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Subtitle: Take a moment to vote for UCalgary gender justice and girls’ education warrior Dr. Aamir Jamal in the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards 2023

 

They came across the Afghan border in a flood. Mostly women and children, displaced by the Soviet invasion, they had been forced to leave suddenly, and found themselves in Peshawar with nothing but the clothes on their back. Hollow eyed and stunned, they had nowhere to go and no idea of what to do next.

 

“I remember seeing them on the streets and at the bus stops,” recalls Aamir Jamal, PhD. “There were women and little children standing with bare feet, not having a place to go in this new town. Many of them were from villages in Afghanistan. They had never been to a city, or even seen a road before. I saw the oppression and the misery of the women and children in that environment. So, that is basically something that I can't forget, those moments.”

 

Jamal, a researcher with the University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, was just a teenager at the time, but that experience – followed by his experience volunteering and working in the refugee camps that sprung up in his home province of Peshawar, Pakistan ­– galvanized him to make a difference for women and girls throughout his life.

 

In part, it’s this work that has led to his being shortlisted in the prestigious Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, 2023. The awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of immigrants to Canadian society.

 

“The award is not about me,” Jamal quickly says. “It’s about the work. And the work belongs to the committed, dedicated, hardworking and compassionate people on our teams here in Canada and around the globe. I'm humbled and honored by the award, but I am happier that this award might amplify and strengthen the work we are doing in a significant way.”

 

If you’re going to start something or change something Jamal believes you need to start by supporting gender equality and women’s education. And he had first-hand insight into the transformative power of girls’ education through his mother’s example. She was able to go to school because Aamir’s grandfather, who he describes as a “tribal, Pashtun” man, simply stood up against all resistance and stated firmly that his daughters would be educated.

 

Jamal reflects that his grandfather, as a male gatekeeper, really changed everything by simply standing up for his daughters. When the townspeople saw the power of his mother’s education, they too began sending their daughters to school. Eventually his mother began teaching and soon hundreds of girls were being educated and even going on the post-secondary.

 

His grandfather’s and mother’s example were the other inspiration that has catalyzed Jamal in becoming a leading researcher and advocate for women’s education in the Global south and gender justice in Canada and around the world. He recently held, for the first time in the history of Peshawar, a conference focused on engaging men for gender justice. “My research framework,” he adds, “respectfully engages local men, and the community and finds pathways and solutions, through Indigenous ways of knowing, through the local context.”

 

Until the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban in 2021, Jamal had worked with the education ministry and had made amazing strides for girls’ education in Afghanistan. While he’s disappointed at the way things turned out, he’s quick to add that the fight isn’t over.

 

“It is disappointing; however, I would say that it should not stop us from engaging Afghans for these initiatives. I believe in engagement regardless of the situation. There are still men and women who are speaking out for girls’ education. And we are still hopeful that that we will find ways to make some progress, in the next few months.”

 

Jamal came to the University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work because of the beacon of the faculty’s commitment to international and community development. At the time he was in New York, working on his PhD at Community University of New York. He had just finished his MBA, (on a scholarship), at Columbia University, but felt the need to be reconnected with his passion and mission in life.

 

Fortunately, at about that time he received word that his immigration application to Canada was successful, so he packed up his family and came to Calgary, a move which he says he and his family has never regretted, “I love Canada,” he says. “It's my home).

 

After graduating, the newly minted Dr. Jamal eventually began teaching at his alma mater and his career has flourished, as reflected in his many, many awards. Last year he received the Arch Award Recipient for International Career Achievement. In 2020 he won the City of Calgary International Achievement Award, he’s also won the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) Award for Excellence in Research, a UCalgary Graduate Students' Association Teaching Excellence Award, and the prestigious John H. Simpson Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of migration and refugee studies.

 

"I’m always inspired by the way that Dr. Jamal embodies the core values of social work as he pursues gender justice and fights racism here and abroad,” says Dr. Ellen Perrault, PhD, RSW, Dean of Social Work. “I think UCalgary community should be really proud to support this national recognition for all the amazing things that he’s accomplished.

 

Vote Now:  Take a moment to support the incredible work Dr. Jamal has accomplished and help him secure a well-deserved spot in the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards of 2023.

 

To vote for Dr. Aamir Jamal and read his biography, please visit www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25 between now and June 9th, 2023.  Top 25 winners will be announced in August.

 

Aamir Jamal

I was born and raised in Peshawar, Pakistan, which is a city on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are really two major motivations, or rather inspirations that led to my focus on gender equality and girls’ education.

 

The first inspiration is my mom, who was the first woman educated in my family, in Pakistan, in the border region of Pakistan, which is Peshawar. So, the first woman educated in the family and tribe. She became a role model for other women, and I witnessed the impact of her education on our family and on our community, throughout. This is one of the key inspirations that I have.

 

And the other one is, as I mentioned, that during conflicts and wars, I saw how women's rights and girls' education is negotiated out – throughout. During my youth the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Because we were on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, I witnessed all those wars, conflicts and their impact on women and children particularly, and all those miseries. From a very young age, I was a social worker. With my other colleagues, my other friends, we developed various initiatives at that time.

 

And it still is, just a huge struggle for gender equality and girls’ education. And I realized that unless we engage the Gatekeepers – that’s how I refer to the men of the community – in the struggle for preventing violence against women, and to support girls’ education, it will be an uphill battle. So, this is what has led to my research focus on gender justice and engaging men in the push for gender justice.

 

Don McSwiney

I want to go back to just the first part growing up on the border of, of Afghanistan and the Soviet invasion. How did how did that war spill over into Peshawar?

 

Aamir Jamal 

I remember that when the war started, a flood of refugees came to my town. I remember on the streets and the bus stops, there were women and little children standing with bare feet, not having a place to go in this new town. Right? And many of them were from villages in Afghanistan, they had never been to a city, or they never seen a road.

 

And they were standing on these roads. And so that was it, I really remember that part. And I saw the oppression and the misery of the women and children in that environment. So, that is basically something that I can't forget, those moments. I was a young man, I was just 13, and even though I was just a teenager, I can't forget those images of war and its impact on on women and children. The men would come to my town, bring their families and then they would leave to fight. And their families would be there. There were refugee camps and my friends, and I worked there. So, that had a significant impact on me that has shaped my life's work. They shaped the mission of my life: standing up for social justice, for gender justice, for girls’ education, and engaging with local community through a local lens – through an Indigenous lens.

In fact, on the border of Afghanistan, we recently held, for the first time in the history of that city, a conference on engaging men for gender justice, and we titled it "Indigenous Voices. Local contexts". So, my research framework is respectfully engaging local men, and the community and finding out pathways and solutions of issues through Indigenous ways of knowing through local context.

 

Don McSwiney  

I'd like to say that, you know, things have have changed, but unfortunately for Afghanistan they really haven’t. And I know that briefly you were working with the Minister and Deputy Minister for Education in Afghanistan and you had helped them make great strides in advancing women's education. It must be a little disheartening now to see what's going on there now.

 

Aamir Jamal

Yeah, it is disheartening, and our focus is education. It's not politics, right? So, we were focused on education, and I was engaged in previous government, in developing national policies around girls’ education, as well as prevention of violence against women. So, it is disappointing. However, I would say that it should not stop us from engaging Afghans for these initiatives. I believe in engagement regardless of the situation. Engaging those still in Afghanistan, who continue to support girls education, because leaving them alone is not the solution.

 

Don McSwiney

But are Is anyone in Afghanistan listening to that message right now? Or can they listen to that message right now?

 

Aamir Jamal

Yes, there are people across Afghanistan, who are still listening to that message and speaking about it. And they know that the consequences of not letting girls go to school are not good in any way. So, there are still men and women both, who are coming out and speaking for girls’ education. And we are still hopeful that that we will find ways in which there will be some progress in this area, in the next few months.

 

Don McSwiney

I feel like those people will go down in history as some of the most courageous in their country.

 

Aamir Jamal

Yes, and there are men and women who are still working for girls education.

 

Don McSwiney

Tell me about your mother. You mentioned she was the first woman to be educated in your village. How did people in the village react to that?

 

Aamir Jamal

Basically what my mom told me is that when she started going to school, there was some resistance within the community, from her uncles, and from cousins who asked, “Why is a girl going to school?”

 

And that’s another inspiration that her father, my grandfather, somehow stood up for her. Stood up for his daughters. And he said, “They will go to school.” So, that Pashtun tribal man stood up for his daughter’s education. The gatekeeper opened the gate for his daughter education. Opened the window for her to fly, right? And no one could stop him.

 

That's why I say we need to engage men. Because they are the decision makers at home, they are the gatekeepers. We need to engage them and to talk to them, and convince them, and educate them. To spark that consciousness about the significance of girls’ education for themselves, for their communities for society at large.

 

So, she went to school, there was resistance, but a father stood up for his daughter. He took-on all of their resistance, and said, “No, she will go to school!”

 

When the impact of her education was seen by everyone in the village, people started sending their own daughters to schools. The people even arranged transportation for their daughters to school because the beauty of education was witnessed by the community. She became the role model. And then when she was still young, eight years, she started teaching in the village. And hundreds of girls were educated by her teaching.

 

I remember that. I remember whenever I would go with, with my mom as a child to the market, one of her students would run up to her and kind of cry and give her a hug. And they would ask her, “Can I buy something for him?” I was a little child at the time. They wanted to do something in return. Sometimes my mom would say, “Okay, yes, you can buy it for him.” And the woman would go and bring me a toy. Because they wanted to give back in some way, right?

 

So, she was ideal for students. So, this one girl, was educated and it is changed the whole landscape of the village. Now there are girls in colleges and universities, from the same tribe from the same region.

 

Don McSwiney

What an amazing story. So, tell me about your journey from that point. How did you come to leave your village and what did what did you do as you grew up?

 

Aamir Jamal

Basically, I was part of the various social movements from the very beginning. So, I was a social activist when I was growing up. And then I got a scholarship to study, to do an MBA in New York. I have to say that an MBA was not something that impressed me, right? Because I was always interested in social work, in social development areas. So, I was doing my MBA in the business school, and after class, I would go to the social work faculty – wandering around meeting with social work faculty members. I ended up with an MBA because that was my scholarship, so I couldn't change that. But immediately after finishing my MBA, I worked in New York and applied for a PhD in the City University of New York, CUNY. I was accepted, and spent one year there, but then I received Canadian immigration. So, I had to move to Canada. I found the University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work and found so many faculty members working in international social work. So, I transferred my PhD there.  

 

My family and I preferred to call Canada our home instead of the U.S. So, when we got the chance, we moved to Canada. And we all are so happy of making the decision to make Canada our home.  I could have stayed in New York, but we wanted to go.  So, I connected once again my life’s journey – where I was disconnected by doing MBA – I connected to international social work, and to social development in the global south and particularly for girls education.

 

Don McSwiney

Why did you want to come to Canada?

 

Aamir Jamal

Basically, I found Canada is a welcoming country. Like I can't forget when my family and I crossed the border, in Buffalo, crossing the Peace Bridge, we crossed the U.S. border and he said, “Okay, you're going to Canada.” It was just a very typical, bureaucratic kind of attitude, right? I would say kind of rude. And when we entered Canada, and it was probably one o'clock in the morning, and the Canadian immigration official, when we saw us, he said, “Welcome to Canada!” with a smile. I loved it. I loved it. I can't forget that. And my children, were talking to my children were little at the time, and we loved it. We loved it.

 

And we were so, happy about it. And still, I love Canada it's my home. So, yeah, we have issues.  But when you when you come to a country you need to acknowledge the beauty as well as the pain and you need to you need to do something for the pain too. Not just getting the beauty, right? So, we need to contribute basically to this beautiful country for the well-being of it and for peaceful coexistence. We found Canada is a multicultural country, and we found that Canada is not heavily involved in in all those international wars and conflicts. And we found Canada is more welcoming country to newcomers.

 

Don McSwiney

I know this this award recognizes the work that you do internationally but you really work in a number of different areas including projects here in Canada focused on gender justice, fighting racism and bridging the cultural gap for young Muslims who are often facing a number of different issues.

 

Aamir Jamal

For me that award is not more about me. It’s about more about the work. And the work is not just what I'm doing. The work belongs to the committed, dedicated, hardworking and compassionate people on our teams, locally in Canada and, and abroad in global south.

 

So, I'm humbled and honored by the award, but I am happier that this award with will amplify the work we are doing. The award will basically strengthen and support the work we are doing here locally, in Canada, and abroad. So, the significance and impact of this award, is in strengthening the work we are doing, and supporting the work we are doing in a significant way.

 

Don McSwiney 

I think your mother’s example really illustrates this -  but, in your own words, can you explain how supporting gender justice and women's education, is an important driver for change around the world?

 

Aamir Jamal

It's a very good question. What study after study tells us is very clear. Those Societies, those nations, those countries, where gender justice is practiced, where women have equal opportunities, equal rights, for education, and in in every sector of society? Those countries prosper, there is peace in those countries, those societies are more peaceful, more prosperous. They’re more compassionate and healthier.

 

So, we know that they are more than 50 per cent of our societies, so how can we ignore them? And by doing that, how can we expect to prosper? When we look at countries where gender justice, or gender equity is an issue, we find that many of those countries are engaged in wars. Those countries have poor economic indicators or are unstable in various ways. So, gender equity - gender justice - is one key factor for having more peaceful, prosperous, and healthy societies and healthy communities and healthier nations.

 

The other thing regarding preventing violence against women, is, do we want a peaceful nation? Peaceful societies? Peace starts in the home. If there is no peace at home, don't expect peace in the society. So, if violence against women is happening at home, then what do we expect from the children who are witnessing that? What’s the impact on the generations to come. So, there's why peace is a gift for our societies and for our world. And this, this gift should be equally distributed and celebrated with women.

 

Don McSwiney

How did you feel when you found out that you were one of the 75 Canadian nominees, nationwide for this award?

 

Aamir Jamal

I was thrilled, I was very happy about that. And I immediately thought that this award is not about me. It’s about the work I'm doing, and about the teams doing the work, especially those who are working in very difficult situations in the global south, and particularly in Pakistan. My thought was that this award could have a significant contribution in highlighting, amplifying, strengthening, and supporting the work we are doing for gender justice, for girls’ education, and for the prevention of violence against women, here in Canada, and across the globe.

 

 

Don McSwiney

What can people reading this do, to take action to support gender justice and girls’ education?

 

Aamir Jamal

We can't do things in individually, right? So, it's important that that we need to stand up, and we need to take collective actions for gender justice, women rights and girls’ education. And, I would say that it’s men’s responsibility, right? Women shouldn’t have to tell men to do something about it. Because this is men’s responsibility, and men need to stand up for that. And collectively as a society need to do work on this piece – for gender justice and good education, for ourselves, and for our generations to come.

 

Don McSwiney

That seems like a good note to end things on. Thank you very much.

 

Aamir Jamal 

Thank you.