El-Farouk Khaki (born October 26, 1963) is a

Tanzanian Demographic features of the population of Tanzania include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The population distribution in Tan ...

-born Muslim

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

of Indian origin who is a refugee and immigration lawyer, and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

activist on issues including

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

, and

progressive Islam Liberalism, Liberal and Progressivism, progressive ideas within Islam is a range of interpretation of Islamic understanding and practice, ranging from centrist to left-wing perspectives. Some Muslims have created a considerable body of Progres ...

. He was the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

's candidate for the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in the riding of

Toronto Centre Toronto Centre () is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto (1872–1903), Toronto Centre (1903– ...

in a March 17, 2008

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

. Khaki came in second with 13.8% of the vote.

Biography

He was born in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, which his family fled in 1971 escaping political persecution. His parents arrived in Canada in 1974 and settled in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

where Khaki grew up.Catherine Patch, "Queer Muslims find peace; El-Farouk Khaki founded Salaam Offers a place to retain spirituality", ''Toronto Star'', June 15, 2006 He earned a law degree from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

before moving to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

in 1988 and has lived and worked in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

since 1989.Nicholas Keung
Gay, Muslim lawyer bucks stereotypes -- El-Farouk Khaki says human rights abuses call for a 'jihad,' a struggle against injustice
''Toronto Star'', March 29, 2007 He worked as a political staffer at Queen's Park until 1993 when he left to establish his legal practice. Khaki is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and has been in private practice since 1993.Lavender Law 2007 Speaker Biography

, ''Lavender Law 2007 Speaker Bios'', September 6, 2007 On June 26, 2014, he married his longtime partner Troy Jackson.

Activism

Khaki founded ''Salaam'' in 1991, a support group for gay Muslims. In 2003, he helped organize the first female-led, mixed-gender Muslim congregational prayers in Canada for the Salaam/Al-Fateha International Conference, and in 2005, organized the first such prayers anywhere to be held in a mosque.Rachel Sa, "Making history first mosque prayers led by a woman: Mixed-gender service", ''National Post'', July 2, 2005Jen Gerson, "Woman leads Islamic prayers in mosque, a first for Canada -- Country could become the conscience of the religion, she says in Friday sermon", ''Globe & Mail'', July 2, 2005
Washington Post/Newsweek He has served on the Toronto Mayor's Committee on Community & Race Relations, on the board of

The 519 The 519, formerly known as The 519 Church Street Community Centre, is an agency by the City of Toronto. A Canadian charitable, non-profit organisation, it operates a community centre in the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, ...

Community Centre, and is now elected chair of Africans in Partnership Against AIDS.
, ''www.elfaroukkhaki.ca'' Khaki regularly speaks publicly at events and in news media on issues ranging from

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

protection,Frank Prendergast, "Lives at risk, warn activists", ''Xtra!'', February 25, 1998 to the global

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

crisis, Canadian

multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

,Zuhair Kashmeri, "Does the UofT's discipline code target minorities?", ''Toronto Star'', April 4, 1995 racism, persecution of sexual minorities around the world,Charles Montgomery, "Queer Refugees -- Canada is seen as a haven for those persecuted for their sexual orientation. Do we deserve the praise?", ''Georgia Straight'', Vol. 35, #1754, Aug. 2-9, 2001 and religious and

racial profiling Racial profiling or ethnic profiling is the offender profiling, selective enforcement or selective prosecution based on race or ethnicity, rather than individual suspicion or evidence. This practice involves discrimination against minority pop ...

in the war on terror, among other topics. His appearances include CTV's morning television program ''

Canada AM ''Canada AM'' is a Canadian morning television news show that aired on CTV from 1972 to 2016. Its final hosts were Beverly Thomson and Marci Ien, with Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports. The program aired on weekdays, an ...

'',Gay refugee claimant fights deportation order
, ''CTV'', February 8, 2007

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...

's '' The Current'', Gay persecution in Iraq, Islamic historical context
''CBC'', June 12, 2006 and others. On April 30, 2007, Khaki won the

's nomination in

.Rob Salerno
NDP picks queer lawyer for Toronto Centre
''Xtra!'', May 10, 2007 Incumbent Bill Graham resigned necessitating a by-election held on March 17, 2008.Barbara Yaffe
Byelections will show whether Tories have any Quebec traction
, ''Vancouver Sun'', August 17, 2007 The by-election was won by Bob Rae. Khaki was the 2009 parade grand marshal for

pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

. In May 2009, The Toronto Unity Mosque / el-Tawhid Juma Circle was founded by Laury Silvers, a

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

religious studies scholar, alongside Muslim gay-rights activists Imam El-Farouk Khaki and Troy Jackson. Unity Mosque/ETJC is a gender-equal, LGBT+ affirming, mosque. In 2016, Khaki was named by ''The Advocate'' magazine to a list of "21 LGBT Muslims Who Are Changing the World." In 2018, El-Farouk participated in a TEDxUTSC talk about intersectionality and validity of gay Muslim

Refugee law

In 1994, Khaki represented a refugee claim before the

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (or IRB; , CISR), established in 1989 by an Act of Parliament, is an independent administrative tribunal that is responsible for making decisions on immigration and refugee matters. As one of their resp ...

which lasted eight sittings rather than the usual single session and led to the implementation of sensitivity training for IRB Members and staff on sexual orientation issues. Khaki continues to specialize in representing before the IRB a variety of severely marginalized social groups, such as persons living with HIV/AIDS and women fleeing

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

or other gender-based persecution.

Progressive Islam

Khaki founded Salaam, the first gay Muslim group in Canada and second in the world, in 1993, and organized the Salaam/Al-Fateha International Conference in 2003. He co-founded and served as Secretary General of the Muslim Canadian Congress, in August 2006 until the group split. Khaki and other members including much of the leadership of the MCC created a new organization, the Canadian Muslim Union (CMU). He also founded, with academic Laury Silvers, and his partner Troy Jackson the El-Tawhid Juma Circle. ETJC is a gender-equal, LGBTQ affirming space for Friday prayers.

Israel

On May 23, 2009, Khaki made the opening remarks at a

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) was a Toronto-based grassroots organization involved in queer and pro-Palestinian activism, including Israeli Apartheid Week and Pride Week (Toronto), Toronto Pride Week. Formed in 2008, the group pa ...

event to "reignite Toronto’s queer community in the fight against apartheid". Shortly after,

B'nai Brith B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the sec ...

condemned him and implied that he is "part and parcel of the anti-Israel machinery that continues to churn out hateful and divisive propaganda." B'nai Brith executive vice-president Frank Dimant said Khaki should be subject to "disciplinary action" by Pride Toronto. In response, Khaki with his partner Troy Jackson formed the Human Positive foundation, an organization which goal is "Justice, Freedom and Dignity for All peoples" and rejects the idea that criticism of the government of Israel is equivalent to antisemitism. In 2009, his Human+ Float was the recipient of Best Embodiment of the LGBTTIQQ2S award from Pride Toronto.

Electoral record

Awards

Khaki was honoured at the 2006 Pride Week gala for his role in promoting queer Muslim awareness through Salaam. Reverend

Brent Hawkes Brent Hawkes (born June 2, 1950) is a Canadian gay rights activist and clergyman at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), which is an international LGBT-affirmi ...

of the Toronto

Metropolitan Community Church The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming Christian denominations, LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination. The ...

said of Khaki and the group, "I think Salaam is very important, both locally and internationally, in terms of creating a safe place for people of Muslim tradition to be able to come together both socially and spiritually". Of Khaki's role, he said "The work that El-Farouk has done is to help to make sure there is an option there." In spring 2007, Khaki received the Steinert and Ferreiro Award from the Lesbian and Gay Community Appeal Foundation for his "major role in paving the way in Canada for refugee protection on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender", and because he "broke ground" in his work on gender equality in the Muslim community.Tireless Activist and Advocate for Human Rights
, ''LGCA'', 2007 The previous summer,

Pride Toronto Pride Toronto is an annual event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in June each year to celebrate the LGBTQ community in the Greater Toronto Area. The centre of the festival is the city's Church and Wellesley village, while the parade and m ...

, one of the world's largest gay-pride festivals, recognized his work building tolerance and inclusiveness in the Muslim community with the 2006 Pride Award for Excellence in Spirituality.Award Honourees Announced
''Pride Toronto'', June 20, 2006 Also in 2007, Khaki was honoured with the

Canadian Bar Association The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada. History The Association's first Annual Meeting was ...

's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference Hero Award for contributions made in the area of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people for his work with refugees who are sexual minorities or suffering from

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

."El-Farouk Khaki honoured with 2007 CBA SOGIC Hero Award,"
''Canadian Bar Association'', August 11, 2007, accessed March 20, 2008

Media mentions

"21 LGBT Muslims Who Are Changing the World."
''The Advocate''. December 20, 2016. Web.

References

External links

Salaam home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khaki, El-Farouk 1963 births 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Canadian imams Canadian gay politicians Immigration lawyers Lawyers in Ontario Canadian LGBTQ lawyers LGBTQ imams 21st-century imams Tanzanian LGBTQ people Canadian LGBTQ rights activists Living people Muslim reformers Naturalized citizens of Canada New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Politicians from Toronto Politicians from Vancouver Tanzanian emigrants to Canada Tanzanian Muslims