Alaa Elsayed, 52, imam

Elsayed is the imam or the “director of religious affairs” of the Islamic Society of North America based in Mississauga. He was born in Cairo and came to Canada more than 35 years ago. He has three kids.

How would your friends describe you?

What people say about me is that I am fun, friendly, furry (laughing), fair and firm. The F-factor. I was told that I put the fun in fundamental.

What is something people find surprising about you?

People are surprised when they find me walking around in shorts. I mean halal shorts, not short shorts or Speedos — don’t worry. They are surprised to see me working out at the gym. They are surprised to see me out on the town and having fun with my family. It’s like they think because I’m an imam, I’m not human.

What is the biggest concern for you as a Torontonian?

The stigma that comes out of the government toward Muslims, the issues around im- migration, the negativity around the hijab and the niqab, the changes that are coming to sex ed.

Have you ever faced discrimination at work/school or seen it in action?

I have a field day in the airports. I get pulled a lot from lines. I told them I am going to change my name to Mr. Random, because when they pull me over, they say, “Sir, this is a random check.” And I am like, “Uh huh.” I learned to deal with it, to smile, laugh and even joke about it.

What do you think people misunderstand most about Islam/Muslims?

I think the stereotyping of Muslims is the worst. It’s like subliminal messaging and language we hear constantly: Muslim terrorist, Muslim fundamentalist, Muslim extremist. There is this negative connotation whenever you hear about Muslims. I also think there is a lot of ignorance. People fear what they don’t know. But in general, we are lucky as Canadians are more accepting, more understanding and less ignorant than their southern counterparts.