Born in 1982 in Brussels, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş completed her undergraduate and graduate education at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in the Faculty of Economics, Political and Social Sciences.

Her political career in Europe began in 2005 when she became the Vice President of the CDH Party’s Schaerbeek Organization. In 2006, she was elected as a member of the Schaerbeek Municipal Council. In the 2009 elections, she made history as the first headscarf-wearing Member of Parliament in Brussels. She served until 2019, holding positions such as Vice Chair of the Social Services Committee and Vice Chair of the Gender Equality Committee in the Brussels Parliament.

Throughout her political career, she has focused on issues such as women’s employment, women entrepreneurship, violence against women, domestic violence, and gender equality, as well as environmental and urban planning matters. She has also played an active role in combating discrimination and Islamophobia.

In 2015, she was expelled from her party for not recognizing the Armenian genocide allegations and continued her duties as an independent member of parliament. After the failed coup attempt on July 15, she played a key role in the establishment of the Türkiye Democracy Platform, leading initial discussions with EU and Belgian institutions during a visit to Brussels. For two years, she contributed to the “Forgotten Women Project,” aimed at increasing the visibility of Muslim women in Europe, organized by the Network Against Racism in Europe.

Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has been listed three consecutive years in “The Muslim 500,” which highlights the world’s most influential Muslims, published annually by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan. In 2009, she received the “Pioneering and Exemplary Woman Award” from the New Arabic Woman Forum. In 2019, she was recognized as one of Belgium’s 100 most influential women and was awarded the Order of State by King Leopold for her work in Belgium.

Since 2019, she has also served on the Women’s Advisory Commission of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. In 2020, she was appointed as Turkey’s first female ambassador to North Africa, serving in Algeria. On June 4, 2023, she was appointed as the Minister of Family and Social Services by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş is fluent in French, English, and Dutch, and is married with two children.