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Shaheen Ashraf: Believing in Peace

May 27th, 2010     by Desirée O     Comments

Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the wonderful Shaheen Ashraf…

Sitting on the Board of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, Shaheen Ashraf was born in Karachi and grew up in a little town called Khulna (then East Pakistan). She came to Canada in 1976 with 4 young children and once they were grown, she became involved with several volunteer organizations “to help other human beings,” her aim in life. Holding a diploma in Hotel Management, she is presently enrolled in a Psychology & Social work course and works full time with her husband as an administrator of a Ship Brokering firm. She also takes the time to answer our questions to let us know why being pushed into a corner can make you resilient and empowered.

What drives you to do what you do?

My belief in “Repelling evil with goodness.”

How does being a woman empower / challenge you?

Women (in every field) are always pushed into a corner and when someone is pushed into a corner, they retaliate and become resilient. This is quite an empowering / challenging scenario. This is enough to empower, challenge me to change attitudes and I am constantly working towards this.

What advice would you give to young women who want to follow in your footsteps?

Keep on doing what you believe in as being right.

What is one person, place, or thing every young woman should know about?

Their OWN place, in their own eyes, in society, in every field that they venture to show up in.

What is the most important thing we can do in order to change the world?

BELIEVE in the message of peace and dialogue and work towards it with all our might.

You can find out more about the Canadian Council of Muslim Women at www.ccmw.com.

Tags: shameless women

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