Personal Info
- Country of residence: United States
Information
Laila Al-Marayati,
Palestinian-American doctor, Islamic activist, previously chaired the US
Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she was appointed for two
years after President Bill Clinton.
her life
Al-Marayati was born in 1962 in Los
Angeles, to her late father, Dr. Sabri Al-Farra is originally from Gaza, while
her mother is from Missouri.
Education and work
She received her medical degree from
the University of California, Irvine, and then trained in obstetrics and
gynecology at the University of California, USA. She opened her own obstetrics
and gynecology clinic and ran it for 11 years. Currently, she is an Assistant
Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern
California, Keck School of Medicine; She is also the Director of Women's Health
at the Eisner Center for Children and Family Medicine, located in downtown Los
Angeles. In the 1990s, Al-Marayati was a member of the US State Department's
Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, and was a member of the US
delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in
Beijing, China alongside Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995.
From 1999 to 2001, she was a
presidential candidate for the US Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF). In addition, she has been the spokesperson for the Muslim Women's
League, based in Los Angeles, since 1994. The MWL's work has been to educate
Muslims and non-Muslims alike about women's rights in Islam. She is the author
of numerous articles and position papers on a range of issues that include
topics such as gender in Islam and violence against women. Al-Marayati led a
fact-finding delegation to Croatia during the Balkan War to help spread
awareness of the Bosnian survivors. She remains an outspoken critic against
female genital mutilation (also known as female circumcision or female genital
mutilation) and other practices harmful to women.
She is married to Salam Al-Marayati
and has three children: Malik Al-Marayati, Zaid Al-Marayati and Janan
Al-Marayati. Khadija Abdel Aziz and Fatima Abdel Aziz were also appointed. Her
husband is the president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council[1] which was
co-founded by qualified Egyptian doctors of Egyptian descent, Hassan Hathout
and his brother Maher, both reformed within the American Muslim community. Dr.
Maher Hathout is the founder of the American Muslim identity known to the world
as the home where my grandchildren will be raised. She is currently the
President of KinderUSA, a non-profit organization in the West Bank, Gaza and
Lebanon.
source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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