Surgeon by Day, Muslim by Design
They said wearing a beard would hold me back in academia. I wore it anyway. They took me seriously regardless.
When I got into served 40,000 meals, my father said, 'Great, now you'll blend in.' She meant well.
Rio de Janeiro was a culture shock. Not because of the cold — because of the staring. At the office, I was often the only visibly Muslim person in the room. A colleague once asked, very sincerely, if I was able to attend the Christmas party.
The real test came during client pitches. A senior partner looked at my CV, looked at my a beard, and asked, 'Are you sure this is the right fit for someone with your... background?' I smiled and said, 'My religious requirements are between me and God. My availability is 100%..'
The hardest moment wasn't bias from others. It was the voice in my own head during a 30-hour shift, whispering, 'Would this be easier without it?' And the honest answer was: probably.
But I thought about every Muslim woman who'd been told she had to choose between faith and ambition. I refused to be evidence for that lie.
I'm a department head now. I teach the next generation. I still fast Ramadan. The same father who told me to blend in now introduces me as 'my nephew, the professor.'
Last year, a medical student in hijab stopped me in the hospital corridor. She said, 'Seeing you here makes me feel like I can do this.' I told her what I wish someone had told me: 'You don't just can. You already are.'