Last Updated on February 9, 2026 2:23 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Syed Ali Mujtaba / Chennai
– A Report published by Awaz- the Voice (ATV), a news platform, highlights 10 Muslim change-makers in Tamil Nadu, among them four are women. These change-makers are driving social change through education, arts, and activism. They represent diverse fields, ranging from environmental conservation and literature to political activism and education, aimed at improving society in Tamil Nadu.
D. Sharifa Khanam is the fairy godmother of battered Muslim women in Tamil Nadu. For nearly two decades, she has been active in India’s women’s movement. From her base in Pudukkotta, Sharifa Khanam has dedicated her life to helping battered Muslim women. Sharifa Khanam, founder of STEPS, a women’s empowerment institution, is now working to establish a women’s mosque. Khanam believed that Muslim women had nowhere to turn when they faced injustice. Sudden divorces, triple talaq, denial of maintenance, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse were often dismissed by the police as matters falling under Shariat or Muslim personal law. These cases were pushed back into male-dominated jamaats. So the mosques for women can only be a shelter for such battered Muslim women.
Nikath Fathima Sohail heads the MWA Matriculation School in Chennai and supports educational initiatives for Muslim women. She is also co-chair of the Academy for Women. Besides, she is part of several other education-related organizations for Muslim youth and women. She went on to set up five learning centres for children with learning disabilities and to head a school for matriculation, which today has 1,500 students. She worked for 30 years for girls and for their social uplift in Tamil Nadu. She is co-chair of the Academy for Women under the umbrella of Anjuman-e-Himayat- e-Islam. The passion to help children and the destitute that she found in herself as a young school girl has lit the lives of hundreds of youths, mostly girls, with empowerment and education.
Fatima Muzaffar Ahmed represents the changing face of the Indian Union Muslim League IUML as she became an office bearer in the Chennai Corporation, among six Muslim women councilors elected in 2022. Her election was not surprising for most people, as she comes from a political lineage. Her father, AK Abdul Samad, former national general secretary of IUML, represented Velur twice in the Lok Sabha and twice in the Rajya Sabha.
Sofia Ashraf is no ordinary rap artist. A rapper utilizing music to protest, advocate for women’s empowerment, and address social issues. She has been using her gifts as an artist and singer for social change and women’s empowerment. Through her rap singing in Chennai’s lanes, Sofia has challenged stereotypes of women, taboos on their bodies, and even the workings of Corporations. She has a no-holds-barred approach in highlighting issues related to women, be it their social standing, their biology, or discrimination heaped on them by society. Her rap video against Union Carbide for the Bhopal Gas tragedy is a landmark in art with a cause. This reporter has the honor of interviewing Sofia Ashraf for her Union Carbide rap, when no one had a wind of her abilities.
NawabZada Mohammad Asif Ali, Dewan to the Prince of Arcot, has been the face of communal harmony and philanthropy as the heir of the royal family of Arcot. The Prince of Arcot family holds a quiet bit of influence in Chennai’s social and cultural life. Ameer Mahal, their palace, is a centre of humanitarian initiatives led by the Arcot Foundation for the poor, irrespective of religion. The present Prince, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, is regarded with affection in the city, but much of the visible day-to-day outreach — charity drives, interfaith events, and other initiatives — is handled by his son, Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali.
Zakir Hussain is a Bharat Natyam dancer who broke gender and community barriers as a dancer and is today seeking empowerment through his dance form. He has travelled and lived outside India for most of his younger days. He lived in Canada, Switzerland, and Germany, conducting dance classes for Indians there. He got a name for performing abroad.
Mohammad Saleem is a conservationist focused on rescuing endangered birds and is known as a “bird man.” He is Tamil Nadu’s own Salim Ali, having spent his life on rescue missions for endangered birds around India. Mohammad Saleem never attended a course in conservation biology or even biology. He completed a degree in computer science. But his heart was always longing to look out for the well-being of the speechless creatures — birds, snakes, dogs, and other beings. He runs an NGO called the Environment Conservation Group for a sharper focus and action-oriented approach to saving endangered animals.
Mohammad Usman, founder of Madrassa Imdadiya, a trust that supports blind and disabled students from some of the most deprived backgrounds. A Madrassa for the visually impaired in Tamil Nadu teaches students through Braille and publishes books in Braille…all thanks to the enterprise and vision of Mohammad Usman.
Keeranur Jakirraja is a Tamil writer focusing on the lives of marginalized individuals. Today, he is a noticeable name in the Tamil literary scene. Men, women, and children from the marginalised sections of the Muslims in Tamil Nadu find new lives in the pages of his novels. His writing is bold, honest, and provoking criticism from the conservative and orthodox sections of the Muslim community in the state.
Mahmud Akram is a polyglot. So far, he has learnt almost 400 languages at the age of 19 and is fluent in nearly 46 of them. At ten, he wrote India’s national anthem in 20 different scripts in under an hour. At twelve, he translated a sentence into more languages within three minutes. Born to a polyglot father who had mastered 16 languages, Akram grew up immersed in sounds, scripts, and phonemes.
These ten brilliant men and women from Tamil Nadu are spreading the light of empowerment and joy around the state. They are leaving their mark in their chosen fields and influencing others to rise above their circumstances or comfort zones to make an impact on society. These leaders are breaking barriers, empowering communities, and fostering development in the state and the region. The report highlighting 10 Muslim change-makers in Tamil Nadu was prepared and published by Awaz-the Voice (ATV), a news platform.