Speakers

Rowaida Abdelaziz is a national reporter where she covers Islamophobia and social justice issues within the Muslim community. Based in New York City, she is experienced in investigative journalism and news writing. Over the last 5 years, Rowaida has obtained scoops that have resulted in life-changing impacts, reunited families, influenced policies, and amplified the voices of marginalized communities in the face of social injustices. Read her work at HuffPost.com.

Kaniz is a coach dedicated to helping people fully live their lives as their true selves. As someone who has gone on their own self-transformation, she knows exactly the type of inner work needed by each of us on these types of spiritual journeys. Her own God-led path towards knowing herself more deeply began with meditation practices before she tapped into the knowledge and understanding of others who encouraged her to soak up the universal wisdom available for her to align with her true self. She is a strong believer that there is so much more to us than we perceive. Through her practice, Kaniz offers a course entitled “Awaken to your Inner Power” as well as one-on-one coaching sessions.

Dr Ali-Reza Bhojani is a lecturer at the Al-Mahdi Institute, co-director of the Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies and a research affiliate at the University of Oxford. A graduate of the Al-Mahdi Institute, his research, teaching and writing focuses on intersections between Islamic legal theory, theology and ethics. His doctoral study, conducted at Durham University, was published as Moral Rationalism and Shari’a (Routledge, 2015) and he has held academic posts at the University of Nottingham, the University of Oxford and the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. His recent publications include the co-edited volume Visions of Sharīʿa (Brill, 2020).

Dr Bhojani is an elected council member of the British Association of Islamic Studies and also regularly contributes to a range of knowledge exchange activities within Muslim communities, inter-faith settings and beyond. This work was recognised in 2016 when he was honoured as the Religious Advocate of the Year at the British Muslim Awards. Beyond his scholarly work, Ali-Reza is a family man, father to three boys, and a practicing Optometrist.

Timaj is a diasporic Ethiopian-Canadian multi-disciplinary storyteller, arts educator, and creative consultant, using spoken word poetry, music and theatre to bring her stories to life. Her art is autobiographical, working at the intersections of a black Muslim woman challenging injustice, unearthing truths, and healing. As an award-winning artist and poet, Timaj has performed at over 300 events across the country and facilitated several original arts-based workshops.

In 2010, Timaj co-founded the Kitchener-Waterloo Poetry Slam (KWPS)—Kitchener-Waterloo’s first-ever slam poetry organization—which is still serving and contributing to the city’s flourishing arts community. In 2012, she was awarded the City of Waterloo’s Top 40 Under 40 award for community leadership. Throughout her career as a performance artist, she has shared the stage with world-renowned poets, such as Sonia Sanchez and Warsan Shire. Timaj currently lives in Toronto where she’s continuing her work as an artist and arts educator serving the community through meaningful arts-based engagement. She is deeply passionate about capacity-building through the arts, using critical arts education to support the growth of individuals and communities.

Dr. Timothy Gianotti holds a B.A. in Great Books and Classics from the University of Notre Dame, as well as an M.A. in Islamic Intellectual History, Classical Arabic Language & Literature and a Ph.D. in Classical Islamic Philosophy and Theology from University of Toronto. He is currently associate professor of Arabic & Islamic Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo.

Prior to joining the faculty at Renison, he served as the Director of Islamic Studies at the American Islamic College in Chicago, where he taught a vast array of academic courses and helped shape and oversee AIC’s three degree programs (BA, MA, and Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies) as the chief academic officer and head of faculty. He is the founder and principal teacher of the Islamic Institute for Spiritual Formation in Toronto.

Marzia Hassan is a relationship counsellor, parent coach, author and speaker. She works with modern Muslims who yearn to find peace and happiness in their lives and fulfillment and connection in their relationships. Her approach focuses on helping people discover timeless wisdom and practice simple, evidence-based tools to cultivate more love and happiness while decreasing the negativity in their lives. Before she became a trained social worker, she completed her undergraduate studies in the USA and earned her law degree at the University of Toronto. Deeply influenced by spirituality, mindfulness, neuroscience, positive psychology and cognitive-behavioural therapy, Marzia is an academic at heart. Her private practice (Family Connections International) is based in Toronto, Canada.

Shaykh Abdulhussain was educated at the Madrassah Syed Al-Khoei, London, and graduated with Honours in 1988, where he also taught grammar, logic, Islamic law and Usul al-Fiqh. He then travelled to Iran to further his studies and received his training at Hawza Ilmiyyah of Qum in 1989-1993. He founded the Al-Mahdi Institute in 1993 and currently serves as its Director and as Senior Lecturer in uṣūl al-fiqh and Muslim Philosophy.

Shaykh Arif has been at the forefront of developing and delivering advanced Islamic studies tailored toward training students capable of addressing the needs of contemporary societies for over twenty years. During this time he has also never ceased in his commitment to sharing the human face of Islam at all levels of society through a combination of his world-renowned, inspirational and thought-provoking public lectures, a long-term commitment to intra- and inter-faith dialogue, and a dedication to encouraging the development of indigenous expressions of Islam throughout the world that can contribute to the pursuit of human development in its fullest sense.

Akilah Haneef-Jabari, MSW, RSW, is a professional anti-racism advisor and consultant with over 15 years of international experience as a trainer and teacher. Akilah specializes in anti-racism workshops and equity work. She is a natural teacher, lifelong student and lover of education who holds three university degrees: a BA in Philosophy from McMaster University, a BSW from York University (Akilah graduated magna cum laude) and a MSW which she completed on full scholarship. She has five post-graduate certificates. Akilah also offer services in the treatment of racial trauma.

Mubina Jaffer is a coach and speaker specializing in youth sports and confidence building. Before focusing on nurturing mental toughness in her clients, she was a manager with a multinational consulting firm. Mubina believes life coaching is one of the most powerful tools to create transformation in a person's life. Her coaching services allow people to achieve their goals.

Dr. Husein Khimjee obtained his Doctorate from University of Toronto Centre for Religious Studies majoring in Islam. He currently teaches Islam and World Religions at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has also taught also at, U of T, University of Waterloo, and McMaster University and as a visiting professor at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. His most recent publications include The Attributes of God in the Monotheistic Faiths of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic Traditions and Pakistan: A Legacy of the Indian Khilafat Movement.

Dr. Khimjee is also active in Ecclesiastical issues and since 1980 has delivered over a thousand religious sermons. He is also active in interfaith issues has given several talks to churches, synagogues and temples and is a member of Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims.

Yassmin is a Sudanese-Australian writer, engineer and award-winning social advocate. She trained as a mechanical engineer and worked on oil and gas rigs around Australia for years before becoming a writer and broadcaster in 2016. She published her debut memoir, "Yassmin's Story," with Penguin Random House at age 24, and followed up with her first fiction book for younger readers, "You Must Be Layla," in 2019. Yassmin’s critically acclaimed essays have been published in numerous anthologies, including the Griffith Review, the best-selling It’s Not About The Burqa and The New Daughters of Africa. 

Yassmin founded her first organisation, Youth Without Borders, at the age of 16, leading it for nine years. Since, Yassmin has co-founded two other organisations and now shares her learnings through keynotes and workshops. Yassmin has spoken in over 20 countries on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership. Her TED talk, "What does my headscarf mean to you?" has been viewed over two million times and was one of TED’s top 10 ideas of 2015.

Anisa is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, columnist and consultant specializing in global affairs, religion and culture.

Her pioneering work as a producer and reporter in mainstream American news media spans 30 years. She began her career at Eyewitness News in Boston and moved on to the CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes where she worked with Dan Rather, Morley Safer and Meredith Vieira. Additional broadcast credits include PBS Frontline, ABC Nightline, and NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

An Arab-American Muslim in mainstream media, Anisa helped broaden the scope of reporting on the Middle East (what she prefers to call South-West Asia) and its religious communities by contributing perspective and nuance to myriad stories before and after 9/11. Her acclaimed National Geographic documentary “Inside Mecca” profiles three individuals making the Hajj in 2003. She directed the Hajj episode for PBS’s 2014 series, “Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler.”

Dr. Imranali Panjwani is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK. He is also the head and founder of Diverse Legal Consulting (www.diverselegal.com), a consultancy that specializes in country-expert reports for asylum seekers from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He obtained his PhD in Theology & Religious Studies from King’s College London and pursued legal studies at the University of Sheffield, University of Law and the University of Notre Dame, Sydney. He completed his Islamic seminary studies at Al-Mahdi Institute and post-doctoral research at Jam’iat al-Mustafa, Mashhad. His interests lie in exegesis of the Qur’an, Islamic and Western jurisprudence, human rights, mysticism and philosophy.

Dr. Sayyid Hadi Qazwini is an international scholar, educator, and public speaker. For over 15 years, he has educated audiences across the globe on a wide range of topics related to Islam and Muslims. Dr. Sayyid Qazwini completed advanced training in traditional Islamic studies in Qum and acquired a Ph.D. in Religion and Islamic Studies from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he currently resides with his family.

Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina has an MA/PhD from the University of Toronto and has BA degrees from Aligarh Muslim University in India and Ferdowsi University of Mashad in Iran. He is currently the Frances Myers Ball (Chair) Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia and has been teaching for 33 years.

Dr. Sachedina teaches courses on Classical Islam, Islam in the Modern Age, Islam, Democracy and Human Rights, Islam Bioethics and Muslim Theology.

Dr. Takim earned his PhD in the History of Religions and is currently the Sharjah Chair in Global Islam at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

A native of Zanzibar, Tanzania, he has authored more than one hundred and twenty scholarly works on a wide range of topics such as the genesis and development of Islamic law, the Qur’an and hadith literature, reformation in Islam, the role of custom in shaping Islamic law, Islamic mystical tradition, Islamic biographical literature, Islam in post-9/11 America and many other topics.

Professor Takim has also spoken at more than ninety academic national and international conferences. He teaches graduate and under-graduate courses on topics such as Islamic fundamentalism, Global Islam, Islam in America and Sunni-Shia encounters.

Dr. Hasnain Walji is an educator, historian, leader and scientist in the world of nutrition. His pioneering establishments of various institutions reflect his progressive vision of addressing emerging needs of our communities. They range from the founding team of the Mulla Asghar Memorial Library and Resource Center in Toronto in 2009, the Institute of Islamic Learning in the Metroplex (IILM) in Dallas, to the SAFINAH group serving the social and healthcare needs of local residents in southern California, where he currently resides in Irvine.

Amongst his numerous services to various community boards, his signature initiative has been the annual interfaith gathering on Mother’s Day in Dallas and Los Angeles. As a dedicated oral historian of Khoja communities, he has produced a groundbreaking anthropological documentary “The Khojas: A Journey of Faith” that spans the past 600 years of its history. Hasnain continues his remarkable contributions via his active engagement on boards ranging from Universal Muslim Association of America (UMMA) to Interfaith Peace Ministry of Orange County, thought-provoking lectures on the challenges of the day, professional addition to the science of nutrition, embrace of technology in advancing learning (be it madrassah resources, finance or healthcare) and breadth of socio-political endeavours tackling causes of social justice that confront our communities.