Muna Abu-Sulayman
Encyclopedia
Muna AbuSulayman, is Secretary General and Executive Director of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation
, the philanthropic arm of HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Company and formerly co-host of one of MBC
TV’s most popular social programs, Kalam Nawaem
(“Softly Speaking”).
As a public and media personality, major organizations and companies often ask her to speak on issues related to society, media, and building bridges of understanding between the East and West. In 2004, Ms. AbuSulayman was named a Young Leader by the World Economic Forum
. In this capacity, she is often called upon to speak to large audiences on issues related to challenges facing the youth around the world. In 2005, she became the first woman from Saudi Arabia
to be appointed by the United Nations Development Program as a Goodwill Ambassador. As a goodwill ambassador she is often invited to attend high-profile celebrity events to promote certain products or humanitarian causes. In 2007, the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute presented Ms. AbuSulayman the Achievements in Regional and International Relations Award. In 2009, she was named one of the most influential Muslims in the world.
Ms. AbuSulayman has been invited to give keynote addresses at academic conferences and graduations. She has appeared frequently as a panelist at the Davos
World Economic Forum, Jeddah Economic Forum
, C-100 of the World Economic Forum, Brookings Institute Conferences and many other venues. She is often asked to serve as a Master of Ceremonies at different engagements, including public events and high-level meetings. Her speaking engagements have taken her to the United States, England, Switzerland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Africa. She also moderates industry gatherings, international affairs meetings, official government delegation visits, and diplomatic events. She speaks fluent English and Arabic.
Muna is a board member of the Muslim Women’s Fund (MWF) which aims to strengthen Muslim women, benefit families and communities. She is also a member of Soliya
http://www.soliya.net/?q=advisory_board, an organization devoted to improving communications between East and West through university education. AbuSulayman also serves in the Advisory Board of Meedan
http://news.meedan.net/index.php?page=static&action=about, the premier content translation website service in the world for Arabic. Since 2004, Ms. AbuSulayman has also served as a volunteer director for the Friends of Saudi Arabia Association and remains a member of the Saudi Media Association.
for his Ph.D. dissertation in International Relations
. Dr. Abdulhamid is a well known Islamic thinker in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world. At the age of 10 she moved to Virginia
from Saudi Arabia.
From elementary school through college and graduate schools, she lived in the United States. She later moved with her family to Malaysia where her father headed the International Islamic University Malaysia
. “My two years there were absolutely the most wonderful years of my life. I appreciated the rich culture where Indians, Chinese and Malaysians all lived peacefully. Living abroad and experiencing different cultures helped me with different perspectives. I owe this to my family who gave me this opportunity to shape my personality.” said Muna in an interview with arabnews.com
in Saudi Arabia
, International Islamic University Malaysia
and George Mason University
. She graduated in 1993 from George Mason University and holds a B.A.
and M.A.
in English literature. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Arab-American Literature from King Saud University
.
in Saudi Arabia. In this capacity, she designed and implemented curricula changes in English literature courses, created and analyzed teacher performance evaluations, and supervised the English department’s student magazine.
In terms of her media career she founded and co-hosted the MBC TV social program Kalam Nawaem which is considered to have a viewership of tens of millions and is one of the most watched social programs by Arabs worldwide. Her role in the station was as a presenter and she mainly focused on the social segment of the program in which she tried to convey the message to the viewer in the best way possible.
In the corporate world Ms. AbuSulayman started working in Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holdings company. She served as the Executive manager of Strategic Studies and Research Initiatives. Prior to taking this post she had no experience in HR
and administration and she had to learn everything in the first 6 months working for the company, but also gained personal experience while working together with Alwaleed. She doesn't deny The 'Alwaleed Effect' and says, smiling, "when I first joined, I asked His Royal Highness to provide me with some executive training as I had no business experience, so I was sent to take a few courses"; she then adds, "but I realized later that working with him was my real executive training".
In 2006 she took on the task of building the Alwaleed bin Talal foundation, previously known as Kingdom Foundation. This foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Kingdom Holding company. In this capacity, she is developing and implementing the foundation’s mission, vision, and operations for strategic philanthropy and humanitarian assistance. She is responsible for the global philanthropic activities, projects, and donations that reach the globe. When asked about getting this job she said in an interview with Aljazeera English "I guess I did such a good job that he offered me the foundation".
. She agreed to that, did the screen test and went on traveling. Later on she got a call from the producers telling her that they liked her screen test and would like her to co-host the show. Before agreeing to do the show, she asked her father if he had any objections to that, because his name was also going to be publicized. His reply to her was that he liked to live a private life and if she wanted to do the show, it was her life and she is free to do whatever she wanted.
As co-host for Kalam Nawaem she was the first Saudi women to appear on international television, and had a great responsibility on her back. There were many women especially from Saudi Arabia who were looking to her as a role model and inspiration. Since she was from Saudi Arabia she understood the social problems and the taboo issues in her country and thus was able to address them properly.
Describing the success and the changes the show brought to the Arab world, she tells the story of a child who was abused and how discussing this issue on the show led to the passing of a legislation that protected children's rights.
Muna received few criticisms for being a public figure as some view that women should not appear in public, but the majority of people support what she is doing and have encouraged her.
Muna left the show in 2007, as for the reason why, she said, "I left ‘Kalam Nawaim’ when it was getting too much. Is it worth the recognition and me traveling a weekend every month and leaving my kids? The foundation and my daughters needed me so I made the decision."
There are reports that she is working on a new television show.
Her work in this area is of a personal interest to her, she has a passion in bridging the gap between the Arab world and the Western world. Her work comprises mainly in giving talks in leading universities in America and Europe. She is interested in eliminating the misunderstanding that the West has of the Muslim world and vice versa. Ms. AbuSulayman gave a lecture at Yale University
where she talked about the misconceptions that the west has about the Islamic veil which is the covering of the hair and wearing loose clothes that don't show body parts and the Burqa
(face cover). She said that even some Muslims are ignorant of the fact that wearing the Burqa isn't an Islamic edict.
Ms. Abusulayman views France
's ban of the scarf as a discriminatory act against Muslims and that wearing the Scarf is viewed by President Sarkozy and his Government as a sign of France changing which they don't want to see. She argues that whether France likes or not, it will go through some very difficult years as more and more immigrants bring in their own traditions and religions to France, and that this is something that can not be avoided and France has to simply accept this fact.
In response to a question that asked her about the reason why Christian Arabs leave their countries to the west, she said that it is a very saddening situation that is happening in the Arab world nowadays. She said there are several reasons why these individuals leave their own country, but mainly its because of governmental oppression or better economical opportunities available outside the Arab world. She said the circumstance on which they leave differ from one country to another and each case must be treated separately. She added that its a shame that any Arab feels compelled to leave his country for what ever the reason may be and that we have disappointed them.
, she also said, Prince Alwaleed firmly believes that encouraging and supporting women and female initiatives is one of the most important ways to measure real tangible progress in any country. From this view stems her strong support for women empowerment in the world and especially in Saudi Arabia.
Talking about motherhood Muna said that the years mothers spend raising their children should be taken into consideration when they are applying for a job. Instead of starting as an intern or a novice employee, they should be starting as assistant managers with a certain salary. She justified this by saying that mothers gain a lot of experience raising children, they acquire skills like patience, multitasking and management, and these shouldn't be neglected by employers and should be compensated financially.
In an interview with Saudi Gazette
Muna said, “I want girls to see that there is almost no limitation to where they can go; the most important thing they can do is to work to be content, happy, married and to have children.”
and Matthew Williamson
is one of her designers. About her collection Muna says "I have created this collection to provide stylish, elegant and trendy clothing for my global customer base. My customers are confident women who have travelled the world and know what they like. In order to accommodate a wide range of tastes the clothes are created with a lot of attention to details and sizes so that they fit just right, and are not tight or see-through. For my core customers, the Muslim women, I am including different scarf options to complete the total look."
and Bruce Willis
and she maintains a good relationship with her daughters' father who fully supports the kids. She said its been wonderful post divorce. She got engaged for a while but didn't work out and has received several proposals but none with the kind of partnership she was looking for.
Ms. AbuSulayman is the mother of Shahad and Sereen. She has a unique parenting style, with a no-TV rule at home. "I have two daughters; a 17-year-old and a 10 year old. I didn’t like them watching things that I don’t know about and they weren’t reading as much as I wanted them to. They were also bored most, if not all, the time. But since then (the rule) they aren’t bored. They exercise, learn ballet and read now. And on Fridays, for example, if they have nothing to do, I let them watch DVDs. I want them to be able to utilize their time," she said in an interview with Saudi Gazette
.
Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation
The Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation is a charitable and philanthropic organization founded by Al-Waleed bin Talal and Princess Ameerah with a mission to help alleviate suffering and transcend international borders globally. The foundation, under Prince Alwaleed, has established centers and programs...
, the philanthropic arm of HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Company and formerly co-host of one of MBC
Middle East Broadcasting Center
The Middle East Broadcasting Center Group is the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World which was launched in London in 1991 and later moved to its headquarters in Dubai in 2002. MBC Group provides multiple channels of information, interaction and entertainment...
TV’s most popular social programs, Kalam Nawaem
Kalam Nawaem
Kalam Nawaem is a one-hour, female-hosted Arabic talk show that airs late Sunday evenings on the satellite network MBC. It is credited with pushing social boundaries on Arab television. As of 2007, it was among the top 10 programs in the Arab world and commanded the highest ad rates on MBC. In a...
(“Softly Speaking”).
As a public and media personality, major organizations and companies often ask her to speak on issues related to society, media, and building bridges of understanding between the East and West. In 2004, Ms. AbuSulayman was named a Young Leader by the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
. In this capacity, she is often called upon to speak to large audiences on issues related to challenges facing the youth around the world. In 2005, she became the first woman from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to be appointed by the United Nations Development Program as a Goodwill Ambassador. As a goodwill ambassador she is often invited to attend high-profile celebrity events to promote certain products or humanitarian causes. In 2007, the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute presented Ms. AbuSulayman the Achievements in Regional and International Relations Award. In 2009, she was named one of the most influential Muslims in the world.
Ms. AbuSulayman has been invited to give keynote addresses at academic conferences and graduations. She has appeared frequently as a panelist at the Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
World Economic Forum, Jeddah Economic Forum
Jeddah Economic Forum
Jeddah Economic Forum is a forum held annually since 1999 during winter in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia. It has become the region's strategic think tank focusing on regional and international economic and social issues...
, C-100 of the World Economic Forum, Brookings Institute Conferences and many other venues. She is often asked to serve as a Master of Ceremonies at different engagements, including public events and high-level meetings. Her speaking engagements have taken her to the United States, England, Switzerland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Africa. She also moderates industry gatherings, international affairs meetings, official government delegation visits, and diplomatic events. She speaks fluent English and Arabic.
Muna is a board member of the Muslim Women’s Fund (MWF) which aims to strengthen Muslim women, benefit families and communities. She is also a member of Soliya
Soliya
Soliya is a nonprofit organization that uses internet technology to improve inter-cultural understanding between the "West" and the "Muslim World". Their core program is the Connect Program - a cross-cultural education program that directly connects university students in the US, Europe, Middle...
http://www.soliya.net/?q=advisory_board, an organization devoted to improving communications between East and West through university education. AbuSulayman also serves in the Advisory Board of Meedan
Meedan
Meedan is a non-profit social technology company which aims to increase cross-language interaction on the web, with particular emphasis on translation and aggregation services in Arabic and English...
http://news.meedan.net/index.php?page=static&action=about, the premier content translation website service in the world for Arabic. Since 2004, Ms. AbuSulayman has also served as a volunteer director for the Friends of Saudi Arabia Association and remains a member of the Saudi Media Association.
Early Years
Muna was born in Philadelphia in the US state of Pennsylvania to Dr. Abdulhamid AbuSulayman who was attending the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
for his Ph.D. dissertation in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
. Dr. Abdulhamid is a well known Islamic thinker in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world. At the age of 10 she moved to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
from Saudi Arabia.
From elementary school through college and graduate schools, she lived in the United States. She later moved with her family to Malaysia where her father headed the International Islamic University Malaysia
International Islamic University Malaysia
The International Islamic University Malaysia , also known as IIUM or UIAM, is a public publicly-funded university in Malaysia. Its main campus is located in Gombak, Selangor with its situated in Petaling Jaya / Nilai and its medical-centric branch in Kuantan, Pahang. The university is sponsored...
. “My two years there were absolutely the most wonderful years of my life. I appreciated the rich culture where Indians, Chinese and Malaysians all lived peacefully. Living abroad and experiencing different cultures helped me with different perspectives. I owe this to my family who gave me this opportunity to shape my personality.” said Muna in an interview with arabnews.com
Arab News
Arab News is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia, in the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam. The Editor-in-Chief is Khaled Al-Maeena. The publisher of Arab News is Saudi Research & Publishing Company , a subsidiary of Saudi Research & Marketing Group .Arab News was...
Education
Ms. AbuSulayman had a diverse college experience where she attended King Abdulaziz UniversityKing Abdulaziz University
King Abdulaziz University was founded in 1967 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Designed by English architect John Elliott, it had 2,000 teachers and more than 37,000 students in 2000/2001....
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, International Islamic University Malaysia
International Islamic University Malaysia
The International Islamic University Malaysia , also known as IIUM or UIAM, is a public publicly-funded university in Malaysia. Its main campus is located in Gombak, Selangor with its situated in Petaling Jaya / Nilai and its medical-centric branch in Kuantan, Pahang. The university is sponsored...
and George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
. She graduated in 1993 from George Mason University and holds a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in English literature. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Arab-American Literature from King Saud University
King Saud University
King Saud University is a public university located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in...
.
Career
Since 1997, Ms. AbuSulayman has served as lecturer on American literature at King Saud UniversityKing Saud University
King Saud University is a public university located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in...
in Saudi Arabia. In this capacity, she designed and implemented curricula changes in English literature courses, created and analyzed teacher performance evaluations, and supervised the English department’s student magazine.
In terms of her media career she founded and co-hosted the MBC TV social program Kalam Nawaem which is considered to have a viewership of tens of millions and is one of the most watched social programs by Arabs worldwide. Her role in the station was as a presenter and she mainly focused on the social segment of the program in which she tried to convey the message to the viewer in the best way possible.
In the corporate world Ms. AbuSulayman started working in Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holdings company. She served as the Executive manager of Strategic Studies and Research Initiatives. Prior to taking this post she had no experience in HR
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
and administration and she had to learn everything in the first 6 months working for the company, but also gained personal experience while working together with Alwaleed. She doesn't deny The 'Alwaleed Effect' and says, smiling, "when I first joined, I asked His Royal Highness to provide me with some executive training as I had no business experience, so I was sent to take a few courses"; she then adds, "but I realized later that working with him was my real executive training".
In 2006 she took on the task of building the Alwaleed bin Talal foundation, previously known as Kingdom Foundation. This foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Kingdom Holding company. In this capacity, she is developing and implementing the foundation’s mission, vision, and operations for strategic philanthropy and humanitarian assistance. She is responsible for the global philanthropic activities, projects, and donations that reach the globe. When asked about getting this job she said in an interview with Aljazeera English "I guess I did such a good job that he offered me the foundation".
MBC | Kalam Nawaem
Muna spoke about the story of how she got the job as one of the co-hosts of Kalam Nawaem in an interview on Aljazeera English's One on One program with Riz Khan. She started by saying that she initially applied for a job as a writer for the show, but found out that they wanted writers in Arabic and as she describes it, her Arabic is not very strong in writing, so she couldn't take the job. The producers later told her that they were looking for a Saudi woman to co-host the show and asked her if she would like to do a screen testScreen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
. She agreed to that, did the screen test and went on traveling. Later on she got a call from the producers telling her that they liked her screen test and would like her to co-host the show. Before agreeing to do the show, she asked her father if he had any objections to that, because his name was also going to be publicized. His reply to her was that he liked to live a private life and if she wanted to do the show, it was her life and she is free to do whatever she wanted.
As co-host for Kalam Nawaem she was the first Saudi women to appear on international television, and had a great responsibility on her back. There were many women especially from Saudi Arabia who were looking to her as a role model and inspiration. Since she was from Saudi Arabia she understood the social problems and the taboo issues in her country and thus was able to address them properly.
Describing the success and the changes the show brought to the Arab world, she tells the story of a child who was abused and how discussing this issue on the show led to the passing of a legislation that protected children's rights.
Muna received few criticisms for being a public figure as some view that women should not appear in public, but the majority of people support what she is doing and have encouraged her.
Muna left the show in 2007, as for the reason why, she said, "I left ‘Kalam Nawaim’ when it was getting too much. Is it worth the recognition and me traveling a weekend every month and leaving my kids? The foundation and my daughters needed me so I made the decision."
There are reports that she is working on a new television show.
Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation
Prior to the establishment of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, Muna worked for 7 years as an Executive manager of Strategic Studies and Research Initiatives in the Kingdom Holdings company of HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal. She built the foundation from ground up and serves as the Secretary General and Executive Director. Her duties in the foundation range from administering the day to day activities to researching, managing the budget and laying down long term goals for the foundation and the Prince's vision. She has the task of spending around $100 million in a year on projects which mainly focus on four areas; promoting East/West dialogue, women empowerment poverty alleviation and disaster relief.Islam and West Dialogue
Muna described her work in this area in the Arab-U.S. policymakers conference by saying we work with Islam-West dialogue, which is one of the biggest areas. Four departments in the foundation and that’s to help build bridges between Islam and the West through academic institutions. It is to bring objective intellectual academic work to the arena, to bring common sense and logic to the discussion, as we have seen that these two were lacking in the last eight years. We also fund a lot of initiatives like this conference and the organization of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. We fund the rabbi’s and imam’s conferences, some leadership initiatives between Muslims and Western leaders so they can come to the table. Some of it is publicized, some not publicized."Her work in this area is of a personal interest to her, she has a passion in bridging the gap between the Arab world and the Western world. Her work comprises mainly in giving talks in leading universities in America and Europe. She is interested in eliminating the misunderstanding that the West has of the Muslim world and vice versa. Ms. AbuSulayman gave a lecture at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where she talked about the misconceptions that the west has about the Islamic veil which is the covering of the hair and wearing loose clothes that don't show body parts and the Burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
(face cover). She said that even some Muslims are ignorant of the fact that wearing the Burqa isn't an Islamic edict.
Ms. Abusulayman views France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's ban of the scarf as a discriminatory act against Muslims and that wearing the Scarf is viewed by President Sarkozy and his Government as a sign of France changing which they don't want to see. She argues that whether France likes or not, it will go through some very difficult years as more and more immigrants bring in their own traditions and religions to France, and that this is something that can not be avoided and France has to simply accept this fact.
In response to a question that asked her about the reason why Christian Arabs leave their countries to the west, she said that it is a very saddening situation that is happening in the Arab world nowadays. She said there are several reasons why these individuals leave their own country, but mainly its because of governmental oppression or better economical opportunities available outside the Arab world. She said the circumstance on which they leave differ from one country to another and each case must be treated separately. She added that its a shame that any Arab feels compelled to leave his country for what ever the reason may be and that we have disappointed them.
Women Empowerment
“When you change women’s conditions and empower them, you change the whole family" said Muna in an article by arabianbusiness.comArabian Business
Arabian Business is the Middle East's best selling weekly business magazine. The magazine focuses on the English and Arabic speaking communities and is published in both languages.-Arabian Business:Arabian Business is audited by BPA Worldwide...
, she also said, Prince Alwaleed firmly believes that encouraging and supporting women and female initiatives is one of the most important ways to measure real tangible progress in any country. From this view stems her strong support for women empowerment in the world and especially in Saudi Arabia.
Talking about motherhood Muna said that the years mothers spend raising their children should be taken into consideration when they are applying for a job. Instead of starting as an intern or a novice employee, they should be starting as assistant managers with a certain salary. She justified this by saying that mothers gain a lot of experience raising children, they acquire skills like patience, multitasking and management, and these shouldn't be neglected by employers and should be compensated financially.
In an interview with Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette is the leading English language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. and is currently available both in print and online.As of July 1, 2011, Dr Omar S. Elmershedi is the Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief.Managing Editor: Shams Ahsan...
Muna said, “I want girls to see that there is almost no limitation to where they can go; the most important thing they can do is to work to be content, happy, married and to have children.”
Clothing and Fashion Accessories Line
Muna has her own fashion accessories line, which adheres to Islamic code of clothing. The reason she started her own line is because she couldn't find clothes that were both contemporary and Islamic. The clothes are designed and prepared in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson is an English fashion designer. His collections often have an Indian influence, perhaps related to the time Williamson spent working in India for the clothing store Monsoon...
is one of her designers. About her collection Muna says "I have created this collection to provide stylish, elegant and trendy clothing for my global customer base. My customers are confident women who have travelled the world and know what they like. In order to accommodate a wide range of tastes the clothes are created with a lot of attention to details and sizes so that they fit just right, and are not tight or see-through. For my core customers, the Muslim women, I am including different scarf options to complete the total look."
Personal life
Ms. AbuSulayman was married but in XXXX she got divorced from her husband. According to her interview with Riz Khan on Aljazeera English's One on One program, the divorce was settled out of court cordially and her parents supported her in whatever she decided. In fact her father told her brothers and sisters not to talk to her about it, so that their feelings do not effect her decision. After her divorce she worked on TV and travelled and there was no change in her lifestyle after the divorce. Her role models in her divorce were Demi MooreDemi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
and Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
and she maintains a good relationship with her daughters' father who fully supports the kids. She said its been wonderful post divorce. She got engaged for a while but didn't work out and has received several proposals but none with the kind of partnership she was looking for.
Ms. AbuSulayman is the mother of Shahad and Sereen. She has a unique parenting style, with a no-TV rule at home. "I have two daughters; a 17-year-old and a 10 year old. I didn’t like them watching things that I don’t know about and they weren’t reading as much as I wanted them to. They were also bored most, if not all, the time. But since then (the rule) they aren’t bored. They exercise, learn ballet and read now. And on Fridays, for example, if they have nothing to do, I let them watch DVDs. I want them to be able to utilize their time," she said in an interview with Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette is the leading English language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. and is currently available both in print and online.As of July 1, 2011, Dr Omar S. Elmershedi is the Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief.Managing Editor: Shams Ahsan...
.
Awards and Recognition
- 2004, Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
- 2005, Saudi UN Goodwill Ambassador, UNDP.
- 2007, Middle East Businesswomen & Leaders Achievement Award for her Achievements in Regional and International Relations.
- 2009, Named one of 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.
- 2009, Excellence Arab women award, by the Arab Woman Studies Center
- 2009, Yale World FellowYale World Fellows ProgramThe Yale World Fellows Program is a program run by Yale University that seeks to build a network of emerging global leaders and broaden international understanding at Yale...
. - 2010, Colin Morley Award.
External links
- Muna AbuSulayman's Facebook Page
- An Interview with Muna AbuSulayman by asmalleorld.net
- A Conversation with Muna AbuSulayman by Saudi Gazette
- Aljazeera English One on One with Muna AbuSulayman
- An Interview with americanbedu.com
- Foundations for Change in the Arab World: A Woman’s Personal and Professional Perspective Ms. Muna AbuSulayman
- World Economic Forum, Panel Race for and Audience Media in the Middle East 2009
- Lecture and Interview at Yale University Department of Religious Studies
- Professor Urges More Translations to Arabic