Muhammad Sherjil Malik, 43, former CFO

Malik came to Canada from Pakistan two years ago with his wife and two children. He now lives in the Thorncliffe neighbourhood, and is taking classes to upgrade his business credentials.

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

I associate with my friends, have discussions with them, go on walks.

What’s your biggest concern as a Torontonian?

I don’t see any negative things. I have been to almost every corner of the world. This society is totally different. This seems to be a paradise for me. The people here are so respectful.

Have you ever faced discrimination ?

Absolutely no dis- crimination. I do feel discrimination whenever I go to the U.S. or to England. When I came for the first time to Canada, from New York to Toronto, I was greeted like a hero, like a prince, like a guest. That was quite a stunner for me, because I was anticipating that this was the same part of the world (as the U.S.), and I was going to face some tough time at immigration. They said, “Welcome to Canada, sir.”

What do you think people misunderstand most about Muslims?

My friends who are in Canada, they do express their concern over any act of mass human killing in Pakistan, and do ask, is it a legitimate thing in Islam to kill innocent people? I explain them, these are all miscreants, and that’s not a legitimate thing in the religion.