Born to Egyptian immigrant parents, Rana Abdelhamid’s work is deeply rooted in her commitment to building safety for marginalized communities, particularly survivors of gender-based and hate-based violence. Motivated by her own experience of being attacked at 16 for wearing a hijab, Rana started her Astoria-based grassroots organization Malikah. Armed with a black belt in karate,, she created a multi-faceted space that offers self-defense, bystander training, and trauma-informed healing to over 20,000 people. Known for her leadership and grassroots activism, Rana is often referenced as the “Mayor of Queens” by her neighbors. 

While Malikah’s self-defense programs have gained widespread recognition, the organization also functions as a creative and healing space. Neighbors of all backgrounds can find mutual aid resources, support, and connection there. Her storefront operates as a safe mailing address for unhoused neighbors. It is also a hub for community solidarity, running initiatives like the Astoria Halal Fridge and the Queens Mutual Aid Fund. 

Rana founded the Queens Organizing Alliance and led the successful campaign for New York’s first MENA data disaggregation law, ensuring Middle Eastern and North African communities are counted in New York. Rana’s forthcoming book, Get Home Safe (Algonquin, 2026), is a self-defense guide to reclaiming safety and power in an unsafe world. Blending memoir, survivor stories, organizing lessons, and trauma-informed practice, the book challenges traditional ideas of self-defense. It offers a new, community-based vision of safety rooted in healing, dignity, and justice. 

Now, Rana is scaling her portfolio of advocacy and direct service work. She is building more spaces across NYC where care, safety, and connection are not the exception, but the norm. Her approach to safety is holistic, believing that true security is achieved when people are not only protected, but also connected and supported by their neighbors.