Wali Rahman
Wali Rahman is the Diversity & Wellbeing Manager in the Civil Service, leading efforts to promote Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing as part of the organisation's people strategy....
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Who are you?
I am Wali Rahman. I'm a diversity and wellbeing manager in the civil service currently, but I'm also a family man. So I'm married and have two children, two teenagers. I'm also a huge sports fan, so I love basketball. I love football. I'm a Liverpool fan. I also love going to the theatre. In fact, one of my favourite plays is Hamilton, which I've seen three times already. I also love films. I'm a huge Star Wars fan, but I also love the line of work that I'm in. I'm very fortunate to be doing what I'm passionate about, which is diversity and wellbeing. I'm an avid supporter of human rights and just passionate about diversity and inclusion in general.
What was it like growing up as a British Asian Muslim in Britain?
I grew up in a rural part of the country where there weren't many ethnic minorities, let alone Muslims. So this question is actually, it will be different for every British Asian Muslim that you'll encounter. So for me, it was a unique experience in that we didn't have a support network around us. We didn't have a mosque or a community, but nonetheless, it was a pleasant experience. So even though in my town and in my school, there weren't many people who looked like me or shared the same culture or religious views, I didn't really face any, well, I didn't really face much racism. Of course, there were the subtle comments here and there, mainly down to ignorance. But on the whole, it was a pleasant experience.
What is identity and why is it important to people?
Identity is how individuals see themselves and how they're recognised by others. Encompassing factors like race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, culture, and so on. So we all have multiple overlapping identities, which shape, shape, how we view the world, our social connections and personal values. These all influence how we interact with the wider world.