CAUSES
I grew up in an activist household, where my parents were always involved with one cause or another. I was then lucky to fall in with friends in high school who were concerned, even that age, about making the world a better place. Whether it was anti-war rallies, feeding the homeless, volunteering at the food bank, or running activities for the youth, that ended up being a lot of what a normal weekend looked like instead of parties and social activities. With work and family, being that involved in the community becomes difficult, but there are causes I still care deeply about and try to contribute in whatever way I can, physically, financially, or morally. Here are a few of the causes and organizations high on my list.
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is an issue of increasing importance, especially in Toronto and surrounding areas with real estate prices skyrocketing. I believe this will be one of the biggest challenges faced by local governments and I keenly follow the work done by Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Peel Housing Corporation (Peel Living) in this area.
Human Rights
Deradicalization, peace and human rights are linked. As someone who grew up in the Middle East and has studied the history of the region in detail, I believe democratization, human rights and development of institutions is critical to peace and stability in the region. I looked at Arab Spring with a lot of hope and still believe that in the long run, it will have a significant positive impact on the region.
Renewable Energy
Before I stumbled upon the opportunity to start a biodiesel business in Mozambique and Pakistan, I admittedly had spent little time thinking about practical approaches to renewable energy. Since then, however, I have come to appreciate renewable energy as a critical area of investment for the future and follow the industry developments closely.
Disaster Relief
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis– the images of Pakistan and Haiti earthquakes of the last decade, hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 will forever be imprinted on my mind. Not to mention the humanitarian crises going on right now in Syria, Myanmar and so many other parts of the world. I have been a long time supporter of Doctors without Borders Canada and Islamic Relief Canada for their impressive relief operations.
Refugee Settlement
As an immigrant to Canada myself, albeit I was only a student when I moved, I can relate to difficulties faced by new immigrants and try to stay close to policy developments related to immigration and settlement. I support organizations like LifelineSyria for work done with Syrian refugees, and Working Skills Centre with respect to integration of new immigrants into the workforce.
Microfinance
I once wanted to start my own microfinance institution. For now, I find satisfaction in supporting the existing organizations through Kiva, a great microfinance lending platform. While Dr Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank are pioneers in the area of microfinance, I am less impressed by the average interest rate of 23% that Grameen charges and more interested in more partnership-based and equity approaches to microfinance lending.
Deradicalization
I find crimes in the name of my faith personally offensive and have been active within the Muslim community to curb and counter extremist ideas wherever I can. I am also a big fan of the work of Imam Hamid Slimi in the area of deradicalization.
Mental Health
I am a big fan of the great work Naseeha, a youth helpline is doing in dealing with topics that are often difficult to bring up in the Muslim community.