Rana Abdelhamid

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Rana Abdelhamid
Families Belong Together SF march 20180630-4564.jpg
Born (1993-05-06) May 6, 1993 (age 28)[1]
Queens, New York, U.S.
EducationMiddlebury College (BA)
Harvard University (MPP)
Political partyDemocratic
WebsiteCampaign website

Rana Abdelhamid (Arabic: رنا عبد الحميد; born May 6, 1993)[2] is an American entrepreneur and activist. She lives in Queens, New York. Abdelhamid is also the founder of Hijabis of New York and the Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment.[3][4][5][6]

Early life and education[]

Abdelhamid is of Egyptian descent and grew up in New York.[7][8] She has three siblings. As a child, she studied karate.[5] Abdelhamid became a shotokan karate martial artist. She holds a black belt in Tai Chi karate.[9]

Abdelhamid attended Middlebury College as a Posse Foundation Scholar, where she majored in international politics and economics.[10] At Middlebury, she and others organized a local chapter of Amnesty International USA.[10] After graduating from Middlebury,[11] she attended Harvard Kennedy School of Government[5] after earning a Harry S. Truman Scholarship.[10] She is a recipient of the 2015 United Nations Association of the United States of America Leo Nevas Human Rights Youth Award, and the Running Start Rising Political Star.[12]

Career[]

She has spent her professional career working for Google.[citation needed]

Malikah (formerly Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment)[]

Abdelhamid first pitched her idea for a self-defense class with women teaching women to her imam at the Queens Community Center when she was sixteen.[13] This was after she had been attacked on the street by a man who tried to take off her headscarf.[3] The class was rejected, but Abdelhamid continued to pitch the idea and held her first class for Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE) in 2010.[13] Since then, WISE chapters have been created in other parts of the United States and internationally, in Edinburgh, Dublin, and Madrid.[6] The program grew to incorporate a summer camp in New York called Mentee Muslimah.[14] Abdelhamid describes creating WISE as "part of her 'healing process,'" according to Elle.[7] She told National Catholic Reporter that so-called "hijab grabs" are a common experience for Muslim women.[15] The organization has evolved to Malikah, a global collective of women committed to building security and power for communities. [16]

Hijabis of New York[]

In 2014, Abdelhamid started a social media project called "Hijabis of New York" in order to "humanize and diversify the public narratives of Muslim women who wear hijabs," according to PBS.[17] The project is hosted on Facebook and takes the form of interviews conducted by Abdelhamid accompanied by photographs from various professionals.[17] In 2017, she and Maryam Aziz of WISE, along with Robie Flores and Alison Withers created a Self-Defense Starter Kit, which includes online resources and videos for Muslim women.[18]

2022 U.S. House campaign[]

On April 14, 2021, Abdelhamid announced her candidacy for the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives election in New York's 12th congressional district.[19] The progressive group Justice Democrats and New York City Council member Brad Lander subsequently endorsed her campaign.[20]

Personal life[]

Abdelhamid is a practicing Muslim. In addition to English, she also speaks Arabic and Spanish.[21]

Abdelhamid is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[22]

References[]

  1. ^ Glueck, Katie (April 14, 2021). "New Target for New York's Ascendant Left: Rep. Carolyn Maloney". The New York Times.
  2. ^ السطوحي, محمد (August 6, 2021). "ترشيح رنا عبد الحميد.. هل يقلب تمثيل الحزب الديمقراطي التقليدي في نيويورك؟". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Weiss, Suzannah (January 1, 2016). "Rana Abdelhamid's Women's Initiative for Self-Empowerment Teaches Self-Defense While Combatting Islamophobia". Bustle. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE) – The Harvard Innovation Labs". The Harvard Innovation Labs. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Zoll, Rachel (December 20, 2015). "U.S. Muslim Women Debate Safety of Hijab Amid Backlash". The Brownsville Herald. Retrieved June 30, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Rana Abdelhamid – Amnesty International USA". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Rodulfo, Kristina (January 13, 2016). "Why Young Muslim American Women Are Fighting Back". ELLE. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Salam, Erum (May 3, 2021). "Young, Muslim and progressive: is another AOC-style upset brewing in New York?". The Guardian. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Gebreyes, Rahel (March 14, 2016). "WISE Founder Teaches Muslim Women Self Defense To Protect Against Hate Crimes". HuffPost.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Middlebury Scholar Wins Truman Scholarship". Posse Foundation. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  11. ^ "Accosted for her hijab in New York, Rana Abdelhamid now teaches Muslim empowerment". The Economic Times. December 31, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  12. ^ "Rana Abdelhamid". carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b White, April (May 16, 2016). "Stand and Deliver". Middlebury Magazine. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  14. ^ "Once accosted for her hijab, 22-year-old woman now teaches Muslim empowerment". Daily News & Analysis. December 31, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  15. ^ Fiedler, Maureen (December 30, 2016). "The religious implications of the Trump election". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  16. ^ "Rana Abdelhamid". Growth from Failure. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Sarabia, Alexandra (February 4, 2016). "Meet the women of 'Hijabis of New York'". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  18. ^ McNamara, Brittney. "This Self-Defense Toolkit Will Prepare You for ANYTHING". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  19. ^ Glueck, Katie (April 14, 2021). "New Target for New York's Ascendant Left: Rep. Carolyn Maloney". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Krieg, Gregory (April 14, 2021). "Justice Democrats-backed activist Rana Abdelhamid challenges Rep. Carolyn Maloney in New York". CNN.
  21. ^ "Rana Abdelhamid: Young Muslim Empowering US Women". About Islam. October 19, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  22. ^ Axelrod, Tal (April 14, 2021). "NY Democratic chair blasts primary challenge against Maloney". The Hill.
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