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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, here’s a list of 10 badass female Muslim leaders you should know.

1. Benazir Bhutto

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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 1988–90 and then in 1993–96.

2. Megawati Sukarnoputri

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Sukarnoputri was the president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004.

3. Sheikh Hasina

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

5. Atifete Jahjaga

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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 Çiller

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Turkey’s 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

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She was the Prime Minister of Senegal from 2001 to 2002.

8. Aminata Touré

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Following Boye, Aminata Touré was yet another female to occupy the Prime Minister’s seat of Senegal from 2013 to 2014.

Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé

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A professor-turned-politician, Sidibé was the Prime Minister of Mali from 2011 to 2012, the first woman to be appointed to the position in the country’s 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.

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