women whose lives are shaped, conditioned or governed by laws and customs in Islam. Others on the list are Iranian lawyer (+)Dr Shirin Ebadi, the first prosecutor-general in Afghanistan Maria Bashir, Sudanese activist Fahima Hashim and Israeli artist (+)Laila Shawa.