Inspirational Woman January 2012: Sahar El-Nadi

“Women are the same at their core, no matter where they come from, their beautiful hearts and sharp minds are the same the world over.”

Sahar El Nadi, global political rock star

The world watched as the Middle east became a home of democracy loving revolutionaries last year. Egypt was one of the hot points of such passion. A pioneer and symbol of female strength for all women around the world, Sahar Al Nadi has become a political rock star. She is a young woman who has used her intellect, her creativity and passion to bring change to her home country of Egypt. She was instrumental in encouraging women and men to march during the Egyptian revolution last year and mobilized many to come out and vote in the general elections. She is a true well rounded woman who has used her energies to educate and bring our world closer together.

As executive director of “DON’T HATE, EDUCATE” she has shared her message with the global community. She has lectured at Harvard, University of Chicago, United States, Europe and the Middle East. She is a shining example of how women can change the world.

The Skinless Project was honored to have an opportunity to get to know her at a more personal level and help share her example with all of you.

Most people who are passionate about politics have been inspired while they were young- tell us a little about your childhood?

I was born in Cairo and spent my early years there. I had a fun childhood in my grandmother’s family house, where I received lots of love and attention as the first born in a large family. I was a sociable and fun-loving kid and so inquisitive that I probably drove everyone mad with my curiosity.

We lived in a small, quiet spa town with excellent weather, so I spent lots of time outdoors with my pets in the morning, and gazed up at the sky all night indulging my imagination. That’s probably when I first tapped into my creative skills. When I travel now, I still like to stay in small towns in the woods and mountains rather than in big cities.

Although I’m a Muslim, I attended a French Catholic girls school. Thus at age 3, I started my first experience in interfaith and tolerance.

When I was 6, my parents moved to work in a multinational in Saudi Arabia, and we lived in a multicultural, multi-faith community for 10 years, right in the middle of an ultra conservative host country. Try to imagine the amount of adjustment required of a small child: in the morning I attended a Saudi Islamic school for girls, wore full cover and spoke Arabic, and in the evening I changed into sports gear, played tennis, spoke English and listened to rock music with my international buddies, who came from 30 nationalities and all kinds of religions. My parents also took us along -my younger brother and I- to their trips abroad, they took us to museums, opera performances, cruises and libraries. So by high school I had already visited many countries, read numerous books, and had friends around the world.

You were instrumental and passionate about bringing change to Eqypt with millions of others. Where did it all begin?

As a family, we loved Egypt passionately and we were proud to be Arabs and Muslims. We discussed politics at home, but like most Egyptians afraid for their wellbeing under a dictatorship, we had nothing to do with it in public. I never tackled political issues when I wrote or lectured, nor did I focus on political news because there was nothing you could do to change systematic corruption, or the results of rigged elections, and you had no reason to believe that your vote for an honest candidate would even count.

As the oppression increased and the atrocities intensified, my conscience couldn’t remain pacified any longer, I monitored political pages on Facebook, independent TV channels, opposition newspapers and political blogs. Like so many Egyptians, my resentment was building up every day. It used to hurt me a lot when my Western friends exclaimed at the tolerance of Egyptians to tyranny and oppression, and wondered why we didn’t revolt? I tried to explain that Egyptians are peaceful, civilized people by nature, and that it’s only a matter of time before our resentment boiled over. I’ve been expecting the revolution since the rigged elections of 2005, and I never lost that conviction for a moment. What I didn’t imagine though, was that it would have worldwide repercussions, and that Tahrir Square would become the global hallmark of freedom and dignity.

Did your parents serve as an example for you?

My parents did all they could to give us a good life and build our characters. My father is a professor of management, and my mother has a degree in philosophy and psychology. So while dad coached us in culture and sports, mum taught us humanities, religion, Arabic and music. She’s also the kindest and most compassionate person I know, she taught me to be generous with my feelings, my time, and my money, and it has certainly paid off, thanks to her beautiful heart.

My parents discussed family decisions with us even when we were kids, and involved us in deep discussions and debates. Mum insisted that we all had at least one meal a day together where we connected as a family.

Both my parents are good Muslims who are open to different cultures and ideas. They also have a firm ethical system which was one of the best things I learnt from them. My father would willingly lose glittery jobs if he wasn’t comfortable with the sources of funding or the hidden objectives. I respect him a lot for that.

It seems that you have had a few different roles in your career- describe them and how they all summed up to who you are today.

When we moved back and I went to university in Cairo, I graduated top of my class with honors, in addition to lots of extra -curricular activities in culture, art, music and international travel. I shocked everyone by declining an academic career, and didn’t even pursue a corporate career. I was always independent and I wanted to learn life my way, I wanted to live life like an adventure and stretch all my skills, so I worked as a travel agent, a tour guide, a TV presenter, a fashion show presenter, a journalist, and a professional voice over… simultaneously!

I also continued traveling and doing lots of different sports, and at one point, I was the lifestyle editor of Egypt’s top lifestyle magazine, which meant being one of the jet-setters of Cairo, Beirut and Dubai, the style capitals of the Middle East.

Yet, surprisingly, I was not genuinely happy!

The down side of knowing and experiencing too much at a young age is that many things lose their gloss and glamor. So, despite the success and life in the fast lane, there was something important missing and I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I was always restless and empty inside.

You are a career woman who has tried many paths, including your spiritual growth. How did that happen?

I went through a situation when I was profoundly pained by how some Muslim women I knew gave Islam a bad name. I went into my room, looked in the mirror and found the “it” I was missing for years, I said to myself: If I knew they were wrong, then I obviously knew what was right, and if I knew that, then I shouldn’t wait for someone else to do it, I should just do what I believed to be right. So I did.

I decided to be that image of a good Muslim woman that I thought my friends didn’t live up to. I didn’t want to have to talk about the true values of Islam to anyone, instead, I wanted to be Islam. I dug into my closet for long flowing clothes, covered my hair with a stylish, colorful scarf and changed my life forever in a heartbeat.

In the process, I lost friends and clients who didn’t respect my personal decision and had to adjust to the new way society was treating me.

Let me say here that I want people to know how brave it is for a Muslim woman to take a decision to change her life like that. It’s the farthest thing from oppression as wrongly propagated, it’s actually a testimony to female strength and resolve, of willpower and faith in her own heart and her own soul.

Now you were a political activist, career woman and an intellectual wearing a veil, did the world view you differently?

A couple of years after 9/11, I was invited to attend a conference in Arizona, and it was my first trip abroad as a veiled Muslim woman. Going through the airports and city streets all by myself was the first acid test to my faith in my religious beliefs and my values of diversity and tolerance. Some people crossed the street when they saw me so as not to be on the same sidewalk with me, others glared in disgust, but many more smiled and some even said “salaam” and offered to help. The insights I gained from that trip resulted in another transformational experience:

A unique project I started in 2006 called “Don’t Hate, Educate” in response to a severe crisis between Muslims and the West. Today, that simple idea of using creativity to promote tolerance is an award winning initiative with thousands of members from all over the world, who are now communicating in a healthy environment. Using social media, they are learning about each other’s cultures and realizing that we have more in common than we know; this is one of the best lessons I learnt in my life, and I simply wanted to pass it on to the world through my project.

Money is not my motivator in all this though. Often my work is on volunteer basis as a public service whenever I can afford it, and the reward is in kind. Isn’t it every little girl’s dream to meet a prince? Well, I was invited to meet royalty twice: the Japanese Crown Prince and the Danish Royal Consort. I consider this kind of recognition a trophy for the little girl in me.

What are you currently doing in Egypt?

Exactly what I do best: educating. I love to learn, teach, inspire, and find inspiration. I think of this as my Muslim duty as well, because I believe that God intended for humans to make this earth a happy place to live in, and to improve and develop the place and the people who inhabit it in peace and harmony.

I give talks and lectures, teach workshops, write articles in Arabic & English, and host achievers for online interviews.

How are you specifically helping women empower themselves and their communities?

I lecture in women leadership programs and character building programs for youth, which I enjoy the most if the learners were underprivileged people, it inspires and fulfills me to see them soar to unimaginable heights of excellence when given the opportunity.

After 6 decades of dictatorship, education about civil and human rights is much needed at this stage because most people are totally unaware of their rights. So I had a great experience encouraging Egyptians (especially women) to vote in the parliamentary elections. Most of us are voting for the very first time, so I volunteered as a helpline through Facebook and Skype to help my friends and their friends select their candidates and learn the complex voting process, as a result, many of them voted at home and abroad. Of course this makes me very proud.

Thinking skills are also much needed at such a critical time here because they’re not taught in schools, so I use Facebook heavily to put those basic concepts in circulation on a wide scale. I use positive psychology techniques to try to lift people’s spirits in the middle of all the pains and challenges, and I’m happy many say they are learning and developing just from participating in fun discussions on my Facebook pages. I was so touched in a recent discussion asking people to list the best things that happened to them in 2011,  many responded: “meeting you”! This was a humbling moment because most of them I never even met in real life.

Describe your role in the Egyptian revolution?

Being in Tahrir was a life-changing experience for me. I never knew how much I loved Egypt and Egyptians until then, and never imagined I’d be willing to risk my life to demand the rights of people I didn’t even know.

I wasn’t one of the main players there, I was just one of the million nameless faces, but it felt great to be a tiny dot in that ocean of powerful yet peaceful people, that volcano of courage and patriotism. I can never begin to describe the feeling, the fresh taste of freedom, the love and unity and the new feeling of power; the power of one to make a real difference. I took my heart and my camera along with me, and I talked to people trying to know their dreams and their pains, first to learn, and then to write about it to the world as it happened.

Later, I put that into a multimedia presentation that I shared with audiences in Harvard, University of Chicago, and Georgetown University, in addition to high schools, NGO’s and other public venues in the US. When the audience stood up tearful to give a standing ovation, I knew that wasn’t for me, in my heart I sent it back home, to the simple Egyptians who prayed with me for freedom and dignity in Tahrir, and to the martyrs who gave their precious lives so we could live ours in freedom and dignity.

We have an international audience of women- what do you want women around the world to know about Egyptian women?

That  women are the same at their core, no matter where they come from, that their beautiful hearts and sharp minds are the same the world over. I want the world to know that you will be hearing a lot from and about exceptional Egyptian women in the months and years to come, because there are plenty of them who were prevented from reaching their full potential, and who now finally have a chance.

I want the women of the world to believe -like me- that it is the women who will change this world of ours. They’re the ones equipped for this monumental task in this day and age, because compassion, mercy and empathy are a lot more needed now than business skills and war machines.

What role did women play in the revolution in Egypt ?

To put it simply, there would be no revolution in any of the Arab Spring countries without the effort of all the heroic women. Yemeni Noble Peace Laurette Tawakkul Karman is a brilliant example.

I learnt a precious lesson from a simple woman in Tahrir who came from a village far away she had never left before, she was shy, wore a face veil and came all by herself although she had to change public transportation 3 times. When I asked her why she came she said simply: “because this is the least I should do for my country”.

In Egypt we jokingly say that the word “man” doesn’t mean “male” only, but describes the set of values and personal strengths that both men and women could posses. There’s a traditional saying that some Egyptian women are “worth a 100 men”.

Most women around the world feel they cannot be leaders in political circles or professional circles. what would you tell them?

That the limits are in your own mind. It’s you who set the limits of what you can or cannot do, and you’re always right.

I believe in willpower, and the power of faith to combat all kinds of challenges and obstacles. So, if you truly believe, you will accomplish.

What advice would you give to women around the world who are wanting to take a step and passionately advocate about a cause but fearful of the challenges.

The only way to find out is to try. I invite everyone, women, men and youth around the world to intentionally stretch their capabilities from time to time. Let me share with you some of the best life lessons I’ve learnt so far:

• Don’t wait for the challenges to come your way so you could deal with them, rather, step out of your comfort zone once in a while and go meet challenges head-on to be able to learn and grow.
• A positive attitude is contagious, so while you spread sunshine and good vibes to others, don’t forget to also surround yourself with the right people. Choose your friends carefully to be an effective support system who love you for what you are, support you to do good and recharge your batteries when you most need it. Don’t hang out with people who require you to change to please them or who have a bad influence on you.
• Life is too short to spend it around people who suck the happiness out of you, don’t let anyone dictate to you how to feel, think, or behave.
• A precious lesson for teenaged girls from my mum: live your age, don’t rush to grow up by wearing tons of make up and older styles, mum always told me: “when you’re older you’ll have plenty of time to be old, but you can’t bring back your young years if you miss them” now I know she was right and I’m glad I listened to her.

Don’t Hate, Educate

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