Building Tolerance
Spurred by 9/11, this entrepreneur helps workplaces embrace diversity.
Mahnaz Shabbir was horrified by the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
And as an American Muslim, she was saddened when some Muslims
became victims of discrimination at work. So in 2003, Shabbir, 46,
quit her job with a large health-care system to open Overland Park,
Kansas-based Shabbir Advisors, a consulting firm whose main goal is
ensuring that U.S. workers understand that tolerance and diversity
are about more than skin color.
Shabbir conducts seminars and also does strategic and marketing
planning for corporate clients, including universities, health-care
systems and the military Command & General Staff College at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. "There's a lot of misinformation
about other religions and cultures," she says. She projects
her sales to double in 2005.
Shabbir's next projects include co-authoring a book about
interfaith relationships and producing a documentary to promote
peace and tolerance.
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