This week, we explore how Arub Syed tackles social, cultural and religious and religious issues.
Introduce yourself?
My name is Arub Syed and my background is in law. I am currently an assistant editor at Thomson Reuters and am a freelance journalist, writer and speaker.
What inspired you to start?
I knew from a young age that there were certain topics that were off bounds within my culture. As a community, we were discouraged from questioning societal norms, regardless of how toxic or harmful some of these practices were. I was often misunderstood, both by people of my culture as well as those outside of my culture. It was for this reason that I felt the need to speak up-birthing my passion for storytelling and journalism.
Some examples - I have written about my experiences with the arranged marriage 'rishta' system, how I chose to react calmly in the face of Islamophobia, as well as reported pieces on the untold stories of Muslims in a post 9/11 world, the voices of Palestinians, and a video piece about the plight of a gay asylum seeker from Pakistan - these are all in my portfolio.
What is your vision?
My vision is to foster an environment where people of all backgrounds can live together in harmony. The aim isn't to change beliefs, it's just to encourage healthy discourse and ultimately understand and respect all views and walks of life, even if these clash with your own.