Malikah is an anti-violence organization building community power and safety through self-defense, financial literacy, organizing, and healing programs.
About Us
Malikah is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to combating gender and hate-based violence, founded after our founder Rana Abdelhamid experienced a hate-based attack. As a Muslim Egyptian woman growing up in Queens, NY post-9/11, Rana faced the challenges of navigating a world where fear and misunderstanding were often projected onto her community. This personal journey fueled her passion for creating a space where women, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, could find healing, empowerment, and a sense of belonging. Malikah was born out of this need for solidarity and safety, as well as the desire to combat gender and hate-based violence in a world that often marginalizes the most vulnerable.
We offer self-defense training, healing justice, financial literacy, and organizing programs to empower individuals and communities. We collaborate with community-based organizations (CBOs), private sector partners, public schools, and religious institutions to amplify our impact. Our mutual aid hub and base-building efforts in Queens, NY, serve immigrant, working-class North African communities, as well as recently arrived African asylum seekers.
Through intensive bootcamps, community summits, weekly events, and one-time programs, we expand access to our curriculum and training by partnering with organizers and trainers. Our movement is rooted in a community safety framework that elevates the leadership of marginalized groups within our communities.
Ready to join us in creating a world free from violence? Partner with us! We’re excited to collaborate with you!
Our Impact
Since 2010, Malikah has trained over 30,000 people worldwide, partnering with over 800 organizations to offer impactful self-defense, financial literacy, organizing, and healing programs. Our work includes flagship events like the National Muslim Women’s Summit, where we have hosted hundreds of Muslim women over nine years, facilitating healing and self-defense programs. Through online resources and initiatives like our self defense starter kit, we've shared self-defense techniques with over 1 million people. Malikah also supports asylum seekers and marginalized communities through direct services, providing meals, housing support, and legal referrals, and creating safe spaces for healing and empowerment. Last, our base building efforts are focused on building collective power for working class and low income North African people in Queens, NY.