Shada Islam is a Brussels-based commentator on Asia and on EU affairs. She is a Belgian citizen. In 2017, ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' listed Islam among 20 women who are driving Europe's major political debates. Politico designated Islam as "the ultimate insider outsider."

Early life

Islam was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in Pakistan. She moved to Brussels as a student. Islam graduated in journalism and social communication from the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

Career

Journalism

After graduating Islam joined the

Far Eastern Economic Review The ''Far Eastern Economic Review'' (FEER or The ''Review'') was an Asian business magazine published from 1946 to 2009. The English-language news magazine was based in Hong Kong and published weekly until it converted to a monthly publication ...

, where she was a Europe correspondent for more than 20 years. In February 2022, Islam took the position of editor of the

EUobserver ''EUobserver'' is a European online newspaper, launched in 2000 by the Brussels-based organisation EUobserver.com ASBL. The newspaper provides both daily reports and in-depth coverage on international affairs related to the European Union (EU). ...

magazine publication.

Research and academia

In 2007, Islam joined the

European Policy Centre The European Policy Centre (EPC) is a Brussels-based not-for-profit think tank on European Union affairs, founded in 1997. Activities Under the presidency of Brigid Laffan, the EPC's Chief Executive is Fabian Zuleeg, a German economist. ...

think tank in Brussels. where she worked on migration and Asia. Islam is a visiting professor at the Natolin campus of the

College of Europe The College of Europe (; ; ) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with three campuses in Bruges, Belgium; Warsaw, Poland; and Tirana, Albania. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 as a result of the 1948 Congress of ...

. She is also a fellow at the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch language, Dutch, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch- and English-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engine ...

. Islam took the job of Director of Europe and Geopolitics at the think tank Friends of Europe, where she stayed for nine years. After leaving Friends of Europe, Islam started her own consultancy called New Horizons Project. Islam called out the complacency of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

with

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...

’s undemocratic tendencies, which undermines the credibility of Europe on the international stage.

''Brussels So White'' commentator

Islam repeatedly expressed concerned about the lack of ethnic diversity in the EU policy making circles. Together with James Kanter, Islam launched a series dedicated to the issue of Brussels So White on the

EU Scream EU Scream is a podcast based in Brussels. EU Scream was set up in 2018 by Tom Brookes from the European Climate Foundation and by James Kanter from ''The New York Times''. James Kanter had left the New York Times before the launch of EU Scream. ...

podcast in 2022. She also raised the alarm about the far-right influence on the European institutions, when in comes to the treatment of Muslims and minorities.

Awards

Islam received the Women of Europe Awards 2023 by

European Movement International The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History Initially the Eur ...

in the category ''Woman in Media''. Islam received the 2023 Ernest Udina Award for a European Trajectory from the European Journalist Association in Catalonia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islam, Shada Living people Year of birth uncertain Université libre de Bruxelles alumni Belgian women journalists Academic staff of the College of Europe Year of birth missing (living people) Journalists from Lahore