Hanifa Deen

Hanifa Deen is a third generation Australian, of Pakistani-Muslim ancestry. She is a human rights activist and a social commentator. Her career has included a number of high profile positions including: Deputy Commissioner of the Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission of Western Australia, Director on the Board of SBS, (Special Broadcasting Services) and Hearing Commissioner with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

Hanifa’s first book, Caravanserai: Journey among Australian Muslims won a New South Wales Premier’s Literature Award in 1996 and was also short-listed for the Nita B Kibble Award. Her second book Broken Bangles, on the lives of women in Pakistan and Bangladesh was shortlisted in 1998 for the West Australian Premier’s Award. Another book, The Crescent and the Pen was published by Praeger in the U.S.A in 2006. The widely acclaimed The Jihad Seminar was published in 2008.

Hanifa’s new book, Ali Abdul v The King was recently published by University of Western Australia Press. She lives in Melbourne.