Syeda Saiyidain Hameed

Dr. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed is a former Member of the Planning Commission of India and a former Member of the National Commission for Women. She is a feminist and writer, who is widely recognized for her passionate engagement in public affairs and social issues, especially for women, minorities, and peace. She is the Founder Member of the Muslim Women’s Forum (MWF). In 2000, Dr. Hameed toured all over India listening to voices of Muslim women who came out in hundreds to the Public Hearings. This exercise led to a landmark report, Voice of the Voiceless: Status of Muslim Women in India. Its recommendations were presented to the Government, religious bodies, and civil society for policy formulation. However, another series of meetings and public hearings continued which did not reveal much progress or improvement. This led to a report with an aspirational title, My Voice Shall Be Heard. One year after this report, in 2003, the Government decided to constitute a High-Level Committee under Justice Rajinder Sachar to study the status of SRC (Socio-religious Communities), primarily Muslims. In 2018, she organized a one-of-a-kind exhibition and colloquium titled ‘Pathbreakers: The Twentieth Century Muslim Women of India’ to develop an awareness about the Muslim women who during and after the independence movement were at the forefront of nation-building but has remained largely invisible/unrecognized and unsung.