"Bila Aswar"
Breaking Barriers
Mission
Eliminate prejudice against Middle Eastern and Islamic countries by directly creating contact and dialogue between students, academics, business- owners, artists and working professionals.
The lack of accurate knowledge regarding Middle Eastern, Gulf and South Asian countries paired with the negative image the media portrays of institutions in these regions creates prejudice and misconceptions very different from reality.
In the effort to learn firsthand the impact of Islam and Middle Eastern culture on the everyday lives of people living in the region, University of British Columbia student Lina Zdruli spent December 2013 in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Oman.
The educational and cultural experiences she brought back with her led to the creation of the Breaking Barriers Initiative.
On a more centralised scale, the Sheikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding in Dubai aims to raise awareness and demystify the local culture, customs and religion of the United Arab Emirates.
The objective is to improve cross-cultural understanding and communication between Northwestern, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries.
Open Minds
