Rana Abdelhamid

Rana Abdelhamid is an internationally acclaimed human rights organizer, martial artist and social entrepreneur focused on the empowerment of marginalized communities. She is the founder and CEO of the International Muslim Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE), a global self-defense and empowerment training organization that trains young Muslim women to confront gender based and anti-Muslim violence. In 2017 WISE held the National Muslim Women's Summit at Harvard University, training 50 Muslim American women in leadership and organizing. Over the past seven years, WISE has engaged thousands of participants through its self-defense programs across the US and Europe. Abdelhamid is also the Founder of Hijabis of NY, an online platform that highlights the stories of hijabi women. Rana Abdelhamid is an anti-hate crime martial artist and self-defense instructor with a 1st Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate certified under the New York State Black Belt Association. She has been practicing martial arts for the past 12 years and has taught for over 8 years globally.