My alter ego

If it was up to you, who would you want to be? Hadeel Al-Shalchi handed out a questionnaire to young people in which they were asked to choose a role model. A sample of their answers below:

---

Nasser, Fayrouz, Gates, Gandhi, Che Guevera, Malcolm X

"The historical figure I would choose to be is Malcolm X. He was a public figure who truly followed his conscience. Most of all, he wasn't afraid of publicly admitting his mistakes and changed his tactics in his fight for civil rights in America."

--- Grace, 24

" JFK [John F Kennedy ]. Why? He lived fast, loved fast, died young and left a beautiful corpse. Perfect. His skills as a diplomat and politician are also well documented, and his restraint during the Cuban Missile Crisis was a watershed for international relations and showed America that clear communication with her 'enemies' was vital to the country's own survival."

--- Jered, 28

"I would have liked to be in the place of Sayeda Aisha (the wife of the Prophet Mohamed), because the prophet loved her more than any of his wives and she was the closest one to him and learned most of his hadith."

--- Maryam M, 25

"I'd say Napoleon with the conquering and all, but the whole exile thing doesn't seem so appealing to me. It would mostly just be for the sweet hat and breeches."

--- Shane, 24

"I would be Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. Because he always strove for peace, fought bravely, and was only afraid of his Creator."

--- Maryam A, 23

"Abdul-Rahman Al-Nasser without a doubt. He was the greatest Muslim king in Europe and his reign oversaw the greatest advancements in science and technology by Muslims in Spain."

--- Khaled, 27

" Ibn Rushd, the Arab philosopher and thinker of Andalus. He was the only guy who translated all of Aristotle's works into Arabic and introduced philosophy into Islamic thought and work. He always went against the grain and challenged conventional Islamic thinkers."

--- Ali, 29

" Gamal Abdel-Nasser, because he changed the life of our nation. He was smart, charismatic and confident enough to take the right decision at the right time without fear."

--- Ahmed, 25

"I thought long and hard about this. I toyed with the idea of Louis IV since he lived in sweet lodgings and had a hot wife. Then I thought of being Marie Antoinette herself and living with the privilege of being ignorant enough to suggest that her peasants eat cake in the absence of bread. They both expired rather prematurely, in a lot of anger. So, then I thought Evita was pretty cool, and so was Gandhi and Malcolm X. But I think, Noah. Yes, he suffered, but he was there for the flood, and better yet, he survived it! On a boat he made! Accompanied by animals in pairs. He also lived for a very long time."

--- Nermeen, 25

"I'd be a mix of Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Gandhi and Che Guevera. They were fair, loyal, and spent their lives working to fulfill their dreams."

--- Ahmed F, 23

"I always took my hat off to Galileo for never believing the world was flat. He refused to bend to his society's ignorance and that got him killed. I feel just like him sometimes!"

--- Selma, 21

"I would be Fayruz. She has an amazing voice, and a unique tone and is probably the most loved Arab female singer in the Middle East along with Um Kolthoum."

--- Enjy, 24

"I absolutely adore Queen Rania. She seems so simple, humble and moderate. She's beautiful and elegant, I love her style, and she just looks like she was born to be a royal."

--- Marwa, 19

"I'd be either Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio. I love their acting styles and they always choose good roles in movies. They seem down to earth in their lives, too, which is rare to see in Hollywood."

--- Salah, 19

"I love to draw, so I choose Walt Disney. He left the world a legacy of beautiful, innocent fairy tales. I think his drawing style is simple, too. I am into art and appreciate the simplicity and meaning in his work."

--- Mai, 22

"I'd pick Bill Gates. Do I need to explain why?"

--- Yasser, 21