Amira Elghawaby

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Amira Elghawaby
Amira Elghawaby - Carleton University - 2023.png
Elghawaby in 2023
1st Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia
Assumed office
February 20, 2023
Personal details
Alma mater Carleton University

Amira Elghawaby is an Egyptian-born Canadian journalist, communications professional, and human rights activist. She was appointed as Canada's first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in January 2023.

Contents

Early life and education

Elghawaby was born in Egypt to Egyptian parents; her father was an engineer. [1]

She emigrated to Canada at the age of two months with her mother, and also spent four of her early years in Bandung, Indonesia. [1] She grew up in the East End of Ottawa. [2]

Elghawaby has a combined honours degree in journalism and law from Carleton University. [3] [4]

Career

Elghawaby is a human rights activist and a journalist. [3] She was previously employed as a communications lead by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, [3] and was a freelance journalist who contributes columns to The Toronto Star. [3] She previously worked at CBC News, the Canadian labour movement, [3] and as a human rights co-ordinator [5] and later Director of Communications for the National Council of Canadian Muslims. [6] [7] She was one of the founding board members of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network [8] and is a member of Canada's National Security Transparency Advisory Group. [9] She served two terms as Commissioner for the Public Policy Forum’s Commission on Democratic Expression. [10]

On January 26, 2023, [8] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Elghawaby as Canada's first special representative on combatting Islamophobia, for a four-year term. [3] Her office has a budget of $5.6 million to cover the first five years of activities. [3]

The National Council of Canadian Muslims described her appointment as a "historic moment for Muslims in Canada". [8] Days after her appointment Quebec Premier François Legault called for her resignation, [11] after La Presse reported that Elghawaby had written that Quebeckers seem "influenced by anti-Muslim sentiment," in a 2019 column in the Ottawa Citizen . [12] The same La Presse article also reported that in May 2021 Elghawaby wrote "I'm going to puke" on Twitter in reaction to an opinion editorial by Joseph Heath, a philosophy teacher of the University of Toronto, who argued that French Canadians were the largest group in Canada to have suffered from British colonialism. [12]

Elghawaby later told a Quebec newspaper that she regretted the tweet, which she said was written "in the heat of the moment" after the discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops residential school. She stated that she did not intend to belittle the discrimination experienced by French Canadians and deleted the tweet a few months later. [13] In a blog post, Heath expressed some sympathy for her reaction, suggesting that the tweet stemmed from a misunderstanding of his article and acknowledging that the piece was crafted in a deliberately provocative manner to challenge assumptions about identity politics. [14]

Trudeau said he expected her comments to be clarified, [15] [16] but later reaffirmed that he stands by her appointment. [17] On February 1, 2023, Amira Elghawaby apologized for her comments about how her words in the past have hurt the people of Quebec. She expressed that she has been listening to Quebecers. [18]

A parliamentary motion in the National Assembly of Quebec denouncing her appointment was supported by the Coalition Avenir Québec, Quebec Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois. [19]

On February 3, 2023, a letter in support of her appointment was published by a group of 30 prominent Québécois, including human rights lawyer Julius Grey, Quebec City Mosque co-founder Boufeldja Benabdallah, and Charles Taylor, professor emeritus at McGill University. The letter acknowledged the prior concern, but advocated for Elghawaby to be allowed to perform her new role. [20] [21] On February 5, a second letter with 200 signatories including Université de Montréal professor Nadia El-Mabrouk, and activist Ensaf Haidar, called for Elghawaby's resignation and the abolition of her office, signatories refused " to be associated to a Muslim community represented by people who promote a fundamentalist vision of Islam". [22] On February 14, speaking at the Senate of Canada former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi raised concerns about Islamophobia and urged parliamentarians to stand up for Elghawaby. [23] Rania Lawendy CEO of Action for Humanity Canada, said that the letters show "the Canadian political landscape is not a safe place for a visible Muslim woman, and this incident is a perfect example of how discrimination continues to be tolerated by our government leaders." [24]

On February 13, 2024, amid the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict, a pro-Palestinian protest in downtown Toronto drew controversy for passing by Mount Sinai Hospital. [25] Organizers emphasized that the hospital itself was never the target of their demonstration. It was along a pre-planned march to rally at the Israeli consulate rather than targeting the hospital. [26] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, described the protest as antisemitic and alleged that it disrupted hospital operations. Toronto police later confirmed they were investigating a few incidents that occurred in front of the hospital but did not indicate that hospital operations were disrupted. [27] A coalition of protest organizers, including Jews Say No to Genocide, rejected claims that the demonstration near Mount Sinai Hospital was antisemitic, stating it did not target the hospital. Some Jewish participants also objected, noting that many Jewish Canadians joined the rally to protest the war in Gaza. [28] [29] [30] Elghawaby responded on the social media platform X, stating that “also troubling and wrong is the rush to label protesters as anti-Semitic and/or terrorist sympathisers.” [31] Following her comments about the protest, some organizations publicly criticized Elghawaby.

Elghawaby has previously condemned attacks on synagogues and Jewish community centres, [32] and has participated in interfaith initiatives. [33]

Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

In January 2023, Elghawaby was appointed as Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, with a mandate to advise the federal government and support efforts to address anti-Muslim hate. [34]

During her tenure, she undertook a series of community consultations across Canadian cities, including London, Markham, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Moncton, and Halifax, to engage with Muslim communities and gather input on experiences with Islamophobia. [35] Findings from these consultations were shared with federal officials as part of her advisory role. [36]

Her office provided input on policy initiatives such as the proposed Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) and the Security Infrastructure Program, and worked with departments including Justice Canada and Public Safety. [35] In 2024, she co-signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime and Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance to improve coordination on hate crime victim support. [37]

Elghawaby has contributed to public education initiatives, including the Canadian launch of an OSCE guide on addressing anti-Muslim hate crimes [36] and the release of resources such as a digital campaign highlighting Muslim women’s contributions during Islamic History Month 2023. In 2024, she delivered a lecture for the Canada School of Public Service that became part of a permanent training module on Islamophobia for public servants. [35]

In March 2025, her office released The Canadian Guide to Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia, a resource for institutions and the public on identifying and addressing anti-Muslim discrimination. [38] [39]

Internationally, she participated in coordination efforts with counterparts from Europe and North America, including signing a joint statement in November 2023 denouncing anti-Muslim discrimination. [40] She has also issued official statements marking significant events, such as the anniversaries of the Québec City mosque attack and the London, Ontario vehicle attack. [41]

Personal life

Elghawaby lives in Ottawa. [42] She is married with three children. [1] She is Muslim. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Muslim In Canada - Amira Elghawaby". Muslim In Canada. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  2. Elghawaby, Amira [@AmiraElghawaby] (2023-02-20). "What an honour it is to officially begin my role as Canada's Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia here in the nation's capital, a short car ride from where I grew up in Ottawa's East end. 1/5 https://t.co/y9EL40kPC9" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-02-23 via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zimonjic, Peter (26 Jan 2023). "Trudeau announces Amira Elghawaby as Canada's first representative to combat Islamophobia". CBC. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  4. "Amira Elghawaby". Prime Minister of Canada. 2023-01-25. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  5. Rakobowchuk, Peter (2015-03-13). "Woman in hijab controversy rejects $52,000 crowdfunding cash". CTV News . Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  6. "The People Do Good Stuff Issue: Amira Elghawaby". This Magazine. 2016-01-13. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  7. "Ottawa police alert Muslim women after reports of verbal abuse". CBC. 16 Oct 2016. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "Canada appoints first representative to fight Islamophobia". www.aljazeera.com. 26 Jan 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  9. Patel, Raisa (2023-01-26). "Canada names first special representative to combat Islamophobia". thestar.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  10. "Democratic Illusion. Deliberative Democracy in Canadian Public Policy", Democratic Illusion, University of Toronto Press, pp. 1–2, 2015-12-31, retrieved 2025-06-23
  11. "CAQ government wants federal anti-Islamophobia adviser removed over Bill 21 comments". montrealgazette. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  12. 1 2 "200 personnes réclament l'abolition du poste d'Amira Elghawaby". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  13. Crête, Mylène; Pilon-Larose, Hugo (2023-01-26). "Trudeau nomme une militante qui a dépeint les Québécois comme « antimusulmans »". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  14. "About that time I made Amira Elghawaby puke | In Due Course". induecourse.ca. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  15. Bailey, Ian (2023-01-27). "Politics Briefing: Trudeau wants Amira Elghawaby to clarify remarks about Quebeckers". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  16. "Trudeau nomme une militante qui a dépeint les Québécois comme " antimusulmans "". La Presse (in French). 2023-01-26. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  17. Watts, Rachel (Jan 30, 2023). "Justin Trudeau stands by appointee Amira Elghawaby, says she will continue fight against Islamophobia". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  18. Zimonjic, Peter (Feb 1, 2023). "Anti-Islamophobia representative Amira Elghawaby apologizes for past comments about Quebecers". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved Feb 16, 2023.
  19. "Quebec MNAs call for dismissal of anti-Islamophobia advisor". Montreal. 2023-01-31. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  20. Nerestant, Antoni (Feb 3, 2023). "Quebec lawyers, activists throw support behind Amira Elghawaby as pressure for resignation mounts". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved Feb 16, 2023.
  21. "Prominent Quebecers plead for federal anti-Islamophobia rep to be given a chance". CTV News . 2023-02-03. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16.
  22. "Plus de 200 personnes exigent le départ d'Amira Elghawaby et l'abolition de son poste". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  23. Zapata, Karina (Feb 14, 2023). "Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi urges politicians to stand up for Amira Elghawaby". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved Feb 16, 2023.
  24. Lawendy, Rania (Feb 8, 2023). "Amira Elghawaby 'is not embattled'". National Post. Retrieved Feb 16, 2023.
  25. "Toronto police to investigate pro-Palestinian march outside Mount Sinai Hospital". The Globe and Mail. 2024-02-13. Archived from the original on 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  26. Press, The Canadian (2024-02-14). "Pro-Palestinian groups say Trudeau, Toronto mayor spreading misinformation on protest". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  27. "Protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital 'reprehensible' show of antisemitism: Trudeau". CityNews Toronto. 2024-02-13. Archived from the original on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  28. Press, The Canadian (2024-02-14). "Pro-Palestinian groups say Trudeau, Toronto mayor spreading misinformation on protest". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  29. "Protesters outside Toronto hospital dispute antisemitism allegations - Toronto | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  30. Alberga, Hannah (2024-02-13). "Police investigate demonstration outside Mount Sinai after Trudeau calls it 'reprehensible' antisemitism". CP24. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  31. "As Lobbyists Demand That Amira Elghawaby Resign, a Prominent Source Tells Sada Online: "Our Community's Going to Take a Clear, Public Stance if the Government Yields to Pressure"". www.sadaonline.ca. Archived from the original on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  32. Khan, Ahmar (Apr 29, 2019). "Anti-Semitism on the rise across Canada, according to new B'nai Brith statistics". CBC.
  33. "Online conversation on Interfaith Issues with Canada's Special Envoy & Representative on Combatting Antisemitism & Islamophobia – Massey College". www.masseycollege.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  34. "Trudeau announces Amira Elghawaby as Canada's first representative to combat Islamophobia". Jan 26, 2023.
  35. 1 2 3 Canada, Service (2015-10-13). "2023-2024 Annual Report: A Hopeful Path Forward for Canada's Muslim Communities - From: The Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  36. 1 2 "Canada's first anti-Islamophobia official aims to support, protect Muslims". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  37. Canada, Service (July 25, 2024). "Three Federal Offices are Joining Forces to Combat Hate and Better Support Victims and Survivors". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  38. "Despite challenging first two years, Canada's special rep on Islamophobia is undaunted". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  39. Heritage, Canadian (2025-03-03). "The Canadian Guide to Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia: For a more inclusive Canada". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  40. Canada, Service (November 29, 2023). "Joint Statement of the Coordinators, Special Representatives, Envoy and Ambassadors on Combating Anti-Muslim Hatred and Discrimination". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  41. Canada, Service (January 29, 2025). "From: Canadian Heritage - Statement by Minister Khera and Amira Elghawaby on the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  42. Lau, Rachel (20 Dec 2017). "'He's a Canadian hero': Muslim community raises money for paralyzed mosque shooting victim | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.