Aisha Jalil

Aisha Jalil

Covered in a hijab and talking passionately about her sporting adventures in Australia, Aisha Jalil shatters common stereotypes about Muslim women with complete nonchalance.

When she went to Australia for the first time as a member of the Pakistan women’s national cricket team as a 16 year old, she loved the country and was inspired by the Australians’ love for outdoor sports .She declared to herself, “I am coming here again and for longer next time”. The young sports woman’s dream came true in 2009 when she won the AusAID scholarship to study Sports Management at the University of Technology in Sydney. This also made Aisha the only Pakistani woman to receive this qualification.

On being accepted and the sunny smiles

“When I was going to Australia some friends and family said that I might face discrimination because of my religion and said I would not be allowed to wear hijab. However, I found myself in an exact opposite situation. I received a lot of appreciation and admiration from people around me. Wearing a hijab challenged the misconception that covering your head could be a hurdle in achieving your goals in Australia.

This experience also provided me with an invaluable opportunity to learn about Australian culture. My teachers and peers supported me throughout in my sporting pursuits and in my pursuit of self-actualization. But it wasn’t a one way street; during my time in Sydney I also learnt to respect people from different cultures. I learnt that in order for people to accept you the way you are you must accept others the way they are. It was new for me to experience the cultural norm of Australia to smile when you catch someone’s eye in public places, whether you know them or not. I loved this. When they say Australia is a sunny place, I think they are talking of the smiles not the sun.”

Becoming a part of Olivetree Women’s Network (OWN):

Aisha became a part of OWN after being introduced to Fatima Kourouche (current President of OWN) by her professor, Daryl Adair. OWN is a women’s international network which aims, “to provide mentoring, empowerment and social opportunities for women and girls to reach their full potential in employment, education and training whilst building bridges and making new friends from across the globe.”

“Fatima invited me and my friend to the women’s camp organised for mentoring future female leaders in different fields. Fatima Kourouche, my mentor, is one of the best people that I have met in my life. Mentoring provided me with a chance of sharing my ideals and building on them with feedback from my coach, it helped in strengthening my decision making skills.

Many firsts

“Going away for studies in Sydney brought with it many new experiences; I bought my first car, hired my first home and had my own kitchen for the first time.

The experience of buying a car was quite something, my friend and I pooled money towards it. I finally got my silver hatch back after looking extensively; through it we met many interesting people and learnt so much that it added a whole new dimension to my Australian experience. From people who were too keen to sell, to those who wouldn’t let us take a test drive unless we guaranteed to buy the car! Talk about putting the cart before the horse. But I must say, driving around in my silver hatchback was worth all the hassle.

“Going away for studies in Sydney brought with it many new experiences; I bought my first car, hired my first home and had my own kitchen for the first time.

The experience of buying a car was quite something, my friend and I pooled money towards it. I finally got my silver hatch back after looking extensively; through it we met many interesting people and learnt so much that it added a whole new dimension to my Australian experience. From people who were too keen to sell, to those who wouldn’t let us take a test drive unless we guaranteed to buy the car! Talk about putting the cart before the horse. But I must say, driving around in my silver hatchback was worth all the hassle.

Living it up

During my stay in Australia, I did what I wanted to, most passionately, completing my post graduate degree in sport management, playing cricket again, learning to swim under the WimSwim program, surfing for the first time, whale watching, and jet skiing amongst countless other things.

On the academic side I gained experience in managing sports events and was able to learn through practical experiences such as internships and several work attachments as a part of my course. One such opportunity was working as a Conference Coordinator for the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport for the 5th IWG World Conference held in Sydney in 2010. The conference was attended by 175 delegates from 60 countries. Eleven Australian sports organisations also participated.

Sabiha Jalil, Aisha's mother

Aisha’s mother was intimidated at the thought that her daughter would be away from home for two years. Today, she feels that the experience has been positively life changing for Aisha, “Aisha had travelled abroad before but the experience of actually living on her own, taking charge of her life and being responsible for her household and studies was great training for Aisha. It made her more confident and in control of things. I have found her to be more expressive and she now takes things in her stride.” Aisha’s mother joined her for a month in Australia and enjoyed the place immensely.

Aisha adds, “When I arrived in Australia, I knew only of one family, the one I was born into. When I left Australia to return to Pakistan, I had families of my own choosing in different countries, religions and cultures.”