3 lessons on starting a movement from a self-defense trailblazer | Rana Abdelhamid

At 16, Rana Abdelhamid started teaching self-defense to women and girls in her neighborhood. Almost 10 years later, these community classes have grown into Malikah: a global grassroots network creating safety, power and solidarity for all women. How did she do it? Abdelhamid shares three ingredients for building a movement from the ground up.

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31 Comments on 3 lessons on starting a movement from a self-defense trailblazer | Rana Abdelhamid

  1. Rana I am proud of your bravery, your leadership and your determination – keep up the awesomeness ma Sha Allah !

  2. Speaker: Rana Abdelhamid
    0:12 A story from her parents
    1:05 Queens NY, tough streets, diverse, hard working
    1:53 Networks for everything
    2:28 Volunteering at a domestic violence organization.
    3:20 Hate Crimes, Gender Violence statistics
    3:55 Community Building. Empowerment.
    4:21 (1)Start with what you know
    She taught self defense. Building relationships through teaching

    6:16 (2) Start with who you know
    Friends
    7:30 Emotional, as well as physical defenses
    8:16 (3) Start with joy
    9:32 Love is inspiring.
    10:17 For a better Culture

  3. “And it may not seem it but Islamophobia and anti-muslim violence is a form of gender-based violence given the visibility of muslim women in our hijabs”. Where is the logic in this statement?
    It is so sad that TED talks have become Clown World. Honk honk.

    • +Ben Briggs let us hope things improve, we still have the wonderful talks from the likes of Robert Sapolsky and Anil Seth to warm our hearts and remind us of the good times.

    • You can make that case but then you should to listen to the arguments for the hijab itself being a form of gendered based discrimination. It drives me crazy that so many people in the west talk about how women wearing the hijabs are often discriminated against but never that they are punished by violence for not wearing them in the broader Muslim community.

    • +Dylan Butts why does it “drive you crazy”? Is that because you can’t afford the flight to Tehran or Riyadh to find out what really happens to women when they take off their hijab or cloth sack? I am rather short of money at the moment but I am almost tempted to make a contribution to your flight costs.

  4. Thumbs Up mostly for the progressive and inclusive values : I mean Rana includes queer/trans in her discourse, which makes her more open to others than most…
    Two small suggestions for Rana :
    – You said, in relation to using martial arts in combat: “I do not want for women to have to deescalate violence”… but deescalating violence is a good thing as such, which avoids the use of self-defense martial arts 😛
    – When you talk about the hijab, I feel you should subtly mention how it is not inherently Muslim, and women who are not Muslim sometimes cover their hair. I do not think it was your intention, but your speech made it sound like it was just what a Muslim woman does, which you and I both know is a cultural thing and a choice in most regions.

  5. Much more to fear from Sharia as a woman than random acts of violence on the street. Why would any sane woman choose that over freedom?

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