MEET THE TEAM ADVOCATING FOR YOUR RIGHTS EVERYDAY!
MEET THE TEAM ADVOCATING FOR YOUR RIGHTS EVERYDAY!
Imam Hamid Slimi
Advisor
Imam Dr. Hamid Slimi is a community developer, a teacher and a spiritual leader who has been serving Muslims in Canada since 1997. He is currently a professor of Islamic Studies at the Canadian Centre for Deen Studies and UIN university in Indonesia. In addition to his traditional Islamic degrees known as Ijazah, he holds two Masters degrees with High Honors from Morocco and the United States, and a PhD in Islamic Law from the U.K. Dr. Slimi is the Imam and resident scholar of Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga, ON since 2009. He is also the former chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams. Dr. Slimi has been featured by Georgetown University as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World (2009-2018) for his community development, interfaith work and spiritual leadership.
Hon. Salma Ataullahjan
Honourary Advisor
Appointed in 2010 to the Senate of Canada, the Honourable Salma Ataullahjan is a long time advocate for racialized communities in Canada. She has has made a lasting impression in the community because of her commitment and dedication to others. A natural consensus builder, she has been actively involved in several organizations, including The Citizens Foundation. The Honourable Salma Ataullahjan has been a vocal leader and has championed numerous issues such as women’s engagement in Afghanistan, cyberbullying of children under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Canada, and the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Abbas Kassam
Advisor
Abbas Kassam is a Toronto-based lawyer involved in many community-based initiatives. He previously served on the NCCM Board of Directors. He clerked at the Federal Court of Canada and began his career with a labour, employment and human rights law firm. Currently, Abbas practices in the area of intellectual property litigation. He obtained his Law degree from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin
Advisor
Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin is a General and Colorectal Surgeon in Vancouver, BC. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery and the Director of the General Surgery Residency Program at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Karimuddin is an active member of the Muslim Medical Association of Canada which represents the interests of Canadian Muslim physicians and advocates on healthcare issues. He is also an active philanthropist with Islamic Relief Canada.
Laya Behbahani
Advisor
Laya Behbahani is a Sessional Lecturer in Labour Studies at Simon Fraser University in Metro Vancouver, B.C. She completed her Masters at the School of Criminology at SFU and is currently a PhD student at the School of Communications. Her research focuses on the narrativization of forced labour and human trafficking experiences in the Middle East. In 2020, Laya was a scholar and fellow at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Among her many professional activities, Laya previously worked at the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, Austria. Laya is deeply active in her local community and she previously served as an advisor to the B.C. RCMP Commanding Officer.
Khalid Tarabain
Advisor
A prominent community leader and businessman from Edmonton, AB, Khalid Tarabain is president of the Canadian Islamic Centre (Al Rashid Masjid), the oldest established mosque in Canada, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Edmonton Islamic Academy, a first-of- its-kind facility in North America to utilize both contemporary and Islamic architecture. Khalid is a co-founder of the Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities and he has been deeply involved in community work and interfaith engagement. He is a recipient of both the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal and the Alberta Volunteers Award from the Government of Alberta honouring his milestone contributions and volunteer efforts for the success of the local Muslim community. Khalid is the founder of the liaison committee between the Muslim community and the Edmonton Police Service which is now called the Chief’s Advisory Council.
Ahmed Ali (Knowmadic)
Advisor
Award-winning Poet Laureate Ahmed Ali, better known as Knowmadic, is a multi disciplinary artist, community organizer, public speaker and youth worker from Edmonton, AB who has dedicated his time to enabling and empowering diverse communities around the world. Ahmed’s poetry has been featured in anthologies in North America and is taught in schools across Canada. He is passionate about the arts, education and emphasizes the importance of equitable representation on all levels of government.
Mohamed Amery
Advisor
Mohamed Amery is a Calgary-based lawyer with significant board, governance, and adjudicative experience. He is a partner at Linmac LLP where he focuses on business litigation and regularly appears before all levels of court. In addition to holding a Juris Doctor degree, Mohamed holds a Master of Arts in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary. Mohamed is a commissioner on the Appeals Commission for Alberta Workers’ Compensation and a member of the Law Enforcement Review Board. Mohamed previously served as a board director of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society including two years as Chair, and he has served as a volunteer with the Law Society of Alberta.
Imam Sikander Hashmi
Advisor
Sikander Hashmi is an imam, writer, teacher and marketer based in Ottawa. He is the Imam at the Kanata Muslim Association where he serves a diverse Muslim population. Trained for a decade in the classical Islamic sciences, Imam Sikander completed a journalism degree at Concordia University as well as a Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership from Carleton University. He previously served as the imam at the Islamic Society of Kingston. While in Kingston, he served as a member of the Kingston Whig-Standard’s editorial board. Imam Sikander continues to write on a freelance basis and has been published in The Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Toronto Star and other major dailies across Canada. He is an active member of Council of Imams of Ottawa-Gatineau and Canadian Council of Imams.
Hindia Mohamoud
Advisor
Hindia Mohamoud has close to 20 years of experience with building community solutions through research, partnership development, and program design. She is the Director of the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership, where she facilitates the establishment and implementation of community-wide vision and strategy for improving the settlement and integration of immigrants in Ottawa. Previously, Hindia was the director of research at the Social Planning Council and the director of impact and investment at United Way/Centraide Ottawa. She holds a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Ottawa. Hindia is widely engaged with local social development process and activities including the City for all Women’s Initiative.
Nadia Naqvi
Advisor
Activist. High school teacher. Writer. Mother. Nadia Naqvi is an avid advocate for minority rights, particularly Muslims. As a Quebecer, she has been vocal in her opposition to the CAQ government’s Bill 21, the “Secularism Law” which bans public sector workers from wearing religious symbols while at work. As a high school teacher with the Lester B. Pearson School in Montreal, she has sat on many committees such as the Intercultural Advisory Committee. She has created and implemented workshops and presentations on racism, islamophobia and bullying. She is the co-founder of the first ever, Quebec Muslim’s Teachers Association.
Mohamed Labidi
Advisor
Mohamed Labidi est l’un des leaders de la communauté musulmane de la ville de Québec. Il a été président du Centre culturel islamique du Québec (CCIQ) de 2009 à 2015 et de 2017 à 2018. Il est originaire de la Tunisie, Ingénieur horticole de formation avec maitrise en agronomie de l’Université de Tunis et doctorat en Microbiologie et biotechnologie de l’Université Laval. M. Labidi a travaillé en recherche pour l’Université McGill et l’INRS santé au Québec. Il est actuellement homme d’affaire, fonctionnaire fédéral à la ville de Québec et membre du conseil d’administration du CCIQ. — Mohamed Labidi is one of the leaders of the Muslim community in Quebec City. He was president of the Centre culturel islamique du Québec (CCIQ) from 2009 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2018. Originally from Tunisia, he is a horticultural engineer with a degree in agronomy from the University of Tunis and PhD in Microbiology and biotechnology from Laval University. Mr. Labidi has worked in research for McGill University and INRS Health in Quebec. He is currently a businessman, a federal public servant in Quebec City, and a member of the CCIQ’s Board of Directors.
Adam Ibrahim
Advisor
Adam Ibrahim is a prominent community leader and businessman from Windsor, Ontario. Adam has been involved in many organizations locally and has done a significant amount of work in federal and provincial politics for over 10 years. He formerly served as a senior advisor to the Leader of the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park and he was a candidate in the 2018 Ontario provincial election. In May 2023, Adam received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award for his community service.
Kashif Ahmed
Board Chair
Kashif Ahmed serves as Chair of the NCCM Board of Directors. He is a Vancouver-based lawyer practising corporate & commercial law. He obtained his Law degree at the University of Saskatchewan and a Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Regina. Kashif has over a decade of experience in public advocacy, media engagement, and defending human rights & civil liberties. He is the organization’s first Board Chair from western Canada.
Khalid Elgazzar
Vice Chair
Khalid is an Ottawa-based lawyer practicing in the areas of civil & commercial litigation, human rights law and national security law. He obtained his Law degree in 2005 from the University of Ottawa after acquiring a Commerce degree at the same institution. He has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, as well as bodies such as the Security Intelligence Review Committee and the Military Police Complaints Commission. Khalid was one of the lawyers who represented Canadian citizen Abousfian Abdelrazik in his successful bid to be repatriated from Sudan after six years in exile.
Aftab Sabir
Director
Aftab Sabir of Calgary is one of the original founders of the organization and obtained his MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He also holds both the Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst professional designations. Aftab has worked in various finance capacities and is currently with a major telecommunications company as a senior manager.
Janine Dhaibi
Director
Janine Dhaibi is an Edmonton-based lawyer practicing in commercial and construction litigation. She obtained both her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Alberta. Born and raised in Edmonton, Janine has deep roots to the city. Janine brings both a community-oriented track record of working with marginalized people and a commitment to using her legal expertise to support human rights. Away from the practice of law, Janine can be found spending time with family, reading and traveling.
Lina Bensaidane
Director
Lina Bensaidane is an intellectual property lawyer practicing in Montreal. Engaging widely and frequently in advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion in Quebec, she has led many community mobilization campaigns to enhance public awareness of Muslims across the province. Lina’s efforts were recognized when she received the inaugural Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec Memorial Award at McGill in 2018. Lina holds both a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from McGill University. She continues to be deeply involved with public advocacy and Muslim communities in Montreal and Quebec City. ------ Lina Bensaidane est une avocate spécialisée en propriété intellectuelle qui exerce à Montréal. S’engageant largement et fréquemment dans la défense de la diversité, de l’équité et de l’inclusion au Québec, elle a mené de nombreuses campagnes de mobilisation communautaire pour une meilleure compréhension des musulmans dans la province. Les efforts de Lina ont été reconnus lorsqu’elle a reçu le prix inaugural du Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec Memorial Award à McGill en 2018. Lina détient à la fois un Juris Doctor (JD) et un baccalauréat en droit civil (BCL) de l’Université McGill. Elle continue d’être profondément impliquée dans la défense des intérêts du public et des communautés musulmanes à Montréal et à Québec.
Nabeela Elsayed
Director
Nabeela Elsayed has over 20 years of executive leadership experience in the corporate sector across operations, human resources, and strategy. Her most recent role was Executive Vice-President & Chief Operations Officer at Walmart Canada where she was responsible for over 100,000 associates. Nabeela has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Executives in Canada by The Globe and Mail, the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by WXN, and the Top 100 Global HR Leaders. Nabeela is a certified executive coach, a Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach, and a Faculty Member of Competent Boards. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing & supply chain management from Indiana University and a master’s degree in industrial & organizational behaviour from the University of Texas. She resides in the Greater Toronto Area.
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