Contemporary Personalities
This is part of a continuing effor to add contemporary personalities.
Please contact sasi@ufv.ca to add more names.
Meet the inspiring contemporary personalities from the South Asian Canadian Muslim
community who are making significant contributions across British
Columbia. These leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and innovators
represent the diverse talents and achievements within our community,
showcasing how cultural heritage and modern innovation combine to enrich
our province's social, economic, and cultural landscape.
Aziz Khakhi
Dr. Aziz Khakhi was a pioneering Canadian Muslim leader, social justice advocate, and community builder, known for his significant contributions to multiculturalism, human rights, and interfaith relations in British Columbia and Canada.
Riasat Ali Khan
Riasat Ali Khan was a pioneering Canadian Muslim leader and advocate for diversity, known for founding the Pakistan-Canada Association, establishing the first mosque in Western Canada, and dedicating four decades to immigrant integration in British Columbia.
Mobina S. B. Jaffer
Mobina Jaffer is a pioneering Canadian Senator and lawyer, notable as the first Muslim, African-born, and South Asian-descended senator, recognized for her work in national security, finance, and international peace processes.
Nurjehan Mawani
Nurjehan Mawani is a distinguished Canadian lawyer, public servant, and diplomat, known for her groundbreaking work on gender-related persecution in refugee law and her diplomatic roles with the Aga Khan Development Network.
Renisa Mawani
Renisa Mawani is a UBC Professor and Canada Research Chair specializing in colonial legal histories, known for her influential work on migration, Indigenous dispossession, and the legalities of nature, including her book Across Oceans of Law.
Dr. Afia Raja
Dr. Afia Raja is a Department Head and Associate Professor at UFV, specializing in planning, geography, and environmental studies, known for her insights into Muslim communities in British Columbia.
Dr. Anushay Malik
Dr. Anushay Malik is a Senior Lecturer and social historian at SFU, specializing in labor, migration, and anti-colonial movements, known for her public history exhibitions on South Asian migration.
Dr. Hassan Javid
Dr. Hassan Javid is an Associate Professor of Sociology at UFV, specializing in the legacies of colonialism in South Asia, elite reproduction, and the relationship between class, state, and power, with a focus on Muslim communities in British Columbia.
Summer Pervez
Summer Pervez is the Co-Chair of the MENA Film Festival, an academic with a PhD in English, and a filmmaker, specializing in World Literature and Film with a focus on South Asia.
Rizwaan Abbas
Rizwaan Abbas is a Canadian archaeologist, cultural resource manager, and museum curator of Indo-Fijian descent, known for his work with Indigenous communities and his contributions to South Asian Canadian heritage in British Columbia.
John Nuraney
John Nuraney was a pioneering Canadian politician and businessman, the first Muslim MLA in British Columbia, known for his community leadership, philanthropy, and advocacy in Burnaby.
Amna Shah
Amna Shah is the MLA for Surrey City Centre, a BC NDP team member, known for her advocacy in housing, food security, and community development in Surrey.
Shahzad Nazir Khan
Shahzad Nazir Khan is a Canadian peace and social justice activist, an executive with Progressive Pakistani Canadians, and an advisor to the Dhahan Prize, known for promoting unity and cultural understanding within the South Asian diaspora.
Fauzia Rafique
Fauzia Rafique is an award-winning South Asian Canadian author, poet, and activist, known for her fiction and poetry that advocate for women's empowerment and social justice, and as a co-founder of Surrey Muse Arts Society.
Anosh Irani
Anosh Irani is an award-winning Indo-Canadian novelist and playwright, known for his powerful and compassionate storytelling that explores challenging social themes, including The Parcel and Bombay Black.
Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik is an Indo-Canadian novelist, poet, and screenwriter, known for his compelling narratives that explore Sufi legends, contemporary issues like 9/11, and themes of violence and love across generations.
Haroon Siddiqui
Haroon Siddiqui is an acclaimed Indo-Canadian journalist, columnist, and author, known for his extensive international reporting, his long tenure at the Toronto Star, and his advocacy for diversity and social justice in Canadian media.
Salim Jiwa
Salim Jiwa is an award-winning investigative journalist and author based in Vancouver, renowned for his in-depth coverage and expertise on the Air India bombing and terrorism.