Press Centre

Stephen Brown is the CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). He is a well-known leader and community organizer with decades of experience in the private sector, in organized labour, and in human rights advocacy.

Stephen started his career as a continual improvement professional in the manufacturing sector. He returned to university to earn his Commerce degree in business technology management at Concordia University in Montreal, where he joined the student movement and became the director of the Concordia Student Union Advocacy Centre. There he founded the office for graduate students, managed operations, and advised student leaders on student rights and academic issues.

After starting his own tech start-up that he ran for a number of years, Stephen went on to become an organizer for one of the largest labour unions in Canada, where he dealt with accreditation cases and organized tens of thousands of workers where he managed labour relations, negotiated collective agreements, and took on grievances and health & safety cases. Stephen held consecutive mandates as the head labour representative for large locals in the healthcare and municipal sectors where he led teams of litigators, lawyers, and pension fund specialists.

Stephen comes from an Afro-Canadian family that was active during the civil rights movement.

Stephen has been a long-standing leader within the Quebec Muslim community, working to promote human rights, interfaith dialogue, and Muslim youth initiatives as well as helping community groups to develop various advocacy initiatives and implement best practices. A prolific speaker, his writings have been published in various news media and he has been a commentator on public policy matters including Bill 21, civil liberties and Islamophobia, and Muslims in Quebec.

Since her formative years, Nusaiba has demonstrated keen interest and involvement in social justice issues, in particular pertaining to Muslim communities. As a registered social worker, she holds a BSW from King’s University College, where she gained experienced in both individual counselling and community development work.

Nusaiba received her Juris Doctor from Western Law, where she was the recipient of the Margaret H. McNulty Prize awarded to a student who shows great promise and where she obtained a Certificate of Mediation from the Dispute Resolution Centre. She graduated with distinction and was honoured to receive the Law Society of Upper Canada Prize for academic achievement. Following her call to the bar, Nusaiba practiced as a corporate and commercial lawyer before transitioning into human rights based and advocacy work at NCCM.

As NCCM’s Director of Legal Affairs, Nusaiba is responsible for helping community members seeking legal assistance in matters related to Islamophobia, hate and discrimination and for developing legal and policy solutions for a more just and inclusive Canada.

Fatema Abdalla is NCCM’s Senior Advocacy Officer. She graduated with a degree in Political Science and Communications from the University of Ottawa in 2020 and is committed to advocating for marginalized communities.

In Ottawa, Fatema was actively involved as a volunteer and community leader on campus and in local politics, gaining experience in the non-profit, public service, and campaign sectors.

Before joining NCCM, Fatema mobilized youth and Canadian Muslims as a Campaign Communications Coordinator at TCMV, a Communications Assistant for the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, and a Junior Analyst at the Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs Unit in the Department of Justice.