Yassmin Abdel-Magied facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Abdel-Magied in 2016
Born	Khartoum, Sudan
Nationality	Sudanese Australian
Alma mater	University of Queensland (BE; Honours)
Occupation	Mechanical engineer, media presenter, writer

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-Australian media presenter and writer. She started her career as a mechanical engineer. She was recognized as Young Queenslander of the Year in 2010. In 2015, she was named Queensland Australian of the Year for her community work. Since 2017, Abdel-Magied has lived in the United Kingdom. This move happened after some public discussions in Australia about her comments on TV and social media.

Early Life

Family Background

Yassmin Midhat Abdel-Magied was born in Khartoum, Sudan. When she was 18 months old, in late 1992, her parents moved to Brisbane, Australia. They were skilled workers. This move happened after a change in government in Sudan in 1989. This change brought in strict new laws. For example, there were rules about women's clothing. Also, Arabic became the only language taught in universities. Yassmin has both Australian and Sudanese citizenship.

Yassmin's father, Midhat Abdel-Magied, earned a PhD in electrical engineering. He studied at Imperial College London. Later, he studied Information Technology in Australia. Yassmin's mother, Faiza El-Higzi, was an architect in Sudan. She now has several advanced degrees. Yassmin also has a younger brother.

In November 2019, Abdel-Magied shared on Instagram that she was engaged. She has since married a British man.

Education

Abdel-Magied went to primary school at the Islamic College of Brisbane. She then attended John Paul College, a Christian high school. This school allowed students to wear a hijab. She studied mechanical engineering at the University of Queensland. She graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with top honors.

Community Work and Early Career

Youth Without Borders

In 2007, while still in high school, Yassmin and two friends started "Youth Without Borders" (YWB) in Australia. This group helps young people get involved in their communities. She was the chairperson of YWB until 2016. In 2007, she was named Young Australian Muslim of the Year. She also joined other groups and committees. In 2010, she was named Young Queenslander of the Year.

Engineering and Writing

From 2012 to 2016, Abdel-Magied worked for large engineering companies in Australia. In 2013, she wrote an article for the Griffith Review about her experiences working on oil rigs.

In 2015, she helped as a member of the Federal ANZAC Centenary Commemoration Youth Working Group. This group planned events for the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day.

International Relations

After being named Queensland Young Australian of the Year in 2015, she was appointed to the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR). This was done by the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop. In late 2016, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) sent Abdel-Magied to several Middle Eastern countries. These included Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, and Sudan. Her role was to promote Australia.

Media Appearances

In December 2014, Abdel-Magied gave a TED talk in Brisbane. It was called What does my headscarf mean to you?. This talk was chosen as one of TED's top ten ideas of 2015.

From August 2016 to July 2017, Abdel-Magied hosted the ABC TV show Australia Wide. The show was later cancelled due to changes in ABC programs.

She also appeared on other Australian media. These included Triple J (radio), Radio National, and SBS TV. She was also on ABC TV's Hard Chat.

Life in London

Continued Work

After moving to London, Abdel-Magied continued to be careful about her safety. She took steps to protect her online and phone privacy. In 2018, she mentioned feeling alone during a difficult time.

In 2018, Abdel-Magied hosted a show about Islamic headwear fashion on ABC iview. In April of the same year, she made her acting debut. This was in the SBS TV series Homecoming Queens. The show was filmed in Brisbane, her Australian hometown. She played a character who was a "social media lifestyle guru."

On April 23, 2018, Abdel-Magied was a guest on the UK podcast The Guilty Feminist. She spoke about the topic of identity.

At the Melbourne Writers Festival in August 2018, Abdel-Magied talked about her feelings of loss. She spoke about losing her engineering career and her youthful hope.

She wrote a story for Margaret Busby's 2019 book New Daughters of Africa. She also took part in events related to the book in London.

Writing for Young Readers

In April 2019, Abdel-Magied discussed her first novel, You Must Be Layla, on ABC Radio National. This book is for young readers. It is about a Sudanese girl who finds it hard to fit into her new private school. Yassmin said that writing fiction gave her more freedom to express important ideas.

In January 2020, the Australia Council for the Arts gave Abdel-Magied a writing grant of A$20,000. This included a six-month stay at the Keesing Studio in Paris.

In May 2022, she released a collection of essays called Talking About a Revolution. The book has two parts: The Private and Public Self and Systems and Society. All the writings are connected by the idea of "revolution." She talked about her book at the Sydney Writers Festival. She also appeared on ABC News Breakfast. In one essay, she wrote about thinking about giving up her Australian citizenship. She wanted people to think about what it means to be an Australian citizen. She said she was happy with the life she had built in London.

Works

• Blog.
• Story in a collection.
• Biography.
• (reprinted on The Guardian website on 6 July 2017)
• Edited version of a speech given at the Melbourne Writers Festival.
• YA Fiction.