Fatima Meer

Overview

Fatima Meer born Durban, South Africa August 12, 1928 (d. 2010). Gandhian Muslim anti-apartheid leader and writer; sociology professor. Founded Student Passive Resistance Committee, 1946. Banned by South African government, subject to restricted movement, surveillance, and censorship, 1952-56, 1976-86. Organized women’s Anti-Pass March, protesting pass laws, which restricted movement of non-white citizens, 1956. Revived Gandhi’s commune Phoenix Settlement, 1969. Held six months in prison without trial, 1975. Survived assassination attempt, 1976; home twice firebombed. Published first authorized biography of Nelson Mandela, Higher Than Hope, 1990.

Quotations

“Gandhi did not say, 'I will be the change'; he said YOU be the change you want to see in the world. Though many people may feel that Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent principles are no longer relevant, I believe these principles are more relevant than ever in today's very violent world.” (“Gandhi's Legacy of Non-Violence”, self-growth.com; photo wiki.ulwazi.org)