Shada Islam
{{Short description|European commentator and journalist}}
{{use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Shada Islam
| image = Shada Islam (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Shada Islam, EU commentator
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Lahore, Pakistan{{cite news |last=Dear |first=Paula |date= 18 December 2018|title= Shada Islam on telling the story of Europe and Asia with passion |url= https://www.thebulletin.be/shada-islam-telling-story-europe-and-asia-passion |work= The Bulletin|location= |access-date=4 November 2022}}
| education = Université libre de Bruxelles
| occupation = political commentator and journalist
| website = {{URL|https://www.shadaislam.com/}}
| footnotes =
}}
Shada Islam is a Brussels-based commentator on Asia and on EU affairs.{{cite web |url= https://www.theguardian.com/profile/shada-islam |title= Shada Islam|last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher= Guardian |access-date= 4 November 2022 |quote=}} She is a Belgian citizen.
In 2017, Politico listed Islam among 20 women who are driving Europe's major political debates. Politico designated Islam as "the ultimate insider outsider."{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.eu/list/women-who-shape-brussels-2017-ranking/shada-islam/|title= Shada Islam|last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher= Politico|access-date=4 November 2022 |quote= Shada Islam is the ultimate insider outsider}}
Early life
Islam was born in Lahore in Pakistan. She moved to Brussels as a student. Islam graduated in journalism and social communication from the Université libre de Bruxelles.{{cite web |url=https://www.bruegel.org/people/shada-islam |title= Shada Islam|last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher= Bruegel|access-date=4 November 2022 |quote=}}
Career
=Journalism=
After graduating Islam joined the Far Eastern Economic Review, where she was a Europe correspondent for more than 20 years.
In February 2022, Islam took the position of editor of the EUobserver magazine publication.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=17 January 2022 |title= James Kanter, Shada Islam are new editors at EUobserver|url= https://euobserver.com/news/154090 |work= EUobserver|location= |access-date=4 November 2022 }}
=Research and academia=
In 2007, Islam joined the European Policy Centre think tank in Brussels. where she worked on migration and Asia.{{cite web |url= https://fra.europa.eu/en/person/islam-shada|title= Shada Islam|last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights |access-date= 4 November 2022 |quote=}}
Islam is a visiting professor at the Natolin campus of the College of Europe. She is also a fellow at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Islam took the job of Director of Europe and Geopolitics at the think tank Friends of Europe, where she stayed for nine years. After leaving Friends of Europe, Islam started her own consultancy called New Horizons Project.{{cite web |url= https://www.bic-rhr.com/news/shada-islam-joins-bic-senior-commentator-geopolitics |title=Shada Islam joins the BIC as Senior Commentator on Geopolitics |last= |first= |date=22 February 2021 |website= |publisher=Brussels International Center |access-date=4 November 2022 |quote=}}
Islam called out the complacency of the European Union with Viktor Orbán’s undemocratic tendencies, which undermines the credibility of Europe on the international stage.{{cite news |last= Dempsey|first= Judy|date=15 September 2022|title= Judy Asks: Is the EU Too Soft on Hungary?|url= https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/87921|work= Carnegie Europe|location= |access-date=}}
''Brussels So White'' commentator
Islam repeatedly expressed concerned about the lack of ethnic diversity in the EU policy making circles. Together with James Kanter, Islam launched a series dedicated to the issue of Brussels So White on the EU Scream podcast in 2022.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=30 May 2022 |title=Against white feminism: European edition |url= https://euobserver.com/eu-scream/155076
|work= EU Scream for EUobserver|location= |access-date=4 November 2022}}
She also raised the alarm about the far-right influence on the European institutions, when in comes to the treatment of Muslims and minorities.{{cite news |last= Luby|first= Christine |date=17 June 2022
|title= Shada Islam Q&A: ‘You can be both Muslim and European’|url= https://hyphenonline.com/2022/06/17/shada-islam-you-can-be-both-muslim-and-european/|work= Hyphen|location= |access-date=4 November 2022}}
Awards
Islam received the Women of Europe Awards 2023 by European Movement International in the category Woman in Media.{{cite web |url=https://europeanmovement.eu/event-list/women-of-europe-awards-2023/|title=Women of Europe Awards 2023|last= |first= |date=9 November 2023 |website= |publisher=European Movement International|access-date=24 December 2023|quote=}}
Islam received the 2023 Ernest Udina Award for a European Trajectory from the European Journalist Association in Catalonia.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=26 June 2023|title=Shada Islam guanya el premi Ernest Udina a la Trajectòria Europeista 2023 |trans-title=Shada Islam wins the Ernest Udina European Trajectory Award 2023|url=https://www.diaridebarcelona.cat/w/shada-islam-guanya-el-premi-ernest-udina-trajectoria-europeista-2023|language=Catalan|work=Diari de Barcelona|location= |access-date=}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:Year of birth uncertain
Category:Université libre de Bruxelles alumni
Category:Belgian women journalists
Category:Academic staff of the College of Europe