Meet Dr Ruha Shadab, The Young Muslim Woman Driving Change Among Her Community

Summary

The speaker reflects on her journey from aspiring doctor to public health advocate, inspired by the impact of preventive medicine. She discusses the lack of representation of Muslim women in leadership roles and her initiative, 'Led By,' a leadership lab aimed at empowering Indian Muslim women to achieve professional success and increase their presence in the private sector. The summary also touches on the importance of agency, access, and avenues for these women to realize their potential and contribute to society.

Takeaways

• 👩‍⚕️ The speaker initially aspired to be a doctor due to the noble nature and social impact of the profession.
• 🌟 The transition from clinical medicine to public health was inspired by the subject of preventive and social medicine during medical college.
• 🎓 The speaker pursued a Master's in Public Policy at Harvard, which was facilitated by male mentors, sparking a curiosity about the absence of Muslim women mentors.
• 🤔 The speaker questioned the visibility and representation of Muslim women, noting their underrepresentation in the workforce despite making up 8% of the population.
• 💡 The idea for 'Led By' was conceived during the speaker's time at Harvard, with a focus on empowering Indian Muslim women through leadership development.
• 📈 'Led By' aims to increase the representation of Indian Muslim women in the private sector to be proportional to their population percentage.
• 🛠️ The organization provides professional training and development to amplify the impact of Indian Muslim women as future professionals.
• 💡 'Led By' also serves as an incubator for startup ideas, encouraging more Muslim women to become founders.
• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the importance of education, reflecting on the Right to Education Act and the need for accessible college education and support.
• 🔑 The three 'A's identified as crucial for Muslim women are avenues for visibility, access to networks and opportunities, and agency to believe in their potential for success.
• 🌈 The Shaheen Bagh protest demonstrated solidarity across religious lines, inspiring the speaker and reinforcing the mission of 'Led By'.
• 💖 The speaker encourages dreaming big and being ambitious, acknowledging the challenges but also the support and opportunities available for creating change.

Q & A

Why did the speaker initially want to become a doctor?

The speaker initially wanted to become a doctor because they thought it was a noble profession with great social impact.

What subject during medical college particularly intrigued the speaker?

The subject of 'Preventive and Social Medicine' intrigued the speaker and led to an interest in system change.

How did the speaker's journey shift from clinical medicine to public health?

The speaker's journey shifted after being drawn towards system change during their study of 'Preventive and Social Medicine' and subsequently working at an international health NGO and then at Nithya Yoga.

What motivated the speaker to apply to Harvard for a master's in public policy?

The speaker was motivated to apply to Harvard due to the influence of their mentors, despite noticing the lack of representation among Muslim women mentors.

What issue did the speaker identify regarding the representation of Muslim women in India?

The speaker identified that Muslim women make up 8% of the population but are only 1% represented in the private sector, workforce, and corporate India.

What is the main goal of the leadership lab 'Led By'?

The main goal of 'Led By' is to increase the representation of Indian Muslim women in the private sector to be proportionate to their population percentage.

How does 'Led By' aim to support Indian Muslim women in their professional development?

'Led By' aims to provide professional training and development to amplify the impact of Indian Muslim women as professionals and also incubate startup ideas to increase the percentage of Muslim women founders.

What are the 'three A's' the speaker mentions as necessary for Indian Muslim women to succeed?

The 'three A's are avenues, access, and agency, which refer to platforms for visibility, networks and opportunities, and a belief in their ability to achieve intended results.

How does the speaker connect the Shaheen Bagh protest to the mission of 'Led By'?

The speaker connects the protest by highlighting the unity and support from various religious communities for Muslim lives, which inspired and added to the mission of empowering and creating agency within the Muslim community.

What does the speaker suggest about the perception of identity in movements?

The speaker suggests that it's not about asserting one's identity but knowing that whichever identity one chooses to express will be welcomed and accepted.

What advice does the speaker give regarding dreaming big and taking action?

The speaker advises that while dreaming big is important, it's also crucial to consider the context and challenges one might face, and to be ambitious while thinking about creating change beyond oneself.

Outlines

00:00

👩‍⚕️ Journey from Medicine to Public Health Advocacy

The speaker reflects on her initial aspirations to become a doctor due to the noble nature and social impact of the profession. She discusses her educational journey at Lady Harding Medical College in Delhi, where she pursued medicine while also nurturing her creative side through extracurricular activities. Her interest in system change was sparked by the subject of preventive and social medicine during her studies. This interest led her to work at an international health NGO and eventually in public health. The speaker also highlights her experience at Harvard, where she was mentored by men, which led her to question the representation of Muslim women in influential roles. She identifies a significant underrepresentation of Muslim women in the workforce and aims to address this disparity through initiatives like 'Led By,' a leadership lab for college-going Indian Muslim women, with the goal of enhancing their representation in the private sector.

05:00

🌟 Empowering Indian Muslim Women for Representation and Agency

This paragraph delves into the concept of 'Led By,' a leadership incubator designed to empower Indian Muslim women by providing professional training and development. The incubator also serves as a platform for nurturing startup ideas, thereby increasing the number of Muslim women who become founders. The speaker emphasizes the need for avenues that increase visibility, access to networks and opportunities, and the development of agency among Muslim women. She shares her observations on the Right to Education Act and the challenges faced by the community in accessing higher education and the necessary support systems. The speaker also discusses the importance of internal and external support for the community, inspired by the Shaheen Bagh protests, which demonstrated solidarity across religious lines. She concludes by encouraging dreams and ambition, acknowledging the challenges faced by the community and the broader societal support available.

Keywords

💡Noble Profession

A 'noble profession' refers to a career that is considered honorable and morally upright, often associated with altruistic motives such as helping others. In the video, the speaker initially wanted to be a doctor because they viewed it as a noble profession with great social impact, indicating a desire to contribute positively to society.

💡Social Impact

Social impact refers to the effects or changes created in society by an individual, organization, or initiative. The speaker mentions being drawn to a career with significant social impact, which led them from clinical medicine to public health and eventually to a focus on Muslim women's representation and leadership.

💡Mentors

Mentors are experienced individuals who guide and support the development of others. The speaker acknowledges the importance of their mentors in their journey to Harvard for a master's degree, but also notes the absence of female Muslim mentors, which sparked a reflection on representation among mentors and role models.

💡Public Health

Public health is the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities, and individuals. The speaker's shift from clinical medicine to public health signifies a broader interest in systemic change and population health rather than individual patient care.

💡Preventive and Social Medicine

Preventive and social medicine is a field of study within medical education that focuses on preventing diseases and promoting health at the population level. The speaker's interest in this subject during medical college led them to consider systems change as a means to achieve the social impact they desired.

💡Representation

Representation in this context refers to the extent to which a particular group is reflected or included in a particular area, such as the workforce or leadership positions. The speaker is concerned about the underrepresentation of Muslim women in the private sector and corporate India, which is a driving force behind their initiative.

💡Leadership Lab

A leadership lab is an environment or program designed to develop leadership skills. The speaker founded 'Led By,' a leadership lab for college-going Indian Muslim women, with the goal of increasing their representation in the private sector to be proportionate to their population percentage.

💡Incubator

An incubator in this context is a program or organization that supports the development and growth of new ideas or startups. 'Led By' serves as an incubator for both professional development and startup ideas among Muslim women, aiming to increase their presence as founders and leaders.

💡Agency

Agency refers to the capacity of an individual to act independently and to make their own free choices. The speaker emphasizes the importance of agency for Muslim women, suggesting that a belief in one's ability to achieve intended results can be nurtured through increased visibility of successful role models.

💡Right to Education Act

The Right to Education Act is a law that makes primary education compulsory. The speaker uses this as an example to discuss the need for accessible college education and the support systems that accompany it, which are crucial for the generation that has gone through the RTE phase.

💡Shaheen Bagh Protest

The Shaheen Bagh protest refers to a public demonstration in India against a controversial citizenship law. The speaker mentions this to illustrate the solidarity among different religious communities in support of Muslim lives, which has inspired and reinforced the mission of 'Led By.'

Highlights

Grew up aspiring to be a doctor due to the noble nature and social impact of the profession.

Transitioned from clinical medicine to public health, influenced by the subject of preventive and social medicine.

Experienced a lack of female Muslim mentors during her educational journey, which raised questions about representation.

Founded a leadership lab called 'Led By' with the goal of increasing Muslim women's representation in the private sector.

Led By serves as a professional development platform and incubator for startup ideas among Indian Muslim women.

Discussed the Right to Education Act and its impact on the need for accessible college education and support systems.

Indian Muslim women possess the aptitude and ambition but require avenues, agency, and access to succeed.

The importance of visibility and networks in providing opportunities and building a sense of agency.

The Shaheen Bagh protest demonstrated solidarity across religious lines, supporting the idea that 'Muslim lives matter'.

Led By anticipates and addresses potential pushback, focusing on building internal agency within the community.

The speaker's personal experiences with identity and the importance of feeling welcomed regardless of which identity is asserted.

The inspiration drawn from the Shaheen Bagh protest and its impact on the mission of Led By.

The unexpected support and lack of pushback experienced by Led By, indicating a positive societal shift.

The importance of dreaming big and being ambitious, even when it's not easy to act on those dreams.

Encourages the audience to subscribe for updates and support independent journalism.

Transcripts

i grew up wanting to be a doctor for the

simple reason why i thought it was a

very noble profession

and had great social impact now during

all of this this movement from

clinical medicine to public health and

then after nathi i applied to harvard

for my master's in public policy was

made possible because of fantastic

mentors

but all these mentors were men none of

them were women

and hence none of them were muslim women

which made me just

wonder where are these 100 million

muslim women

i grew up wanting to be a doctor for the

simple reason why i thought it was a

very noble profession and had

great social impact i got into medical

college in delhi went to lady harding

medical college and had a fantastic time

for five and a half years

studying medicine but also exploring my

more creative side

set up the debate society the magazine

committee in college

but i started getting pulled more

towards system change while i was

in medical college so there's a subject

called preventive and social medicine

that's taught to you for

three and a half years out of your five

and a half year course

and that's a subject that really

intrigued me i felt that systems change

is really the kind of

social impact and scale that i want to

work in

so after my mbps i found myself working

at an international health ngo

and then working at nithya yoga

eventually on public health as a young

professional

now during all of this this movement

from clinical medicine to public health

and then

after nithya i applied to harvard for my

master's in public policy

was made possible because of fantastic

mentors

but all these mentors were men none of

them were women and hence none of them

were muslim women

which made me just wonder where are

these 100 million

muslim women it could either be that

they have achieved success but there

really isn't a platform

to raise their visibility or it might be

that

they just aren't represented to the

level that they should be

and the issue is actually both of them

we make up eight percent of the

population but

one percent of say the private sector

and the workforce and corporate india

and that problem was something that i

was thinking about even when i applied

to harvard for my masters

i spoke over there about indian muslim

women

and their health outcomes but during my

first year at howard it was a very

interdisciplinary course

so i got to also have a bird's eye view

of what's happening in the country

spend some time thinking about what are

the bottlenecks

and that's how led by got incepted in my

mind

it's a leadership lab for college-going

indian muslim women

with the very simple but ambitious goal

to make our representation in the

private sector proportionate

to our population percentage and that's

how that pay started

[Music]

so led by is a leadership incubator for

indian muslim women

and when we say incubator we mean it in

two folds

one is in terms of giving them the

professional training

and professional development that would

really help

amplify their impact as they become

professionals

the second part is a more normally

understood aspect of incubator we are

also an incubator

for startup ideas to again raise the

percentage of muslim women

that are founders there's never a wrong

time to do something that is going to

create positive social impact

so regardless of the space time

coordinate we are in

the reason i'm so passionate about led

by

is it's working towards empowering a

community that so far has been very

uncatered to in terms of education and

employment

opportunities so for one thing that

comes to my mind

often is the right to education act

right it made

primary education compulsory in our

country and it's been 11 years since

that act was passed so you have this

massive cohort of people who've

been a generation that's been through an

entire rte phase

but is there a sucking noise being

created from colleges saying that hey

you did your schooling but there is

college that's there that's accessible

there is the financial social and

professional support that you need

along with going to college that we are

providing

and that's something people aren't

thinking about it's a conversation that

will for sure be more mainstay a couple

of years or maybe decades down design

but we want to expedite that

conversation indian muslim women have

the aptitude have the aspirations and

have the ambition

what they need are another three a's

they need

avenues they need agency and they need

access

so when i talk about avenues i talk

about platforms that

raise visibility of fantastic work being

done by indian muslim women as

professors in the private space in the

entrepreneurial sector

so that's in terms of avenues in terms

of access is

do they have or do they know people who

hold keys to doors that can

open up networks open up opportunities

which

something which is something that's

missing right now so you have avenues

you have access

and what's again really important is

agency a belief that

when you try to do something you will

achieve the obvious or

intended results and a sense of agency

can be built

by increasing the visibility of people

who have managed to overcome obstacles

who've managed to achieve their dreams

[Music]

i could never see indians

non-muslims hindus seek jains coming to

the streets and saying muslims lives

matter and that is why we need to create

this leadership that where we are able

to build

internal agency within the community

what was really interesting about the

shaheenbach protested me was i was

proved wrong

within six to nine months because they

were hindus sikhs jains parsis

christians everybody on the streets

saying

that muslim lives matter it's something

that seemed so impossible as a young

muslim woman

and that is what inspired me more and

added

fire to zed by's mission is just knowing

that

there are a lot of supporters out there

and that's again something else that

we've seen over the past year and nine

months that we've been working on that

by

we've anticipated push back but

i've mostly only been asked about hey

what about pushback instead of somebody

actually giving pushback

so this big bad word that we're told is

out that is actually not that bad

and there are a lot of supporters out

there and that's it

how the ca protest ties into that by

story what i personally feel

is that it's not a matter of asserting

your identity or even figuring out which

identity you assert because there might

be days where

my indians plays out more there might be

days where my female identity plays out

more there might be days

especially on eid when my muslim

identity plays out more

it's about knowing that whichever

identity i decide to play out or not

play out for whatever reason

it's going to be welcome draw paradise

to any other movement that depends upon

or

is around identity it's not so much as

asserting it's about

knowing that the identity would be

welcomed no matter how much i want to

dye it up or die down

[Music]

dream big i wouldn't say go ahead and do

it i think that comes from a position of

privilege it's not easy to go ahead and

do it

but we all can dream big we can all be

ambitious we can all think about

creating change that is beyond us

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