By Muizat Hameed
Guinness World Record has named a Muslim Hijabi as the youngest medical doctor in the whole world.
Iqbal Al – Assad who graduated medical school at the age of 20 is also likely to be the youngest Arab doctor ever.
Mostly, students finish medical school around the age of 30, but this is not so for Iqbal whom had been exceptional in all educational and extracurricular activities since she was young.
Iqbal graduated from high school at the age of 12 where she had distinctions in all her subject. She had, before gaining admission for medicine, mastered Biochemistry and Mathematics required for Medical School.
Her exemplary ingenuity had earned her the attention of Lebanon’s Education Minister who helped her in securing a scholarship into the Medical School in Qatar.
Iqbal during an interview had stated that the state of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon camps and the poor conditions of the people living in these camps had motivated her to becoming a doctor.
In her words, after graduation, she said, “My dream is to do something for the Palestinian refugees in the camp.”
Iqbal who got her Bachelor’s degree in Medicine with Honors from Cornell University’s Qatar branch was loved and well praised by her professors.
One of her professors at the Cornell University said, “The sky is the limit for Iqbal. Since day one, Iqbal stood out as a very mature and professional student despite her age and experience.”
Iqbal has been named one of the proofs that the hijab is not a restriction to achieving any goal in life. It is rather an empowerment to become whoever you choose to be.
