When hearing about women’s rights in the Muslim world, the assumed story is often exclusively one of oppression, marginalisation and lack of power. However, many often forget that eight countries have had Muslim women as their head of state. This is compared to the fact that neither of the two major US parties – Democrats and Republicans – has ever nominated a female presidential candidate. Here are the nine Muslim women who have ruled nations – how many have you heard of? 1. TANSU ÇILLER, Prime Minister of Turkey, 1993-1996 Tansu Çiller was the 30th Prime Minister of Turkey, and lead the conservative True Path Party (DYP). Her tenure as Prime Minister took place during intensified armed conflict between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Kurdish separatist PKK. As leader of the DYP, she went on to later serve as Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey and as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Born in Istanbul in 1946, Çiller graduated from the School of Economics at Robert College in Turkey and received her PhD from the University of Connecticut. 2. MEGAWATI SUKARNOPUTRI, President of Indonesia, 2001-2004 Megawati Sukarnoputri is the current leader…
