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Nadia Murad Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 6, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth1993

Age25 (as in 2018)

BirthplaceKojo, Sinjar, Iraq

ProfessionHuman-rights Activist

NationalityGerman

Marital statusMarried

SpouseAbid Shamdeen

FamilyFather - Murad Ismail; Mother - Name not known; About 10 brothers and some step-brothers

Nadia Murad Biography

Nadia Murad is a Yazidi human-rights activist from Sinjar, Iraq, who survived captivity by ISIS and has used her testimony to campaign for survivors of war

Early life and background
Nadia Murad Basee Taha was born in 1993 in the village of Kojo in the Sinjar district of Iraq. She grew up in a Yazidi family; her father worked as a farmer. Murad attended a high school in Iraq before the upheaval that would change her life and shape her public work.

In August 2014, when she was a teenager, militants attacked the Yazidi community in Sinjar. Many men from the community were killed during the assault; six of Murad’s brothers died. Women and girls were captured and transported to Mosul. Murad was among those taken and held captive there before managing to escape and later reaching a refugee camp in Duhok, in northern Iraq.

Career
After escaping captivity, Murad began to speak publicly about her experience. In February 2015 she gave a first testimony to journalists, and later that year she participated in a refugee program run by the German state of Baden-Württemberg that helped displaced women and children. On 16 December 2015 she addressed the United Nations Security Council to bring attention to the plight of her community and other survivors.

Murad founded Nadia’s Initiative in September 2016. The organization focuses on assisting women and children affected by mass atrocities, genocide, and human trafficking, and works on efforts to help rebuild lives and communities harmed by such crimes. That same month she was named the first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

She has met global leaders in pursuit of support for Yazidi survivors. In May 2017 Murad met Pope Francis and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher at the Vatican and appealed for help for Yazidis still held by militants.

Murad has received several international honors for her advocacy. In 2016 she was awarded the Václav Havel Award for Human Rights by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (shared with Lamiya Aji Bashar). In 2018 she and Denis Mukwege were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Public profile
Murad’s memoir, The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State, was published on 7 November 2017. Through her writing, public testimony, and nonprofit work, she has become a leading voice calling for justice, accountability, and support for survivors of sexual violence and trafficking.

Personal life
Murad is of Yazidi faith and is identified ethnically as Yazidi or Kurdish. In 2018 she married Abid Shamdeen, a fellow Yazidi activist who has volunteered with Yazda, an organization that supports Yazidi survivors. The couple do not have children.

Latest updates
In October 2018 Murad’s international recognition culminated with the Nobel Peace Prize, which she received jointly with Denis Mukwege. She continues to lead advocacy through Nadia’s Initiative and to speak publicly about the needs of survivors and the reconstruction of affected communities.

Physical details
Publicly listed physical details include an approximate height of 168 cm (about 5 ft 6 in), weight around 50 kg (110 lb), and dark brown hair and eyes.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Nadia Murad, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State

Memoir recounting her captivity, escape, and advocacy work

2017
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Addressed the United Nations Security Council (2015)
  2. Founded Nadia’s Initiative (2016)
  3. Named UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking (2016)
  4. Received Václav Havel Award for Human Rights (2016)
  5. Shared the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (2016)
  6. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (2018)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Nadia Murad born?

Nadia Murad was born on 1993.

What is Nadia Murad known for?

Nadia Murad is known for human-rights Activist.

What is Nadia Murad’s marital status?

Nadia Murad's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Nadia Murad married to?

Nadia Murad is publicly listed as married to Abid Shamdeen.