Mansour Jamal Ibrahim
Meet Captain Mona Shindy, Captain of Royal Australian Navy, Chief of Navy’s Islamic Advisor, engineer and fulltime mother. She is one of many prime examples of today’s inspiring role models.
Her family migrated from Egypt when she was only three years old and she lost her father at the age of 14. But that didn’t stop her from achieving her goals. From graduating with a degree in weapons engineering to climbing aboard a warship at the age of 23, Captain Mona has shown remarkable effort and dedication. During an interview she explains how she achieved all those things with the help of her faith.
How does your faith inform you to be a better person?
“Our faith and the things that we do as part of our faith, whether it’s honesty or bringing integrity to the table or time to reflect through prayer, all those things really do add value to the actual workforce and actually make you more likely to be successful.”
What were the challenges you overcame to get to where you are now?
“Finding the way to fit in, into Australian society but still be true to yourself and true to your values and your beliefs. I think that was a significant challenge and still does remain a challenge for all Muslims generally. My personal view on how to overcome that is through constant communication, leading by example and also educating people through engagement and being involved. Being part of it is what helps down break barriers.
What amazes you?
“I love the fact about how wonderful the miracle of life is. And I’m also amazed by the fragility of life.”
What is your favorite word?
“My favorite word is yes. The reason I love that word is because I love to help people achieve their goals whenever I can. But I love hearing that word equally. Because when I want to achieve my goals or ambitions in life and someone says yes to a proposal, it’s wonderful to hear that word.”
