Muslim Canadians Running in the 2015 Federal Election

There are even Muslims running against each other, Omar Alghabra (Liberal) and Farheen Khan (NDP) in Mississauga Centre, a riding where an estimated 16.5% of constituents are Muslim, and Khalid Ahmed (NDP) and Yasmin Ratansi (Liberal) in Don Valley East, a riding where an estimated 19.4% of constituents are Muslim. It should be interesting to see how their debates go. It also demonstrates the reality that Muslim Canadians do not vote as a bloc-last election 46% voted Liberal, 38% voted NDP, and 12% voted Conservative. There are Muslim Candidates running for the Conservatives, Greens, Liberals and New Democratic Party (NDP) in this election. 

There has been discussion in media about the potential impact of the Muslim Canadian Vote as around an estimated half a million Muslim Canadians are eligble to vote and many of those voters are concentrated in particular ridings. But there is also concern that not all eligible Muslim voters are actually exercising their democratic rights, which is why groups like Canadian Muslim Vote and IMPACT, both most active in the Toronto area, are doing outreach in the community to get out the vote.

We have compiled a list of Muslim Canadians running in the federal election. It is not a complete list. Feel free to email us information/additions/corrections about the candidates on the list or candidates we are missing at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you to everyone who has been keeping us updated.

Please note that we have removed Ala Buzreba as she has resigned as a candidate for the Liberals in Calgary. Learn more here.

Abdul Abdi, Federal Conservative Candidate for Ottawa West-Nepean

Interesting Facts: Abdul Abdi worked as an officer with the Ottawa Police Service. He also worked with the RCMP on their National Security and Community Outreach initiatives. He is a recipient of the United Way’s Community Builder Award and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Source: Abdi's Website

Khalid Ahmed, Federal NDP Candidate for Don Valley East

Interesting Facts: Ahmed is pursuing a degree in Social Work and recently completed a practicum with John Howard Society of Toronto, supporting adults who have been in conflict with the law. Source: Ahmed's Website

Khalis Ahmed, Federal NDP Candidate for Calgary-Signal Hill

Interesting Facts: Ahmed is a professional geologist who has worked in the oil and gas industry. He is the vice-president of the Bangladesh Canada Association of Calgary. Source: Ahmed's Website

Omar Alghabra, Federal Liberal Candidate for Mississauga Centre 

Interesting Facts: Alghabra is a mechanical engineer by trade. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow within the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science at Ryerson University. He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Erindale from 2006 to 2008. Source: Alghabra's Website and Facebook.

Akhtar Ayub, Federal Green Candidate for Etobicoke North

Interesting Facts: Ayub is a first generation immigrant to Canada, from Pakistan, Akhtar studied Automotive Technology in New York, and now works as a service consultant to the auto industry in Southern Ontario. Source: Website and Facebook

Tariq Chaudary, Federal Liberal Candidate for Edmonton Riverbend

Interesting Facts: In addition to his 35 years of experience in business management and IT, Chaudary has taught courses in physics, mathematics, and financial management. Chaudary actively volunteers with the Oak Hills Community League and the Whitemud Hills Homeowners’ Association. Source: Chaudary’s Website and Facebook

Ali Ehsassi, Federal Liberal Candidate for Willowdale

Interesting Facts: Ehsassi is a lawyer by trade, having obtained his LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He worked as a bureaucrat at the Ontario Department of Economic Development and International Trade, and later at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa. He’s also practiced law at firms in Toronto and Washington, D.C. Source: Ehsassi's Website

Sadia Groguhe, Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate for Longueuil-Charles-LeMoyne

Interesting Facts: Groguhe has served as the MP for Saint-Lambert since 2011. In August 2013, she was appointed the NDP’s Deputy Whip and Deputy Critic for Employment and Social Development. Earlier, she served as Deputy House Leader and Deputy Critic for Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism. She is also Vice-Chair of the NDP Women’s Caucus. Source: Website and Facebook

Qais Hamidi, Federal Conservative Candidate for Brossard – Saint Lambert

Interesting Facts: Born in Kabul, Hamid accompanied the Prime Minister Harper on his first visit to Afghanistan. He also worked on establishing democracy in Afghanistan, and with military personnel. He currently manages his own consulting firm and an international Canadian corporation. Before that, he worked for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Source: Website and Facebook

Faisal Hassan, Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate for Etobicoke North

Interesting Facts: Hassan works with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Hassan’s proposal to adopt the Red Cross First Contact Project has improved access to housing and other services for refugees. He is regarded as one of Canada’s leading Somali-to-English literary translators. Source: Hassan's Website and Facebook

Ahmed Hussen, Federal Liberal Candidate for York South-Weston

Interesting Facts: Hussen has a Law Degree from the University of Ottawa. He co-founded the Regent Park Community Council and was able to secure the $500 million revitalization project of Regent Park. Ahmed currently serves as the National President of the Canadian Somali Congress. Source: Hussen's Website and Facebook

Karim Jivraj, Federal Conservative Candidate for University-Rosedale

Interesting Facts: Jivraj attended the Sorbonne in Paris, where he earned his LL.B. in International Law and his LL.M. in Public Law. He works in international litigation and arbitration, enabling him to fight for wronged investors against major corporations and foreign governments. Source: Website and Facebook

Majid Jowhari, Federal Liberal Candidate for Richmond Hill

Interesting Facts: Jowhari is the owner and CEO of his own boutique consulting firm, Iridium Management Consulting Group Incorporated.He has an M.B.A. from York University’s Schulich School of Business. He serves as a member in the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the Iranian Canadian Network and the Iranian Canadian Congress. Source: Jowhari’s Website and Facebook

Fayaz Karim, Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate for Mississauga-Streetsville

Interesting Facts: Karim built his own commercial freight transportation business, which he managed for over a decade. He is an executive member of the Peel Poverty Action Group. Source: Karim's Website and Facebook        

Iqra Khalid, Federal Liberal Candidate for Mississauga-Erin Mills

Interesting Facts: Khalid graduated from York University in 2007, with a double major in Criminology and Professional Writing. She later obtained her Juris Doctor and is now working as a legal professional with the City of Mississauga. She was the Communications Coordinator for the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals. Source: Khalid’s Website and Facebook

Farheen Khan, Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate for Mississauga Centre

Interesting Facts: Khan has worked as a senior manager at a women’s shelter and as a fund development consultant. She has raised over $2 million for causes in Peel Region and another $1 million for international development and relief aid. For over five years, she has helped fundraise for the United Way of Peel Region as a part of their Speakers’ Bureau. She was selected as a 2015 Agent of Change by the Centre for Social Innovation. Source: Khan's Website and Facebook

Maryam Monsef, Federal Liberal Candidate for Peterbourgh-Kawartha

Interesting Facts: Monsef co-founded the Red Pashmina Campaign which raised over $150,000 for women and girls in Afghanistan. She is the co-recipient of the Peterbourgh YMCA's Peace Medallion. 

Ali Naqvi, Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate for Mississauga East-Cooksville

Interesting Facts: Naqvi is a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, and has advocated on behalf of stranded refugees before the UN Refugee Agency and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Source: Naqvi’s Website and Facebook

Khalil Ramal, Federal Liberal Candidate for London-Fanshawe

Interesting Facts: Ramal served with the Liberals provincially for London–Fanshawe from 2003 to 2011. He also served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on two separate occasions – from 2005 to 2007, and again from 2009 to 2011. He is currently the Vice-President of Business Development at Global Financial – a large-scale financial services company. Source: Ramal’s Website and Facebook

Yasmin Ratansi, Federal Liberal Candidate for Don Valley East

Interesting Facts: Ratansi represented the riding of Don Valley East as a Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. As Deputy Whip of the Liberal Caucus, she exhibited extensive leadership skills among her fellow MPs and proved herself as an excellent negotiator. Source: Ratansi’s Website and Facebook

Syeda Riaz, Federal NDP Candidate for Don Valley West

Interesting Facts: Riaz has been the executive director of the Asian Communities Council of Canada and the Pakistani Community Centre. She is studying Law and Society at York University. Source: Riaz's Website

Azim Rizvee, Federal Liberal Candidate for Milton

Interesting Facts: Rizvee is the CEO of MinMaxx Realty Inc. He won the Milton Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year Award for 2011 and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB)’s Community Service Award for 2012. Source: Rizvee's Website and Facebook

Djaouida Sellah, Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate for Montarville

Interesting Facts: Sellah has served as the MP for Saint-Bruno-Saint Hubert since 2011. A trained medical doctor, she volunteered with Red Crescent in Baghdad during the First Gulf War. She is an advocate for the recognition of qualifications of foreign-trained doctors. Source: Website and Facebook 

Adnan Shahbaz, Federal Green Party Candidate for Oakville-North Burlington

Interesting Facts: Shahbaz is an educator currently working in the Curriculum Support Services division of a local school board as an Instructional Coach. He has worked as a classroom teacher, a behavioral support and special education teacher for nearly a decade. Source: Shahbaz’s Website and Facebook

Arif Virani, Federal Liberal Candidate for Parkdale–High Park

Interesting Facts: Virani has an Honours B.A. in History and Political Science from McGill University, and completed his LL.B at the University of Toronto. He has worked as an Analyst with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa; an Investigator at la Commission des droits de la personne et droits de la jeunesse in Montreal; and as an Assistant Trial Attorney prosecuting genocide at the United Nation’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Source: Virani’s Website and Facebook

Salma Zahid, Federal Liberal Candidate for Scarborough Centre

Interesting Facts: Zahid currently works as a senior advisor for the Ontario government in the office of the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. She is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Source: Zahid's Website and Facebook

Mohammad Zamir, Federal Conservative Candidate for Lasalle-Emard-Verdun

Interesting Facts: Zamir immigrated to Canada in 2005. He is Chief Executive of the UMEED Television Network & Weekly Umeed Canada Community Urdu & English Newspaper. Source: Zamir's Website