Born: 1960 (Louis Trichardt, South Africa)
Died: 1998
Biography:
Shamima Shaikh (14 September 1960 – 8 January 1998) was South Africa’s best known Muslim women’s rights activist, notable Islamic feminist, and journalist. She was born in Louis Trichardt, which is now South Africa’s Limpopo Province, just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Shaikh was the second of six children born to Salahuddin and Mariam Shaikh.
Shaikh’s early years were spent in Louis Trichardt until her family moved to Pietersburg, located just over 100 km south. After completing her schooling in 1978, Shaikh enrolled at the University of Durban-Westville. It is notable that this university was reserved, under South Africa’s apartheid laws, for students of Indian descent. In 1984, she successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Arabic and Psychology.
During her time at university, Shaikh became politically active and joined the Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO), where she dedicated herself to the advancement of social justice. In 1985, she was elected to the executive committee of the Islamic Society of UD-W. It was also in this year that Shaikh was arrested for distributing pamphlets advocating for a consumer boycott of white-owned businesses in Durban. The boycott had been called by the Federation of South African Trade Unions (Fosatu), the largest trade union federation in the country, and was supported by the Muslim Students Association of South Africa (MSA). Shaikh spent several hours locked up at Durban’s CR Swart Police Station alongside Na’eem Jeenah, the president of the MSA. Little did they know then that this would be their first meeting, as they would marry two years later.
After completing her degree in 1985, Shaikh taught at the Taxila Primary and Secondary school in her hometown of Pietersburg (now called Polokwane). On 20 December 1987, she married Na’eem Jeenah and the couple moved to Johannesburg. They were blessed with two children, Minhaj in September 1988 and Shir’a in 1990.
In 1989, Shaikh became involved with a Muslim community newspaper called al-Qalam, which was being edited by her husband. She also increasingly participated in the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa (MYM). Alongside her fellow MYM activists, Shaikh played a prominent role in the heightened political activity in Durban during 1989 and 1990. They campaigned against the Tricameral Parliament elections for the Indian and Coloured race groups, joined the defiance campaign of the Mass Democratic Movement, and organized marches, demonstrations, mass rallies, and solidarity campaigns.
In 1993, Shaikh was elected as the Transvaal Regional Chairperson of the Muslim Youth Movement, making her one of the few women to hold such a position. It was also during this year that she gained widespread attention for her women in the mosque campaign. During Ramadan, Shaikh and several other women affiliated with the MYM initiated efforts to mobilize women, encouraging their active participation in religious spaces and challenging patriarchal barriers within the Muslim community.
Shaikh’s dedication to women’s rights and social justice was unwavering until her untimely death on 8 January 1998. Her legacy continues to inspire generations of activists and feminists in South Africa and beyond.