Meet Zahra Al Hilaly: Advocate. Fearless Leader. Changemaker.
When Zahra Al Hilaly’s mum arrived in Australia from Jordan, she had $US10 cash in her pocket and couldn't afford a carton of eggs at her new local supermarket.
Fast forward to now and she’s built a life in Australia with eight children of her own, is fluent in braille reading and teaches children who are blind.
Zahra says it’s her mum’s own advocacy that has inspired her journey the most. And you can only imagine her mum’s tenacity, given the incredible young woman she’s raised.
In our March series, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month and introducing you to some inspiring young women. First up: meet writer and advocate, Zahra Al Hilaly.
“I used to be quite embarrassed of my story and how I grew up in this country.”
As one of eight children in what Zahra describes as a “low socioeconomic household”, growing up wasn’t easy.
Coming from a migrant refugee background, the lack of resources, diversity, and inclusion she experienced at home and at school in Australia formed a big part of who she is, and what she does now.
“I didn't have the resources to find my space in the community that I was a part of, let alone the country that was supposedly meant to be my home. I was very much excluded from a young age for wearing a hijab on my head,” she says.
Now, Zahra wears her roots, religion, and culture like a badge of honour.
At just 21 years old, she’s in her final year of law and journalism at Murdoch University and has worked on countless projects with a variety of organisations to empower young people.
She describes herself as “a writer, advocate and speaker for gender equality, refugee rights and equitable representation across decision-making structures.”
“It's been my mission to ensure we can amplify more grassroots and diverse voices to not only speak within spaces that have institutionally excluded us, but to also find their passion and to explore [how] they are also a piece in the puzzle of the revolution,” she says.
And that’s exactly what she’s done.
“I remember thinking to myself as a young kid – ‘Vogue? I could never be in it. A Muslim woman wearing a hijab? No way!’”
It’s no surprise Zahra has achieved so much in her 21 years.
She’s worked as a consultant for UN Women, been named a finalist for Young Muslim of the Year, and was the inaugural winner of the Under 25’s Rising Star for the 40-Under-40 Asian Australian Leadership Awards – just to name a few.
But she says a very big bucket list moment was being in Vogue Australia’s February issue.
“They reached out to me to write an article about my identity, which was nuts for me!” she says.
Representation like this is important and powerful to Zahra and is part of what drew her to studying journalism, “because I still haven't found a TV reporter that looks like me.”
While she is continuously inspired by her community to raise awareness about gender equality and to be the fierce changemaker she is, Zahra has had to fight to have her voice heard.
“I've often faced very big, shocking moments where, when I do speak up, a lot of people look at me and are confused as to how I have quite a loud voice in the room, because it's not necessarily expected of Muslim women,” she says.
She says it’s important to speak out on “prominent issues that get swept right under the rug.”
That is ultimately what sparked her passion for intersectional feminism and pushing for diversity, even when the very real fears of “being doxed online or receiving racism” crept in.
“We all fundamentally come with our own unique experiences, strength, and courage that has uplifted us to become who we are today.”
Zahra sees young people in her community as the most powerful weapons of reform and she has two pieces of advice for anyone discovering their voices:
1. Find your community.
“Finding people that hold similar values to you, finding a group that will have your back no matter what, is the most safe haven I’ve had,” she says.
2. Stop questioning your existence.
“As women, we need to start avoiding the default that we go to in questioning our voices and our place in a room. Your voice and perspective is absolutely unique. Instead, you need to start affirming your existence. I've started doing this thing internally when I talk myself down. I think to myself ‘if I said that to a friend, would they still be friends with me?’ And half the time it's always a no,” she says.
“Storytelling will change the world.”
It goes without saying Zahra has a bright future ahead of her.
As she makes her way through her final year of university, she hopes to develop a leadership training course for more young women of color to amplify and recognise their voices.
“We all need to be a part of the revolution and I think sharing opportunities and amplifying voices is the key. If we can each raise the story of one young person or one woman of color, it could change the world,” she says.
“We're slowly recognising that there is power with being diverse. There is power with finding your identity, which I love. So, let’s keep sharing those stories.”
We have a feeling this is only the beginning of Zahra’s story.
