Aarij Anwer

My name is Aarij Anwer. I've lived in London since 2018. Between 2018-2022, I served at the London Muslim Mosque and London Islamic School in various capacities. I continue to volunteer at the mosque by serving on the Imam Advisory Committee, the Zakat Committee and the Academic Committee of LIS. My objective is to join the LMM board to continue serving and supporting the religious activities in the mosque and to strengthen the Islamic school.

Hassam Ansari

Hassam is a husband, a new father, and an active member in our community who strongly believes in the potential of communities to enact positive change. He currently serves as the Communications Officer at Western’s BrainsCAN, a $66M neuroscience research initiative funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).

Hassam has previously served as President of the Western MSA (Muslim Students’ Association) in 2017. During his time with the MSA, he worked to bring together the ICSWO, MAC, and LMM to promote collaboration. He has also been involved with the LMM in various capacities, most recently having served on the LMM Board from 2019 to 2023.  He has most recently been a contributing member of several committees including.

• LMM Compliance Committee (2021-Present)

• Western MSA Advisory Committee (2022-Present)

• LIS Compliance Committee (2023)

• LMM Imam Selection Committee (2022)

• LMM Nomination Committee (2020-2022)

• LMM Covid-19 Steering Committee (2020-2022)

• Imam Advisory Committee (2022)

• LMM Expansion Committee (2020)

Being someone who joined this community as an immigrant at the age of ten, Hassam has witnessed first-hand the positive impact a strong, inclusive, and welcoming mosque can have on the individuals and families it serves. It is with this in mind that he has accepted this nomination.

Mohamed Osman

Mohamed Osman was born in Sudan and completed his Bachelor degree of Arts in English language and Literature from Omdurman Ahlia University (OAU) in 1994. He began his teaching career as a teacher assistant at the ESP unit in OAU. He then moved to Qatar and worked for the Ministry of Education from 2000 until 2018, teaching secondary school students. During this time, he was an active member of various charities, such as Reach out to Asia and Nafeer Charity, who did a lot of workshops and fundraising projects in Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal and Cambodia. These projects allowed him to work and adapt to a multicultural environment and carry invaluable knowledge with him. Since moving to Canada in late 2018, Mohamed enthusiastically volunteered at various LMM events, hoping to make a difference in the community by joining the team. Most recently, he served on the LMM Board from 2019 to 2023 while studying to become a certified developmental support worker. Mohamed is very passionate about education, inclusivity and serving his community, as these are the core values of his life’s work. 

Shabnam Nazar

I am Shabnam Nazar, a retired physician with approximately three years of volunteering at the LMM. 

I have served as a front door volunteer for Friday prayers, engaged in street Dawah with IERA London, served as a Library assistant, Muslim Outreach Committee member, and helped in planning initiatives like the Jesus exhibition. 

Additionally, I've been a Youth Mentorship Coordinator for the Muslim Wellness Network, and a team member of the London Muslim marriage assistance program. 

Since 2011, I've also been heavily involved in the ongoing Webber Academy court case, advocating for Muslims' right to pray in schools.

If elected to the board, In addition to what I am doing already, my focus would be youth engagement, aiming to develop programs tailored to their needs. 

Currently, I'm collaborating with Muslim doctors and medical students to establish a mentorship program for university students, with our inaugural event planned for mid-January 2023.