Nadia Oweidat: Freedom Begins With One Idea

"I grew up in tribal Jordan, ever since I was a child I loved reading. I think maybe science will one day discover there's a gene and I have a huge mutation of it or something because having access to other ideas, different worlds, really fueled my sense of curiosity and made me want to live a full life, a way more full life than what I had access to as a woman in a Muslim community, a girl whose value is not really seen beyond basically becoming a wife one day, cooking and cleaning and having children." Dr. Nadia Oweidat was a Class of 2017 Smith Richardson Fellow at New America. She holds a Doctorate in Philosophy in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford. In addition, Nadia holds a BA from the University of Jordan in English Literature and an MA from the University of Wyoming in International Studies. She is one of 25 international students to be awarded the prestigious Weidenfeld Leadership Program scholarship, Dr. Oweidat was also chosen in 2014 by the American Italian Council to participate in its Young Leaders Conference in Italy. She is currently working on a book on social media and positive change among Arabic speakers. Her doctoral research focused on the challenges facing liberal Muslim intellectuals who attempt to update Islamic thought and bridge the gap between modern values such as secularism and women’s rights and Islam. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Oweidat worked as a Research Associate at the RAND Corporation where she led several research projects. In 2007, she initiated and co-led a research effort to look into works by Arabic-speakers that counter violence and extremism, including fiction, non-fiction, cartoons and film that advance values of tolerance, pluralism and the ability to deal with ambiguity without violence. Dr. Oweidat also initiated and led an analysis of the grassroots Egyptian reform movement Kefaya. In addition, she has conducted research on Islamic extremism and counter-terrorism strategies, the ideological evolution of al-Qaeda, Salafi jihadi networks, jihadi strategies in Iraq, Iranian ascendancy in the Arab world, and radicalization of Muslim youth. She has appeared on various Arabic and English networks including BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera Arabic, Al-Arabiya, BBC Arabic, France 24, National Public Radio, and now including Wyoming Public Radio! Thank you for your time, Nadia.