About CMAA

SORAYA DEEN is the founder of the Muslim Women Speakers Movement, co-founder of Peacemoms (Promoting Christian Muslim/Dialogue) and the co-founder of the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Solidarity Network. Soraya works internationally to empower women to counter violent extremism. She led the Inaugural prayer service at the first Women’s Mixed Gender Mosque in Berkeley.

Raheel Raza is President of The Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow, founding member of The Muslim Reform Movement, Director of Forum for Learning, author of the book Their Jihad – Not My Jihad, award winning journalist, public speaker, advocate for human rights, gender equality and dignity in diversity.

RIMMEL KHAN is committed to eliminating antisemitism and the prejudices that are prevalent in any Muslim society against Israel. Rimmel was afforded the opportunity to learn and showcase his talents in the art of communicating from the start of his career in Pakistan, working as a director and producer. He then headed the first South Asian satellite television channel in the U.K. on Sky, producing hard hitting news and current affairs programming, lifestyle shows, and covering major events. After moving to Canada in 1977, Rimmel started his own company in 2000 producing challenging and cutting-edge content for Canada and India. This led to setting up TVONE Canada. TVONE Canada - started from scratch - was the first Pakistani channel on Rogers and Bell. He directed a documentary for OMNI TV titled “Who’s Sharia is it Anyway? ”

SOHAIL RAZA is a director of the Forum for Learning, and a director of The Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow. Raza is an airline veteran of 30 years. In his last assignment he worked closely with law enforcement and corporate security. Raza is a keen observer of politics in the Muslim world in general, and Pakistan in particular. Having travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, he lived in Baghdad for five years where he got his first taste of Middle East politics. Sohail has appeared on mainstream media to comment on these topics and how they relate to the Canadian diaspora. He has taught courses in Politics and Islam at George Brown College and Ryerson College. He is recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to Canada (2012).

SALMAN SIMA has dedicated his life to fight against authoritarianism and Sharia Law. Salman came to Canada in May of 2011 as a political refugee, having survived imprisonment in Iran. Twice, through long days in solitary confinement, Salman undertook hunger strikes, refusing to even drink water. His release occurred during a six-year prison sentence after pressure put on the regime in the media by human rights organizations and his family. Upon arrival in Canada, Salman continued the education he was denied in Iran, studying economics at York University.

NOOR DAHRI is the executive director of Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism [ITCT]. Mr. Dahri is an independent researcher in counter- Islamist terrorism and radicalisation. He is a contributing writer at the U.S. Homeland Security Magazine (HSToday). Mr. Dahri is also a member of the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), UK.

NAEEM HASSAN is a retired diplomat and political analyst and an expert on the Arab and Muslim World and the Indian sub-continent. He has lived and worked in many countries including Syria, (as Ambassador), Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Lebanon and Pakistan. He was also ambassador in Sweden as well as Belgrade and Prague. He did a long stint at the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Saudi Arabia – the “Muslim UN” – in senior positions dealing with economic affairs and regional development issues which also took him on multiple official visits to over 30 member countries.

The son of Syrian immigrants who fled Ba’athist oppression in 1966. Dr. Jasser is a physician, a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, and President and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) a Phoenix based counter-Islamism think tank founded in 2003. He is also a co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement (MRM) and a former Vice-Chair of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) appointed by the U.S. Senate from 2012-2016.

DR. ELHAM MANEA is a Privatdozentin (equivalent to associate Professor) at the Political Science Institute, University of Zurich, a writer, and human rights advocate. Her research focuses on countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Gender & Women under Muslim law, and Islamism. In 2010 she was appointed by the Swiss Federal Council as a Member of the Federal Commission for Women Affairs and in 2020 at the Federal Commission for Migration. Soraya works extensively internationally to empower women to Counter Violent Extremism and Dismantle Patriarchy. Soraya insists that, just as we confront the hostilities towards the Muslim communities far and wide, we must not fail to confront the patriarchy and misogyny in our communities. She led the Inaugural prayer service at the first Women’s Mixed Gender Mosque in Berkeley.

ASRA NOMANI is a former Wall Street Journal reporter and cofounder of the Pearl Project which is advocating for justice for her colleague and friend Daniel Pearl. She is also cofounder of The Muslim Reform Movement and author of "Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam"

Haras Rafiq is a trustee of the UK Charity, Muslims Against Antisemitism (MAAS) and has been a Counter-Extremism and Counter Terrorism practitioner since 2004. Haras has served as Quilliam International’s CEO and as an Executive Board Member. Before he joined the NGO space in 2004, Haras held a number of senior positions in the Commercial Sector.

Zainab al Suwaij is an Iraqi American activist and the co-founder and Executive Director of the American Islamic Congress. She advocates for women's equality, civil and religious rights, and interfaith understanding.