Laila Al Shaikhli ( ar, ليلى الشيخلي) is an

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

i anchorwoman and television presenter on

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

.Everywoman: SPECIAL - The lives of Iraqi women
Al Jazeera , 3 July 2007

Early life

Shaikhli was born in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

in 1965 to an Iraqi father and

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

mother, raised in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and educated in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

, Pennsylvania.

Journalism career

Shaikhli started her media career in 1990 in Washington as a broadcaster for Arab American TV. After joining the BBC World Service in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1994, Shaikhli went on to anchor several programs in various Arab satellite stations, where she then joined the Middle East Broadcasting Center in 1996 and later Abu Dhabi TV in 1999. Her shows include ''Dialogue with the West'' (MBC), ''Agenda'' (MBC), ''Dunnia'' (ADTV) and ''Panorama'' (ADTV). She hosted "A day in the life of Iraqi women" in 2007 as a ''Everywoman'' special alongside fellow Iraqi activist Houzan Mahmoud, in which they discuss the lives of Iraqi women under the US-led occupation.

Accolades

Shaikhli was ranked 75th in the Most Influential Arab Rank List in 2008.The Power 100, The World's Most Influential Arabs, Rank List 2008
Arabianbusiness.com

Personal life

Shaikhli is married to Iraqi host on

, Jasim Al-Azzawi.

References

1965 births Living people Al Jazeera people Iraqi broadcast news analysts Iraqi television presenters People from Baghdad Iraqi women journalists Iraqi journalists 20th-century Iraqi women writers 20th-century Iraqi writers 21st-century Iraqi women writers 21st-century Iraqi writers Iraqi people of Danish descent Women television journalists Iraqi women television presenters {{Asia-tv-bio-stub