United Kingdom
Writer, Media Personality, Public Relations Consultant
Hijri 1389-Present (AH); Common Era 1969-Present (CE)
Dina Zaman is an award-winning writer of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry with extensive experience in public relations and the media industry as a consultant and media personality. Ms. Zaman has worked on numerous campaigns and events, including as a volunteer for NGOs. Her network extends to non-profits in Malaysia, and she has conducted workshops for young people in her tenure as a freelance writer. Ms. Zaman has had a media presence both locally and globally as a columnist since 1994 and as a commentator on current affairs since 2005. She has been quoted in the BBC and interviewed on “Everywoman,” a women’s programme on Al Jazeera. She has written three columns: “Off Our Backs” (The Sun, Malaysia, 1995), “Dina’s Dalca” (New Straits Times, 1996-1998) and “I Am Muslim” (www.malaysiakini.com, 2005-2006), which is now a bestseller book (published by Silverfish Books) at Borders and Kinokuniya bookstores. Ms. Zaman recently ended her three-year old column for The Star Newspaper entitled “A Writer’s Life.” Holding an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University (1999), Ms. Zaman was the recipient of the British High Commissioner Chevening Award in 1998. She will be joining a news agency soon and will begin work on a new column dealing with race, faith and what it means to be Malaysian. Throughout her career, she has faced brickbats and accolades along the way.