2017 Women of the Year: Zeinab Schwen Runs Business, Challenges Stereotypes
(Photo: The Enqurier/Kareem Elgazzar)SOURCE: CINCINNATI
BY: JEANNE HOUCK
Sometimes when American Muslim and businesswoman Zeinab Schwen has been invited to speak about her faith and the people who practice it, she walks into the room wearing a headscarf and a long flowing garment.
Partway through her address, Schwen steps out of the room and returns in business attire – usually a suit.
“One person in those lectures told me that when I had my hijab on, he saw me as an enemy, and when I changed my clothes, he could relate to me as a normal American,” Schwen said.
That’s the mindset Schwen is working hard to change.
She is one of the 10 exceptional women selected for this year’s The Enquirer and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation Women of the Year award.
The Symmes Township woman is initiative leader of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati in West Chester Township, where she has worked since its inception about 20 years ago.
Schwen also is president and founder of a pharmaceutical consulting company called Strategic Regulatory Consulting and a champion of women.
“As an American Muslim and a Palestinian who was raised in the Arab world, I feel compelled to combat the ugly stereotypes that feed the phobias in people’s minds about Muslims, Islam and Arabs,” Schwen said.
“I find that people who have never met a Muslim American or an Arab American are fearful because they hear so much misinformation without putting faces on the people.
“We are Americans who contribute to the society, obey the laws of the land, pay our taxes, but most importantly, who care for the safety of our country,” Schwen said.
“We want to live and raise our kids without being discriminated against for our beliefs or our rich heritage.”
One way Schwen combats persistent stereotypes is by participating in advocacy and outreach programs.
Schwen has been active in the Cincinnati and Ohio chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Muslim Mothers Against Violence, in addition to her work with the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.
“The ‘Tours and Talks’ program at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati opens the doors of the center to thousands of non-Muslims to reach a better understanding of Islam and American Muslims,” Schwen said.
“They also have a very successful program called ‘Know Your Neighbor’ which allows people to mingle and realize how much we share in common.
“Many friendships and better understanding were built this way,” Schwen said.
“The only way to combat Islamophobia is through education and reach-out.”
Shabana Shakir Ahmed of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati nominated Schwen for the Women of the Year honor.
“Zeinab’s voice is one of the most effective ones in the Tours and Talks program at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati,” Ahmed said. “She has educated schools, businesses, and faith institutions about Islam and Muslims at a time when hate, fear and bans are being challenged.”
Schwen said she works with the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati and The Women’s Fund to help low-wage working women in disadvantaged positions reach economic self-sufficiency.
“As a foreign-born woman, I faced many challenges to reach my educational and professional goals,” Schwen said. “I believe in helping all women who may need a helping hand to achieve their goals as well.”
Schwen does that by mentoring girls and women and by using her position as president of Strategic Regulatory Consulting to help women.
“As a business owner, I hired professional women as consultants who had to take a hiatus from their professional jobs to raise their young children but had a lot of knowledge and experience to offer,” Schwen said.
“This allowed them to work from home and choose their hours of work.
“It is a win-win situation,” Schwen said. “I love to imagine the world where all women can reach their potential and prosper.”
Schwen said we’re not there yet.
“I am still shocked that in the 21st century we are still fighting for women to get paid equally to men for doing the same job,” Schwen said.
“These issues are not only women’s issues, they are society’s issues,” Schwen said.
MORE ABOUT ZEINAB
Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt.
Current residence: Symmes Township.
Family: Husband, Rick; sons Nadeem, 33, and Zeyad, 30; daughter Deena, 27.
Education: A bachelor’s degree in zoology and chemistry from Cairo University and a master’s degree in pharmacology from the University of Minnesota.
Occupation: President of Strategic Regulatory Consulting.
WHAT SHE SAYS
What do you love about Greater Cincinnati?: I’ve lived in Cincinnati for 37 years. I loved raising my kids here, and I love to see the changes happening now.
What need inspires you to give back or help others? I want to make the world a better place for my children. I know that in order to make that happen, I have to be a part of it.
What problem or need in the community would you like to see addressed?: I would like to see fear, misunderstanding, hate and mistrust erased so people could come together and trust each other more.
Who influenced or inspired you to care about others?: My father. He always volunteered and I volunteered with him and my family. Since then, I’ve always been in an organization of some sort. Other people helped me when I moved to the United States and went to graduate school.
