South Africa
Activist, Women's rights
Hijri Unknown-Present (AH); Common Era Unknown-Present (CE)
Rumana Mahomed is the elected Chairperson of the Coalition of Muslim Women (CMW), an open, non-partisan organization that addresses issues pertinent to women, striving towards ensuring social justice, fairness and equality for Muslim Women in South Africa. The CMW was recently initiated by a group of Muslim women representing various organizations and individuals from the broader KwaZulu-Natal area in South Africa. Its first campaign is aimed at the legal recognition of Muslim marriages and divorce into the South African legal system. Ms. Mahomed is also the coordinator and one of the founding members of Taking Islam to the People (TIP), an open, non-partisan forum for organizations, social activists, community workers, academics and grassroots people. TIP and its constituent members explore creative, lateral and multi-faceted approaches to reviving the spirit of community both amongst Muslims and amongst the broader South African communities. A legal practitioner by profession Ms. Mahomed holds degrees in B.Soc.Sc. and LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South Africa. Her other qualifications include a Certificate in Islamic Law (UKZN) and a diploma in the Arabic language from Zarqa Private University, Jordan. Passionate about social change and economic justice within the framework of an Islamic ethos, she believes that only by actively struggling and striving can change be effected within and outside Muslim society. Ms. Mahomed is married and a mother of three, balancing her life between raising her family and being an agent of change.
