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Sameera Aziz is a Saudi national journalist, senior editor and novelist. She is most notable for her work with the Saudi Gazette newspaper, and as a guest speaker regarding international, social, expatriates, animals and women issues.
Sameera Aziz was born on June 24, 1979 in Al-Khober, Saudi Arabia. She was the second-oldest of three children to Aziz-ur-Rehman, a bravery award holder of Pakistan navy and Mehar Afroz, a Beautician from United States of America. Her parents first migrated to Pakistan from India and then to Saudi Arabia and United States of America consecutively. She is the only daughter with two brothers, Faisal Aziz and Fahad Aziz. Her early education was completed abroad, in Karachi’s Gulistan Shah Abdul Latif School, and later at PECHS Girl’s College and the University of Karachi. She married at 16, and completed her education with the moral support of her husband, which is required by Saudi law. Before completing her PhD in Trade relations, she received Masters degrees in International Relations and Journalism.
Sameera shot into fame from her early obscure life. Born to Pakistani expatriate parents in Saudi Arabia, Sameera was orphaned at the age of 2, when her father died of heart failure. The tragedy traumatized the entire family, comprising her mother and two brothers. Sameera’s mother was hardly 24 years of age when she became a widow. The tragedy disturbed her mother so much that she lost her mental balance for five years. This happened at a time when young Sameera and her two brothers were in dire need of care and support.
The turning point in her life came when at 16, she got married to a Saudi national, who offered her all support for continuation of her studies. At this stage of life through her bold and candid writings, sting operations, poetry and authoring a novel, she carved a niche in the field of journalism and became a household name in Saudi and expatriate families in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After joining the Saudi Gazette daily, she became increasingly accepted and appreciated in Saudi Journalism.
At present, she is senior editor of the Jeddah-based Saudi Gazette, one of the two English language newspapers printed in the country. Until it ceased publication in 2009, Sameera Aziz was simultaneously managing editor of Awaz, a youth-oriented weekly Urdu newspaper, published by parent company Okaz.
She formerly served as a writer for Gulf News and several other Pakistan based newspapers (during 1999). She also served as the supervising editor of the women's sections in Urdu News and Urdu Magazine, owned by Saudi Research and Marketing Group. Her columns and features are written exclusively in English and Urdu and being translated into other languages. She focuses on Saudi domestic, social, cultural, educational and expatriate’s issues as well as Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the international community. She conducted undercover sting operations - the rare genre in Saudi journalism - and became the part of bold experiments in the new progressive Saudi Journalism. She has belief in the professional, humanitarian and nurturing kind of power women exercise in the workplace. Some of her work shows the courage, while she focused on the challenges of social and labor issues, human rights, women's rights, violence against children, and other issues of concern to the community. She became a Saudi voice while highlighting Saudi employers' issues, which were being earlier addressed in an unfair manner at English media, which was almost got handled by non-Saudi desk editors, who did not have the clear picture about the family trends and matters of Saudi society. She spoke about the ill-treatment and crimes of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and condemned their propaganda that was being carried out against many guiltless Saudi employers.
In 2007, she was awarded title of Youth Ambassador by We The Youth, a talent promotion organization and a special souvenir was given to her by Usman Shahid, President of We The Youth and other team members / volunteers. In 2009, she was awarded Pride of the Nation award during a ceremony at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is known as a moderate Muslim and a human rights' volunteer.
She is married to Zahir Ahmed Eskander, a Saudi national from Makkah Al- Mukarramah, who holds an executive level position at the Saudi Airlines Cargo company. She has two children, Reem Eskander and Ahmed Eskander.
Source : Wikipedia
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