Amira Elghawaby

Amira Elghawaby, a journalist and human rights advocate, became Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in January 2023.

Prior to her appointment, she was a contributing columnist at the Toronto Star, offering frequent media commentary on equity and inclusion. Amira, with a background in strategic communications and campaigns, previously worked at the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and held roles in Canada's labour movement and the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Amira has been actively involved in initiatives countering hate and promoting inclusion, including as a founding board member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. She has served two terms as a Commissioner on the Public Policy Forum’s Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression and currently sits on the National Security Transparency Advisory Group.

A writer-in-residence at the 2019 Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Amira holds an honours degree in Journalism and Law from Carleton University (2001). Her 2019 TedX Ottawa talk is titled “Multiculturalism: Worth Defending.”

Session:

• Panel B: How Faith Communities Can Build a Better Democracy (Saturday, April 13 - 11:10 a.m.)