About

Rowaida Abdelaziz is an award winning investigative journalist who reports on immigration, politics and social justice issues that impact Muslim communities. Based in New York City, Rowaida spearheads the coverage of Muslim life and its intersection with politics, culture, and gender.

Rowaida has broken numerous stories from across the U.S. Her notable works exposing anti-Muslim policies have led to the reunification of families and the reopening of hate crime cases. Her coverage of Muslim women continues to puncture stereotypical depictions of in media. A leading expert in her field, Rowaida knows firsthand the impact journalism has on marginalized communities and continues to lead the effort to achieve equity in mainstream media.

Rowaida’s reporting has been recognized internationally and has won several awards including the 2024 Wilbur Award of Excellence and the 2022 Goldziher Award. In 2021, she was also awarded the prestigious Journalists of Color Reporting Fellowship by the Investigative Reporters and Editors. 

In 2016, Rowaida was a lead reporter for the Islamophobia Tracker, a HuffPost project that documented the anti-Muslim rhetoric that spiked across the U.S. Fluent in Arabic, Rowaida also has written numerous stories on the Middle East and covered the refugee crises stemming from Syria, Yemen, and other parts of the Arab world.

Rowaida also serves on the board of the Islamic Scholarship Fund and is a mentor with the Marie Colvin Network, mentoring aspiring journalism students and young professionals. Outside of her reporting, Rowaida travels the country to speak about her reporting.