Georgetown Alumna Joins Conversations on Tolerance at International Forum

Why is the world becoming less tolerant and more radical? Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) alumna Fatima Muneer (SFS ‘11) had the opportunity to share her views and propose solutions at an international forum focused on the topic.

Muneer took part in the 2016 meeting of the Common Action Forum, a nonprofit organization which aims to provide a platform to empower citizens to address global sociopolitical issues and economic inequalities. The organization was founded by Wadah Khanfar, the former director general of Al Jazeera, and brought together 50 emerging experts from around the world for its latest annual event in Madrid, Spain.

The GU-Q alumna was invited due to her role as a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and her work to build bridges between diverse population groups through language learning and cultural immersion. She is currently the associate director of marketing and business development at the Center for International Learning, based in Muscat.

For Muneer, the time spent as a participant in the Forum contributed to a greater understanding of the need for integrated action to promote tolerance. “Since many of the participants represented macro players such as politicians, the UN and major think tanks, I realized that in order to achieve practical solutions to the problem, there needs to be effort made to marry grassroots initiatives with higher level decision making,” she said.

After graduating from GU-Q, Muneer went on to complete a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and was the first online editor at the Oman Observer. In 2015, she was one of four Global Shapers chosen to moderate a discussion with France’s President François Hollande, where she had an opportunity to share her views on what can be done to promote increased integration in French society.

“Taking the knowledge acquired from my time as a Georgetown student and then implementing it in real life when I meet representatives from major stakeholders of many of the key issues happening around the world today, is nothing short of enlightening,” she said. “I am filled with gratitude towards my alma mater for providing me with a foundation that has helped me to open so many doors, either to have an impact or even to start the conversation towards change for a better world.”