Pioneers, Thinkers, Translators, and Travellers
Maryam Jameelah (Margaret Marcus)
From a Jewish family in New York to a Muslim thinker
United States1961Judaism
Margaret Marcus grew up in an American Jewish family, but rejected Zionism early and opposed the injustice inflicted on Palestinians during the establishment of Israel. Her interest in Arabs led her to study Islam. She read Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall's translation of the Qur'an, studied hadith and the Prophet's biography, and corresponded with Muslim thinkers, especially Abul A'la Maududi. After years of research, she embraced Islam in New York in 1961 and took the name Maryam Jameelah. She later moved to Pakistan, devoted her life to writing, defending the Islamic worldview, and criticising Western materialism, leaving books and letters that document her intellectual journey.