Multiculturalism: A Passport Towards a Harmonious Middle East

My birth name is Sara. My rebirth one should be Sedona. On January 9th, 2014, it was only supposed to be a wooden sign welcoming my first hiking experience into Sedona Red Rock landscape, yet “Welcome to Red Rock Country” was more than a silent entrance sign for a place, but rather a roaring call into my soul. Since then the rest is no more silence as Hamlet wanted it to be; my visionary transformation process has been determined.

In fact, being a woman from the Middle East-particularly from Egypt with its current democratic development has greatly influenced my perspectives toward life with its continuous chain of deep economic and socio-cultural challenges. My resistance to my community serotypes of labeling women has started with my refusal of getting married at early age, and insisting on pursuing my undergrad education. I was raised up in a middle class family to a father and a mother who had not had the chance to complete their primary education; a fact that has motivated me to obtain stamps of educational enlightenment more than mere school or university certificates. It also urged me to be fully financially responsible for my two sisters’ education journey that was finally crowned by two bachelor’s degrees. This experience has been the seed of my self- awareness not only of my individual aspirations, but also of others’ needs to be empowered with education, especially those who are economically unprivileged women like my sisters and I.

Sedona! Thank you for accommodating my second rebirth of life goals. The immense reflection was made and cross roads were created while wandering the red ambiguous place. I was injured by the tough branches of your seemingly burnt trees, but I insisted to explore, learn and go on to find my way back. Pathways of empowerment have started almost two years ago and will be fully served with my (9) years of multicultural and professional experience to serve humanity causes in general , women causes and youth engagement in particular. We all have a role to play to protect those who are in dire need and improve the quality of their life. Truly, policy, economy, and education should cooperate to promote human equality.