Monia Mazigh

In case you missed this when it came out, on the 23rd The Toronto Star had a wonderful tribute by journalist Haroon Siddiqui to a remarkable woman: Monia Mazigh, who fought for her husband Maher Arar‘s human rights while he was held (and was being tortured) in a Syrian jail after the Americans inexplicably deported this Canadian citizen to Syria. Dr. Mazigh, who holds a PhD in financial economics from McGill University, is currently a stay-at-home mother, which didn’t stop her from raising a ruckus to get her husband released. At a Toronto mosque, a volunteer imam told the congregation that Mazigh “had turned public perception of a Muslim woman on its head.” Mazigh responded by saying that she hoped she had used her public role well, and she urged Muslim men to “encourage their wives and daughters to raise their voices, and be outspoken.” Hear hear.