Beena

“I am usually one of the first people to be called when someone needs help. Once I got a phone call that a Muslim couple from out of town got flown in for a miscarriage and they had nobody here, I immediately went to the hospital to be with them in their time of need.”

Beena is 55 and is a teacher and social worker, who is currently on a leave of absence from work due to a severe illness. She is also an active member of her community and a volunteer at her local Mosque in Prince George, BC to “make her community more welcoming and to ensure all events run smoothly.” Her own favourite quality is that she is a helper. She told me, “I love helping people to the best of my ability, regardless of who they are and beyond what they expect. I learned to be a good helper from my late mother. She was a community leader and was always more than willing to help anyone at any time. My mother taught me that helping people is pleasing to God Almighty and it helps keep your mental health and wellbeing in check.” Beena told me her proudest achievement other than raising four children is “helping build a bigger mosque in my first home town in Canada. When I lived in Guelph, Ontario, I was one of the main organizers of various fundraisers to create a larger mosque for our Muslim community. I spent endless hours raising money by putting on different events and gathering various communities in Guelph to involve them in this project. I instilled excitement and unity within our community to ensure that we had a bigger place to come together and pray. I am thankful for the support I received in those days because without their love, that mosque would not exist today.”

Q&A Feature:

What is your favourite hobby or pastime?

“I love reading novels and poetry. I also write poetry in Urdu myself. I like watching some Pakistani soap operas in my spare time and I also enjoy keeping up with global events.”