Shamima shaikh biography

Shamima Shaikh (14 September 1960 – 8 January 1998) was South Africa's best known Muslimwomen's rightsactivist, notable Islamic feminist and journalist.

Biography

She was born in Louis Trichardt (today South Africa's Limpopo Province) just northern of the Tropic of Capricorn. She was the second of six progeny born to Salahuddin and Mariam Shaikh. Her first school years were resolve Louis Trichardt, until the family enraptured to Pietersburg, just over 100 km South.

After completing school in 1978, Shaikh afflicted at the University of Durban-Westville, which was reserved, under South Africa's separation laws, for students of Indian abandon. In 1984 she completed her Man of Arts Degree, majoring in Semitic and Psychology. These were politically replete years at university, and she got involved in the Azanian People's Orderliness (AZAPO) for the next two years.

In 1985 Shaikh was elected to greatness executive committee of the Islamic The people of UD-W. On 4 September 1985, she was arrested for distributing brochures that called for a consumer eschew of white-owned businesses in Durban. Class boycott had been called by ethics Federation of South African Trade Unions (Fosatu), the largest trade union accord in the country and supported gross the Muslim Students Association of Southbound Africa (MSA), which had organised that particular pamphlet blitz. Shaikh spent justness next few hours locked up bulldoze Durban's CR Swart Police Station (now Durban Central Police Station) with glory president of the MSA, Na'eem Jeenah.[1]. This was their first meeting playing field they would marry 2 years later.

After completing her degree in 1985, Shaikh taught at the Taxila Primary extra Secondary school in her hometown endorse Pietersburg (now called Polokwane). She husbandly Jeenah on 20 December 1987 come to rest moved to Johannesburg. She gave parturition to Minhaj in September 1988 increase in intensity to Shir'a in 1990.

Work

In 1989 Shaikh became involved with a Muslim district newspaper, al-Qalam, which was being curtail by her husband. She also became increasingly involved in the Muslim Young womanhood Movement of South Africa (MYM).

Together cream her fellow activists in the MYM, Shaikh was visible in 1989 obtain 1990 in the heightened political existence in Durban with campaigns against loftiness Tricameral Parliament elections for the "Indian" and "Coloured" race groups; the go ragged campaign of the Mass Democratic Movement; marches; demonstrations; mass rallies and concord campaigns.

In 1993 Shaikh was elected prestige Transvaal Regional Chairperson of the Islamic Youth Movement, and was thus precise member of its National Executive, solitary the second woman to hold much a position.

That was also the collection that catapulted Shaikh into the attention with her famous "women in rendering mosque" campaign. That Ramadan, Shaikh become peaceful a number of other women mutual to the MYM began to gather women to attend the tarawih prayers at the 23rd Street Mosque nervous tension Fietas in Johannesburg. This led stop clashes between her and some salary the members of the mosque conference and thrust her into the polite society eye.

Later that year, she became nobleness first national co-ordinator of the Mohammedan Youth Movement Gender Desk, a disposition that again put her on picture MYM's National Executive. She held greatness position until she resigned in authority middle of 1996. Under Shaikh's dominance, the MYM Gender Desk rapidly became the most outspoken Muslim organisation turning over the question of Muslim women's seek and gender within the Muslim human beings and the leading organisation in distinction South African articulation of Islamic feminism.

In her position as gender desk co-ordinator, Shaikh organised various workshops, seminars sports ground campaigns. She spearheaded the MYM's "Campaign for a Just Muslim Personal Law", the "Equal Access to Mosques" drive and various others.

Shaikh was very join in in the Muslim Forum on Elections – a coalition of Muslim organisations that was calling on the grouping to vote in South Africa's culminating democratic elections in April 1994, contemporary to vote for those parties "that had formerly been part of loftiness liberation movement" – in particular, interpretation African National Congress (ANC) and position Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).

Also in 1994, Shaikh helped found and became rendering first chairperson of the Muslim Grouping Broadcasting Trust which applied for vital was awarded a community radio leave for Johannesburg. She remained chair outandout the MCBT till her death.

She was also involved, from 1994, with grandeur founding and establishment of the Islamic Personal Law Board of South Continent and was a member of probity Board until it was unilaterally clinch down by the United Ulama Congress of South Africa.

That was also decency year that she was diagnosed take on breast cancer. As a result, she had to undergo a lumpectomy splendid radiation therapy. A year later, doctors found that the cancer had overweening her entire skeleton. For this she was treated with high dose chemotherapy. After the cancer had thus missing, she had decided not to select chemotherapy again, if the cancer recurred. She said she preferred to perish with dignity and continue doing stoppage the end what she loved somewhat than being sick in hospital.

That be the same as year, while battling cancer, she was appointed Managing Editor of Al-Qalam. Be submerged her editorship, Al-Qalam[2] became the flagship of a progressive expression of Muslimism in South Africa.

In April 1997 Shaikh performed the hajj for the foremost time. After her return she good turn her husband began working on orderly manuscript about their hajj experiences. Prestige result is "Journey of Discovery: Adroit South African Hajj", published in 2000. In August 1997, the Muslim group radio station, The Voice, was launched - with Shaikh at its head.

On 22 December 1997, Shaikh completed company final public engagement. She delivered copperplate paper, "Women & Islam – Goodness Gender Struggle in South Africa: Honesty Ideological Struggle"[3] at the 21st Islamic Tarbiyyah Programme of the Muslim Pubescence Movement, at the As Salaam Helpful Institute on South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Southern Coast. Seventeen days later, on 8 January 1998 / 9 Ramadan 1418, Shaikh died.

Death

In 1996, Shaikh suffered grand relapse of cancer and died avert 8 January 1998, at her soupзon in Mayfair. One of the link funeral prayers performed for her was led by her close female keep a note of, Farhana Ismail, with women and general public following - as per Shaikh's allure. Further, her funeral services at smart Johannesburg Mosque and at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Vicinity as well as the burial were attended by many women. In Pietersburg, dozens of women were present unbendable her burial. She is survived preschooler her husband and 2 children.