In the fourth episode of Gen.T's Crazy Smart Asia podcast, social activist Noor Mastura talks about feminism within Islam, learning when to walk away, and why community is the key to humanity
Social activist Noor Mastura says that the power to change the world is within us all. What’s most surprising about the Singaporean is that unshakable optimism.
Mastura overcame a tumultuous upbringing, battling hunger and homelessness, and grew up determined to do what she could to ensure that no one suffers the same fate. In 2013, she started her first nonprofit, Back2Basics, delivering free groceries to Singapore’s underprivileged families and homebound older people.
Two years later Mastura, a devout Muslim, co-founded Interfaith Youth Circle to encourage dialogue and understanding between religions at a time when Isis and the threat of terrorism was driving mistrust and animosity between communities.
See also: Noor Mastura: From Living On The Breadline To Singaporean Of The Year
Today, Noor is an award-winning activist and community organiser who has taken it upon herself to create the world that she wishes to see. That’s Noor’s entire ethos: “You can’t change the world, but you can change one person’s entire world.”
In this fourth episode of Crazy Smart Asia, which chronicles the unexpected stories of Asia's disruptors, Mastura shares her “handbook for activism” with Gen.T editor Lee Williamson, and discusses everything from suicide to feminism within Islam along the way.
Here are a few excerpts from the conversation. Click the audio player below to listen to the episode or subscribe via Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.
On changing the world
“Winning is not changing the world. When you make a difference for one person, that’s one person’s whole world changed. So you can change the world—one world at a time.”
