[2] Born Margret Marcus in New York City to a non-observant Jewish family, she explored Judaism and other religions during her teens before converting to Islam in 1961 and emigrating to Pakistan.
She was married to and had five children with Muhammad Yusuf Khan, a leader in the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan political party, and resided in the city of Lahore.
[3][4] Jameelah was born Margret Marcus in New Rochelle, New York, to parents of German Jewish descent, and spent her early years in Westchester.
[4][8] Jameelah started writing her first novel, Ahmad Khalil: The Story of a Palestinian Refugee and His Family at the age of twelve; she illustrated her book with pencil sketches and color drawings.
She regarded traditions such as veiling, polygamy, and gender segregation (purdah) to be ordained by the Quran and by the words of Muhammad, and considered movements to change these customs to be a betrayal of Islamic teachings.