{{Short description|Swedish journalist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} '''Bilan Osman''' (born 1992)<ref name=SvD>{{cite news |first=Ellinor |last=Skagegård |url=https://www.svd.se/a/vea18B/bilan-osman-var-trott-pa-vita-och-er-oformaga-att-skydda-mig |title='Jag var trött på vita och er oförmåga' |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |date=16 February 2024 |type=interview |language=sv |url-access=subscription |quote=Bilan Osmans föräldrar kommer båda från Somalia men träffades i Sverige. Bilan föddes i Göteborg 1992 och växte upp i Partille.}}</ref> is a Swedish journalist, opinion columnist and anti-racism activist.
==Early life and education== She was born in Gothenburg to parents from Somalia, a chemistry professor and an activist, and raised in Partille.<ref name=SvD/><ref name=Arnroth>{{cite web |first=Thomas |last=Arnroth |url=https://kit.se/arkiv/2016/01/15/28415/jag-ar-svart-och-muslim-var-passar-jag-in/ |title='Jag är svart och muslim, var passar jag in?' |website=KIT.se |date=15 January 2016 |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv |archive-date=9 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309010251/https://kit.se/arkiv/2016/01/15/28415/jag-ar-svart-och-muslim-var-passar-jag-in/ |url-status=dead }} <!-- This source says she was born in Partille and raised in Linköping. --></ref> Her paternal grandfather, Nor Osman, was a poet.<ref name=Arnroth/> She studied multimedia journalism at {{ill|Bona Folk High School|sv|Bona folkhögskola}} in Motala.<ref name=Expressen-bio>{{cite web |url=https://www.expressen.se/kronikorer/bilan-osman/ |title=Krönikörer: Bilan Osman |website=Expressen |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv }}</ref>
==Career== Osman has been a columnist at the newspapers ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (2018–2019)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.svd.se/a/L09mbq/jag-skriver-ofta-om-extremhogern-och-jamstalldhet |title='Jag skriver ofta om extremhögern och jämställdhet' |date=2 March 2018 |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |access-date=9 April 2024 |type=introductory interview |language=sv |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.svd.se/av/bilan-osman |website=Svenska Dagbladet |title=Bilan Osman |type=archive of columns |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv }}</ref> and ''Expressen'',<ref name=Expressen-bio/><ref name=SKMA/> and also written opinion articles for other Swedish publications, including the magazine ''{{ill|Opulens|sv}}''.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Elin |last=Stadenberg |url=https://www.opulens.se/opinion/jag-kanske-skriver-en-bok-om-ett-ode-hus-i-skogen/ |title='Jag kanske skriver en bok om ett öde hus i skogen' |magazine=Opulens |date=13 January 2021 |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv |type=introductory interview }}</ref> For eight years beginning in 2013, her primary work was as a travelling educator for the anti-racism Expo foundation.<ref name=DN>{{cite news |first=Malena |last=Johansson |url=https://www.dn.se/sverige/bilan-osman-sverige-ligger-efter-i-forstaelsen-av-rasism/ |title=Bilan Osman: 'Sverige ligger efter i förståelsen av rasism' |newspaper=Dagens Nyheter |date=15 November 2020 |orig-date=14 November 2020 |language=sv |type=interview, with video |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114061954/https://www.dn.se/sverige/bilan-osman-sverige-ligger-efter-i-forstaelsen-av-rasism/ |archive-date=14 November 2020 }}</ref><ref name=Kvinna>{{cite magazine |url=https://kvinnatillkvinna.se/bilan-osman-jag-ar-extremt-orolig-over-utvecklingen/ |title=Bilan Osman: 'Jag är extremt orolig över utvecklingen' |magazine=Kvinna till Kvinna |language=sv |type=interview |date=15 February 2024 |orig-date=5 February 2024 |access-date=9 April 2024 }}</ref> She then joined the Islamic {{ill|Ibn Rushd Study Association|sv|Ibn Rushd (studieförbund)}}.<ref name=Kvinna/><ref>{{cite web |first=Bilan |last=Osman |url=https://www.etc.se/analys/drevet-mot-ibn-rush-daer-en-svensk-skandal |title=Drevet mot Ibn Rushd är en svensk skandal |website=Dagens ETC |date=1 April 2022 |access-date=9 April 2024 |type=opinion |language=sv }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibnrushd.se/forbundskansli/ |title=Förbundskansli |website=Ibn Rushd Study Association |language=sv |access-date=9 April 2024 }}</ref>
She has contributed to the anthologies ''Av oss blev det aldrig några riktiga damer'',<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Charlotte |editor-last=Signell |title=Av oss blev det aldrig några riktiga damer |publisher=Sjösala förlag |location=Stavsnäs |year=2014 |isbn=9789187193057 |language=sv }} [https://www.bokus.com/bok/9789187193057/av-oss-blev-det-aldrig-nagra-riktiga-damer/ Listing at ''Bokus.com''].</ref> ''Svart kvinna'' (2015)<ref name=Arnroth/><ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Fanna |editor-last=Ndow Norrby |title=Svart kvinna |publisher=Natur & Kultur |location=Stockholm |year=2015 |language=sv |isbn= 9789127144842}} [https://www.nok.se/titlar/allmanlitteratur-sakprosa/svart-kvinna/75298441-7f2e-48be-9118-37613b97a1e2 Publisher paperback listing].</ref><ref name=thirty/> ''Rummet'' (2015)<ref name=Arnroth/><ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Camila |editor-last=Astorga Díaz |title=Rummet |publisher=Ordfront Galago |location=Stockholm |year=2015 |isbn=9789170378553 |language=sv }}</ref> and ''En annan historia'' (2017).<ref name=thirty/><ref>{{cite book |first=Lina |last=Thomsgård |title=En annan historia: om Barumskvinnan, Mama Masika och 49 andra personer alla bör känna till |location=Stockholm |publisher=Volante |year=2017 |isbn= 9789188123459 |language=sv }}</ref>
==Activism== In 2013, Osman was one of five co-signatories of an open letter in ''Aftonbladet'' urging Muslim women in Sweden to veil themselves in solidarity with a pregnant woman who was attacked in Stockholm by a man who objected to her hijab.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/5939685 |title=Ett år sedan hijab-uppropet |publisher=Sveriges Radio |date=17 August 2014 |access-date=9 April 2024 }}</ref> She stated at the time that the group wanted to normalise the hijab in Sweden.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/5620741 |title=Hijabupprop ska normalisera slöjan |publisher=Sveriges Radio |date=19 August 2013 |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv }}</ref>
Educating people about and combatting racism is a major focus for Osman.<ref name=Arnroth/><ref name=SKMA/><ref name=thirty>{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/familj/bilan-osman-har-hunnit-mer-an-de-flesta/ |title=Bilan Osman har hunnit mer än de flesta |newspaper=Dagens Nyheter |date=7 September 2022 |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv |url-access=subscription }}</ref> She has written for the group anti-racist blog ''Inte rasist, men ...'' ('Not racist, but ...).<ref name=SKMA/> In response to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, Osman said that she sought to "start a conversation about whiteness" in Sweden.<ref name=DN/><ref>{{cite news |first=Bilan |last=Osman |url=https://www.expressen.se/kultur/sverige-har-varit-vithetens-hogborg/ |title=Sverige har varit vithetens högborg |newspaper=Expressen |date=15 June 2021 |orig-date=30 June 2020 |access-date=9 April 2024 |language=sv }}</ref> She covers right-wing extremism and has been accused of left-wing extremism;<ref name=Kvinna/> in early 2024 a Facebook post in which she expressed exasperation with white people led to criticism.<ref name=SvD/>
==Honors== In 2014 Osman was the recipient of the annual ELSA Award of the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism, which is given to "individuals or groups who, via social media or in other ways, counteract anti-Semitism and other types of prejudice".<ref name=Arnroth/><ref name=SKMA>{{cite web |url=http://skma.se/blogg/2014/11/bilan-osman-tilldelas-2014-ars-elsa-pris/ |language=sv |title=Bilan Osman tilldelas 2014 års ELSA-pris |publisher=Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism |accessdate=9 April 2024 |date=6 November 2021}}</ref> In 2020 she was one of four nominees for the "Rising Star" award of the Swedish Magazine Publishers Association.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thelocal.se/20201112/the-locals-journalist-named-swedens-rising-star-of-the-year |accessdate=9 April 2024 |title=The Local's journalist named Sweden's Rising Star of the year |newspaper=The Local Sweden |date=12 November 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline}} *[https://twitter.com/bilaaan1?lang=en Osman on Twitter]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osman, Bilan}}
Category:Living people Category:1992 births Category:Activists against antisemitism Category:Swedish people of Somali descent Category:Swedish journalists Category:Swedish women journalists Category:Opposition to antisemitism in Sweden Category:People from Partille Municipality Category:Swedish columnists Category:Swedish women columnists Category:Swedish anti-racism activists Category:Activists against Islamophobia