Zainab Afshan Sheikh

Zainab Sheikh is 20 years old, and a member of the organization Muslims in Dialogue, MID

I believe in this project because I believe in people – our ability to admit our prejudice and our ability to change our thoughts about one another. 

I agree with the bearing idea that dialogue can be a significant tool to overcome all kind of obstacles, both locally and globally.

Having said that… There are a lot of grey zones when it comes to exercising dialogue – can it always create the understanding and respect we seek? Is it just another cliché used by well-intentioned but reality escaping people? Well, I’m a part of this because I believe that dialogue can help us in many ways if we learn to use it as a tool.

Like several other youngsters, I often experience the lack of understanding that exists between different cultures and religions. This lack is to be felt all over the world – the world is getting smaller, but the distance between people is getting bigger.

This illustrates that there is an actual need for face-to-face meetings. These meetings seek to create new perspectives, openmindedness and a different angle than what the media gives.

With dialogue we can go far and as youngsters we have a responsibility to actively seek ways to better the world. After all - WE are the leaders of tomorrow.

I am looking forward to the development we will experience in this second round and want YOU to be a part of it. We can all contribute with our thoughts, without representing anyone other than ourselves! And that’s the beauty of this project…