About

Laayba Tanoli is a graduate student at Columbia University pursuing a master’s in Islamic Studies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from William & Mary.

Her research examines how law and government policy affect marginalized communities. She has studied the experiences of half-widows in Kashmir who became advocates and primary providers for their families after their husbands were forcibly disappeared, and has conducted field research on migrant labor rights and the Kafala system in the Gulf region.

Laayba has worked on refugee and migrant rights as a research assistant with Amnesty International and supported civil rights casework as a legal intern with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.