Small city, big dreams: Hijabi TV host Eman on her journey to success

It’s a typical scenario in the Arab world: a child dreams of pursuing a certain degree, but the parents want them to study for a “proper job” like medicine or engineering. For television presenter Eman Reyad, that describes her personal journey in her hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, where she was pushed into attending a college other than the one she wanted. 

After failing to convince her parents about the media degree she had always wanted to pursue, Eman settled for a spot at the faculty of arts. “Back then, working in media, especially in Alexandria, wasn’t really common practice, so I understood where my parents came from,” Eman recalled. 

Shortly after graduating, Eman landed a job as an art director for commercials. But her passion for being on the screen never went away even when she was behind the cameras.

“Everyone on set knew that I was dying to become a TV presenter. Being in the field helped me create the right connections to push myself forward, and thanks to my set mates, my job search became a national cause!” Eman said jokingly.

Eman then heard that the Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) was looking for TV hosts. “I was happy and nervous at the same time,” she said. “I wanted it so badly that I rehearsed my interview over and over again. During the casting call, they were impressed and they gave me the ‘We’ll contact you shortly’ speech. I never heard back from them.”

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED

It was during this time that Eman felt that she wanted to wear the hijab. According to the presenter, it was thoughts on death, sickness, and self-conservation that made her take the plunge and start wearing headscarves. But in the early 2000s, she said, the hijab was uncommon.

“My mum was shocked that I wanted to wear the hijab. She even told me, ‘But you’re not married yet.’ It was rare to find a 20-something-year-old wanting to take on a life-commitment as big as the hijab, especially in the field of media, where hijabi presenters did not exist. I went for it anyway.”

A week after she started to wear a headscarf, and despite never getting a response about the first job, OSN called Eman for another audition, but she had to turn it down because they weren’t looking for hijabi hosts.

What seemed like the end of Eman’s career ambitions, however, was only the beginning.

RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING

The rise of religious TV channels began soon after, and a job opened up at Iqraa, a channel specialising in Islam-specific programming. Eman was amongst the very first to apply.

“I went in for the interview and was surprised to be questioned in literary Arabic. Of course, I was rejected because of my weak language skills at the time, but that gave me the impetus to take private lessons and Quran recital lessons.”

It wasn’t long before Eman finally landed a role. She joined the El-Nas network as a TV presenter for an interior design program, which combined both her degree and her passion.

“My mom used to videotape every episode, and I’d go home to watch myself and take notes on how I could improve on the next episode. A few months later, Iqraa were looking for a temporary TV presenter to do a 5-minute segment, and I went.”

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Iqraa taught Eman everything she needed to learn about dedication, preparation, compassion, interviewing skills, posture, going live on camera and the basics of journalism. After seven years with Iqraa, Eman was ready to take on her next challenge, and so she joined the MBC network, the Middle East’s biggest broadcaster.

“MBC was a dream come true!” she said. “Joining a world-famous network as big as MBC was something I never thought I could achieve. From increased viewership and popularity to being a role model to many girls, MBC has provided me with the right tools to grow from amateur to professional.”

And Eman was insistent on leading by example, offering a positive image when it came to her headscarf and encouraging others to wear it.  In short, a headscarf needn’t be a burden.

“My hijab became a responsibility, especially after winning my most recent award as Egypt’s most chic hijabi TV presenter, and how I wear it became an inspiration to many of those around me,” she said with a smile.