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Gabriela Mueller Mendoza Become a fan

Dynamic mum-preneur,Latin-Swiss company owner, coach, committed to the true advancement
of women-girls in the world, leadership specialist

3 Brilliant Things That May Surprise You

About Muslim Women!
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Who is the person under a Hijab*? (or a niqab or burka- some of the traditional Muslim women's
clothes). Who is really the woman underneath that piece of clothing? Often times their attire may
prevent others from seeing beyond who these women may really be. Many of these women are
scientists, engineers, doctors, Olympians, warm mothers, bread winners, politicians,
entrepreneurs, some of the most amazing people I've had the chance to meet.

In the past 7 years; in several of my Empowerment Programs for Women world-wide, I've had
the honor and the opportunity to work face to face and shoulder to shoulder with Muslim
Women. I've coached them and trained dozens of them mainly in communication, presentation
skills, leadership and mediation; in places that go from Dubai to India, from Germany to
Lebanon, from Egypt to Qatar to Angola. Many of them work in Universities, NGOs,
corporations, professional networks or are high performing athletes. They get involved not only
because they've got the academic background needed, they also do it because they want women
like themselves to fully participate in their communities, regions, organizations and gain impact
with their collective voices. All of them have broken stereotypes and paradigms that - even as a
world traveler - I would not have been to leave behind.
I will not generalize; I will only speak about the amazing Muslim Women who I've had the honor
to work with. They are so many, they can no longer be called exceptions. They are role models in
their communities and countries.
Here are THREE things I've learnt from these amazing women and that may surprise you:
1. They are vivid examples of resilience, tenacity, and persistency. They can withstand pressure.
They are professionals with capacity to work with challenging situations and people; courage to
take a stand, able to handle failures and recover from knockbacks.
2. They don't shy away from holding authority positions, they exercise leadership, they are
influential change-makers. Many of them are able to challenge the status quo as well as to be
diplomatic. Authoritative and responsible, with capacity to inspire respect from colleagues - both
male and female.
3. They foster strong interpersonal skills, empathy. Many of them have proven to be great
connectors, communicators, able to engage others, often using humour and enthusiasm.
Yet, Muslim women in many parts of the world confront the limitations of discrimination and
inequality. In fact, 20 of the 25 lowest-ranking countries on the last World Economic Forum
Gender Gap Index (which ranks women's participation in society) are Muslim-majority
countries. Although these women's lives are influenced by a complex interaction of religious,
cultural, social, economic, political and other factors, Islam has special influence.
Regardless of that, the fact is no one would like to be judged or tagged just by a piece of
clothing, or by narrow minds. With a little bit more empathy and awareness, we can simply
recognize we don't know what kind of amazing stories, minds and human quality may be before
eyes; stay open and you may be surprised! After collecting memorable experiences and learning
from these fantastic Muslim women around the World, I've got say THANKS!
Follow Gabriela Mueller Mendoza on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gabrielamueller

June 24, 2015 Huffpost Religion

Edition: U.S.

10 Totally Badass Female Muslim Politicians

You Should Know
Brown Girl Magazine | By Nishi Fatima
Posted: 06/24/2015 11:06 am EDT Updated: 06/24/2015 11:59 am EDT

This article originally appeared on Brown Girl Magazine.

Given the rise of hate crimes and misunderstandings that the general public has towards
Muslims, it is important to take a moment to reflect on the mammoth diversity contained within
the term Muslim. While the fascination towards Muslim women has taken on a life of its own
in recent years, portrayals of us have ranged from oppressed lady to even more oppressed
lady.
The truth is, there are some Muslim women, just like any religion, who may fit into these
stereotypes. But what may come as a surprise is that every once in a while, Muslim females take
a break from being oppressed and/or more oppressed to rule a country or two.
One of the most recent Muslims to join this roster is Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, who became the
president of Mauritius this month.
In honor of her recent election, heres a list of 10 badass female Muslim leaders you should
know.

1. Benazir Bhutto

SAEED KHAN via Getty Images

Bhutto was the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was the first and only female Head
of State in Pakistan thus far, serving two non-consecutive terms in 198890 and then in
199396.

2. Megawati Sukarnoputri

ASS
OCIATED PRESS
Sukarnoputri was the president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004.

3. Sheikh Hasina

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PRESS
Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been in office since
January 2009. She also served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001.

4. Khaleda Zia

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CIATED PRESS
She was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to
2006. She was the first woman in Bangladeshs history and second in the Muslim world
(after Benazir Bhutto) to head a democratic government.

5. Atifete Jahjaga

ASSOC
IATED PRESS
Not only is she the current President of Kosovo, she is also the first female President, the
first female head of state in the modern Balkans and the youngest to be elected to the
office.

6. Tansu iller

AS
SOCIATED PRESS
Turkeys first and only female prime minister to date, this academician and economist
served as the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996.

7. Mame Madior Boye

SE
YLLOU via Getty Images
She was the Prime Minister of Senegal from 2001 to 2002.

8. Aminata Tour

SE
YLLOU via Getty Images
Following Boye, Aminata Tour was yet another female to occupy the Prime Ministers
seat of Senegal from 2013 to 2014.

Ciss Mariam Kadama Sidib

Daniel
Berehulak via Getty Images

A professor-turned-politician, Sidib was the Prime Minister of Mali from 2011 to 2012,
the first woman to be appointed to the position in the countrys history.

10. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

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The recently appointed president of Mauritius. She is the Head of State and Commander
in Chief as well.

Flickr:kamshots