Series 2 - Oral history interview with Saima Hussain conducted by Rijja Moeen

Saima Hussain is a well-known journalist and award-winning book writer who currently works as a supervisor at the Mississauga Library. As an immigrant to Canada from Pakistan and spending many years of her life in Saudi Arabia, Saima focuses on being involved in the community, such as becoming a member of the Council of Agency Serving South Asians, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, and running programs for newcomers. Saima completed her MA in South Asian Studies from the University of Toronto and also worked there as an admissions counsellor. She then moved to Pakistan where she became an editor at Dawn newspaper. Upon returning to Canada, she produced a history book for young readers called The Arab World Thought of It: Inventions, Innovations and Amazing Facts, which received an award from the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations. She also wrote another book called The Muslimah Who Fell to Earth: Personal Stories by Canadian Muslim Women to allow representation of Muslim women in the world.

In her oral history with interviewer Rijja Moeen (UTM undergraduate student at the time), narrator Saima Hussain speaks about her experiences of being a journalist and writer, how she has made a difference in the South Asian community through her work, the importance of religion in her life, and her experience of being an immigrant to Canada.