My Big Fat Greek Project
April 2, 2009
I was intereviewed by the Queen of Sheba program so I thought I would share my dreams with you too.
I had this insane dream to revolutionize Islam in Greece. I sat down one day and just wrote out a 10 year vision plan. I kept writing and writing and I couldn’t stop. Then I just stared at it and I remember thinking, this is insane! But it was just an exhilarating feeling to even allow myself to take my imagination that far. At that point, I was determined more than ever to go through with it.
I was scared because I was only one person and I barely knew any other Greek Muslims let alone in Greece but I did know that Greece was the only European Union country where there is still no mosque allowed in its capital city. This is the place where every Muslim is called a Turk who “enslaved them for 400 years”. So, you can imagine the mountain of a task in front of me.
On the other hand, practically speaking, it is proven that in order for women to feel stress-free while they are succeeding, they need to feel that they have support (which is not [necessarily] the case for men). I have been blessed to find a team that works with me on the same vision and this is my backbone.
Iman: I want to see religious freedom for Muslims in Greek society as well as mutual respect between people of different faiths. I hope that through our efforts, we will establish a thriving communal system that will become an integral part of Greek society.
Iman: This is toughie and will always be for women. What was so hard for me for many years was that I thought in order for me to live my life calling, I had to be out there in the workplace and that just didn’t fit with my lifestyle so I ended up giving it up all together. Big mistake because not living your passion can totally depress a person. Through self development, I realized what the trick is. You have to create a way to live your passion WITHIN the reality of your lifestyle. That way, you are living the best of both worlds.
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