Raheel Raza

Early life

Raza is a Pakistani currently living in Canada. She graduated from Karachi University with degrees in Psychology and English. In 1989, she, her husband and her two sons moved to Toronto.

On Islam

She has unequivocally condemned the September 11th terrorist attacks and all terrorism and violence in the name of religion, as well as that done in the name of Islam specifically. She claims "radicals" have their own interpretation of Islam, and that the Qur'an does not justify suicide bombings.

She has said that hatred has been preached in places of worship in Canada and urges parents to be on the alert for extremism. Raza identifies herself as a libertarian.

Female-led mixed gender prayers

Raza has been a human rights activist, and has advocated gender equality, particularly for Muslim women. She became the first woman to lead mixed-gender Muslim prayers in Canada, in 2005. Raza termed it a "silent revolution" and said she hopes to become an imam someday. She also dreams of having a mosque "for women by women". She received death threats following the 2005 prayer event.

After female imam Amina Wadud received death threats for leading mixed-gender prayers in New York City, Raza was invited by Taj Hargey in 2008 to go to Oxford and become the first Muslim-born woman to lead a mixed-gender British congregation in Friday prayers. According to Muslim reformist Tahir Aslam Gora, such prayers did not become a regular practice. The Canadian Islamic Congress said Raza's concerns were a "non-issue for Canadian Muslims".

Opposition to prayers in schools

Raza opposed congregational Muslim Friday prayers in public schools, saying that in 1988 the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the use of the Lord's Prayer in public schools was not appropriate. She said such prayers are contrary to the notion of separation of church and state. She called the prayers "discrimination and harassment" for requiring girls to pray at the back of the room and for disclosing their "private personal female condition".

Banning veils

Raza has argued for a public ban in Canada against the hijab and the burqa.

Opposition to Park51 Muslim community center

In August 2010 Raza, along with Tarek Fatah, both from the Muslim Canadian Congress, opposed the Muslim community center, Park51, located near the World Trade Center site (or Ground zero). She describes the project as a Fitna, meaning that it was done intentionally to provoke a reaction and make trouble.

In a Fox News interview with Bill O'Reilly she referred to Mayor Michael Bloomberg as having a "bleeding heart" for this cause that is actually dangerous for those who were affected by the 9/11 terror attacks, as the location of the Ground Zero Mosque seemed unnecessary and hurtful for the victims of the attacks.

On immigration

Raza has called the Canadian government to suspend all immigration from "terror-producing" countries, like Iran in 2012.

Organizations

Raza is a board member of and Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Muslim Canadian Congress.

She founded and is currently president of Forum for Learning, an interfaith discussion group. It is a non-profit organization.

In 2006, the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee honored her for promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue in the wake of the Pope Benedict controversy.

Donald Trump

Raza stated in an interview with Bill Maher that Donald Trump was “an equal opportunity offender. And, secondly, this is supposed to be the First World, the civilized world, but he is really fudging that line about civility.”. In a later article for USA Today, Raza wrote that "as politically incorrect as his language may be," Trump had "succeeded in sparking an international conversation about radical Islam that we must have now", and called for Trump to "step up and put moderate Muslims on stage."

Writing

Raza is a freelance writer. In 2000, she received an award from the Canadian Ethnic Journalists and Writers Club. She has written for The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Khaleej Times, Gulf News, FrontPage Magazine, and The Commentator. She has also lectured at York University on the portrayal of Muslims in the media.

Raza is the author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out, a collection of her op-ed columns from the Toronto Star. She is also a poet and a playwright.

Books

Documentary film

Raza participated, together with eight other women's rights activists, in the documentary film Honor Diaries which explores the issues of alleged gender-based violence and inequality in Muslim-majority societies. Her personal story was featured alongside those of the other activists, all of whom are working to combat gender prejudice that is embedded in honor-based societies.

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