Ahmed Hussein, 56, executive director

Hussein is the executive director of the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, a social service agency that provides settlement services for newcomers and youth. Hussein, who lives in Scarborough, came to Toronto 25 years ago as a refugee from Somaliland.

What’s your favourite way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the city?

I like to spend it with my son, who is 5 years old. Normally, I will take him skating and swimming. And we love going to the park, and going downtown with the family.

What’s your favourite thing about living in the GTA?

My favourite thing is all the multicultural food that is available in the GTA. My biggest frustration is traffic.

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

When I am out, I sometimes do feel the inherent biases that people have. For example, if I go to a store that is a highend store, people will follow me throughout the store and say, “Can I help you? Can I help you?” and watch me closely.

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

I think people think the religion and the people who practise it are violent, when it’s really the contrary. There are 1.2 billion people who practise Islam, and it’s really a minority who are doing these acts of terrorism. People think we don’t condemn these acts, but we condemn it even more than anyone else.