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Laila Al-Marayati

b. 1963

Doctor, activist

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About Laila Al-Marayati

Born 1963.

Laila Al-Marayati (; born 1962) is a Palestinian-American doctor and a Muslim activist, and former presidential appointee to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she served for two years after being appointed by President Bill Clinton.

Al-Marayati was born in 1962 and was raised in Los Angeles. Her father, the late Dr. Sabri El Farra, was originally from the Gaza Strip and her mother is from Missouri.

She earned her medical degree from University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, and received specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Los Angeles County USC Women's Hospital. After, she opened her own practice focusing on gynecology, which she ran for 11 years. She also serves as the Director of Women's Health at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles.

In the 1990s, Al-Marayati served as a member of the US State Department's Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, and in 1995 she was appointed by Hillary Rodham-Clinton to be a member of the official United States' delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

In addition, she has been the spokesperson for the Muslim Women's League, based in Los Angeles since 1994. The MWL's main work has been to educate Muslims and non-Muslims alike about the rights of women in Islam. She is the author of numerous articles and position papers on a range of issues that include topics such as sexuality in Islam and violence against women. Al-Marayati led a fact-finding delegation to Croatia during the Balkan War to help spread awareness about rape survivors from Bosnia. She continues to be an outspoken critic against female genital cutting (also known as female circumcision or female genital mutilation) and other practices that are harmful to women.

As of 2006, Al-Marayati was involved with the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and in this role she talks about the perception of Muslims in the media.

As of 2025 she is the chairperson of KinderUSA, and in this role she has traveled to Gaza to determine medical and food needs for Gazans living in the area. the president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

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Important facts

Born
1963
Birth century
Education
University of California, Irvine, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Employers
University of Southern California

People in Laila Al-Marayati's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Laila Al-Marayati's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Laila Al-Marayati?

doctor, activist

When was Laila Al-Marayati born?

Laila Al-Marayati was born in 1963.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Laila Al-Marayati

Β· Wikidata: Q6473842

Β· DBpedia: Laila Al-Marayati

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Laila Al-Marayati. https://biography.guide/laila-al-marayati/

MLA: "Laila Al-Marayati." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/laila-al-marayati/.

Chicago: "Laila Al-Marayati." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/laila-al-marayati/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

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