But Saeed, who identifies as Muslim, admits it’s been a challenge being a minority within a minority in the fast-paced industry. “I recognized right away that there is a serious lack of representation in this field,” said Raza, a visible Muslim who wears the hijab. MAX mentors is the latest initiative of MAX (Muslim Awards for Excellence), an organization that made its debut last year with a flashy awards dinner, with the feel of a Muslim Oscars, to celebrate and encourage achievement in the Canadian Muslim community. Zafar says the mentorship program was initiated by a student who was awarded one of the 11 scholarships given out last year. Saeed says for many professionals like herself, MAX is finally giving the Muslim community a platform to challenge stereotypes that exist.

Source: thestar October 10, 2017 11:03 UTC