WATCH: QL Exclusive an interview with Al Jazeera presenter, Lina Qishawi
Qatar Living speaks to the journalist, presenter and morning show host at Al Jazeera, Lina Qishawi, to learn more about her as a person and her life behind the cameras.
Lina is a Palestinian presenter. She is a morning television show host and journalist at Al Jazeera.
She has a degree in clinical nutrition from Birzeit University, which is one of the oldest universities in Palestine.
Line chose her career in media after she got an offer from a local Palestinian channel, but she never planned for this moment.
“My career path working in media was by chance, which was simulated by a simple invitation to work in a morning show at a local Palestinian channel,” she said, adding that she made the decision as she likes to try new things in life.
“It was a new experience and a new challenge at the beginning because I was entering a domain that was not mine,” she said.
“I worked hard to prove to people that everyone deserves a chance,” she added.
Lina has established her social media presence on many platforms. Today she has her accounts verified.
“People’s respect kept pushing me forward. You know when you are working in the media and people recognize you for something good you do. This is my biggest accomplishment right now,” she described.
“I am very happy that people recognized me for this,” she added.
Lina’s motivation comes from her experience as a Palestinian, She gained strength by trying to get herself a new chance in media to tell the world that Palestinians love life as well.
“We do not have a lot of chances in our country, we do not have a good healthy life to have basic rights, so this was my first motivation. I did not want to live in this situation for the rest of my life,” she described.
Her real inspiration comes from her family, she mentioned.
“My family is really supportive. They have been pushing me more and more to be myself, especially my parents. They are always behind my back,” she said.
Line also happens to be an art lover. She uses her talent to let all her feelings out whenever she feels emotional.
“I love art, I used to draw when I was little then I moved to paintings. I usually paint when I am frustrated or sad or whenever I have emotions that I cannot let go of it, so I use a paper to let it out,” she said.
Lina’s ancestry ties back to both Russian and Palestinian heritage. Her father is from Palestine and her mother is Russian.
"If you have mixed heritage, you know more languages and have knowledge of more cultures. This has been a plus for sure,” she mentioned.
Lina concluded with what she wants to inspire in people whenever they watch her on TV.
“I want people to really be educated when they watch me, and to have all of these information that we give, as we discuss a lot of different topics from medicine to psychology to environmental thing,” she said.
To know more about Lina, you can check her page on Instagram: @linaqishawi
---
Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content.
Instagram - @qatarliving
Twitter - @qatarliving
Facebook - Qatar Living
YouTube - qatarlivingofficial
