Nafisah Chowdhury, 33, lawyer
Chowdhury is the second eldest of five siblings and grew up in Scarborough. Her parents moved from Bangladesh to Canada. She recently became one of the first visible Muslim female partners in the Bay St. law firm Miller Thompson LP.
What is something people find surprising about you?
People would be surprised to learn that I was on my high school curling team. I wasn’t very good, but I had fun.
What’s your favourite way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the city?
My favourite way to spend a Saturday afternoon is enjoying a cup of tea with good company or while watching a Jays game.
What’s your favourite thing about living in the GTA? Your biggest frustration?
What’s not to love about Toronto?! Except maybe the King West streetcar line and rush hour traffic. I am a Torontonian through and through. I love that there is such a huge diversity of people and restaurants, and I love that people are generally polite and nice.
Have you ever faced discrimination?
There have been times when our family has beeen at
a red light, and a car pulls up and someone yells: “You stupid Muslim pigs.” Or on Eid day, when we were dressed up in our cultural clothes, and a lady stopped and yelled “Did anyone tell you that you are in Canada now!” and off she goes. But those sorts of reactions are few and far between and I don’t think that’s generally how Torontonians are.
What do you think people misunderstand most about Muslims?
Like any community we have our nutty elements but the nuts are the minority. The actions of a few misguided people are certainly not representative of the whole.
Are there parts of your faith you find challenging to deal with?
Sometimes it is a challenge to look so different than everyone else. I don’t want to be seen only as a head scarf. There is much more to me as a person than what I am wearing on my head.
What do you think nonMuslim Torontonians most need to know about Muslims?
1. Muslim Torontonians are suffering Toronto sports fans just like everyone else. 2. We generally like tea.