Dalia Hashim, 20, student

A Sunni Muslim from Kuwait, Hashim moved to Toronto four years ago. She lives in North York and hopes to go to grad school in the fall.

How would you describe yourself?

I’m very outgoing, very sociable. Probably more talkative than I should be.

What’s something that people might find surprising about you?

I really like to play basketball. I used to play all through middle school and high school in Kuwait. I played “the five,” right under the basket. But I’m also very interested in philosophy and theology. The fact that I do a lot of things in the Muslim community doesn’t mean I don’t have things that I really enjoy away from that.

Have you ever faced discrimination?

I wear a hijab, and someone once called me a “curtain” just for wearing it. Sometimes it’s not even that obvious. Sometimes I’ll be talking to someone and they’ll be like, “Oh, I’ve never met a Muslim girl who’s outgoing.” And I’m like, well, how is a Muslim girl different than any other girl?

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

Either at a park if the weather’s permitting, or checking out random cafes downtown, because there are some pretty cool ones out there.

What do you want Torontonians to know about Muslims?

To look at Muslims as they would at any other group of people. They’re not uniform. And your experience with one Muslim might not be the same with the next Muslim.