#radiyya
By Tom Verde, originally published as ‘Malika II: Radiyya bint Iltutmish' on AramcoWorld. Artwork by Leonor Solans. From Bangladesh to Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan to Nigeria, Senegal to Turkey, it is not particularly rare in our own times for women in Muslim-majority countries to be appointed and elected to high offices—including heads of state. Nor has it ever been. Stretching back more than 14 centuries to the advent of Islam, women have held positions among many ruling elites, from malikas, or queens, to powerful…
