Fitriya Mohamed, Founder & Executive Director
Salaam and Hello!!! My name is Fitriya and welcome to our website! A little about me, I grew up playing sports from the age of 10, which began in my elementary physical education class. From there, I never stopped. In my graduating year of high school, I was awarded Female Athlete of the year; the first Muslim woman to win it for my high school. From there, I was determined and motivated to pursue a career in the sports industry and four year later, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management. I founded MWSBL because I wanted to create an inclusive space for Muslim women because growing up, that is what I wanted but never had it. My hope with MWSBL is to inspire the next generations of Muslim female hoopers around the world. At the moment, I am doing my Master's at Brock University and the basketball ambassador for Hijabi Ballers.
Salaam and Hello!!! My name is Fitriya and welcome to our website! A little about me, I grew up playing sports from the age of 10, which began in my elementary physical education class. From there, I never stopped. In my graduating year of high school, I was awarded Female Athlete of the year; the first Muslim woman to win it for my high school. From there, I was determined and motivated to pursue a career in the sports industry and four year later, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management. I founded MWSBL because I wanted to create an inclusive space for Muslim women because growing up, that is what I wanted but never had it. My hope with MWSBL is to inspire the next generations of Muslim female hoopers around the world. At the moment, I am doing my Master's at Brock University and the basketball ambassador for Hijabi Ballers.
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Samiha Arshad, Director of Program and Tournament Manager
Salaams, i’m Samiha, an adventure seeker and sporty girl (forever young at heart). I am excited to be a part of this great initiative as the program and tournament manager . I love organizing events to bring different people together -especially for the love of sports. I have been active in the community as a coach for Islamic Soccer League as well as with Hijabi Ballers. My sport of choice is soccer as I played rep for many years for Pickering but basketball comes a close second. I hope this program will help demonstrate a lot of what we as a community already know -Muslim women especially Muslim women who wear hijab are just as capable of athleticism as anyone else. We are able, we are fierce and we are strong. I hope you are just as excited to join us on this journey as we are to have you participate. |
Zhurina Jibril, Director of Communications, Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator
Hi, I’m Zuhrina! I am a current Communications student studying at Brock University. I joined the MWSBL to help young females find a space where they can get active and find a love for sports, in their own community. My love and passion for sports stemmed from being a competitive runner growing up, along with playing various other sports but I often had to leave my community to do so. I want the next generation of women and girls to have a safe space close to home where they can engage in athleticism while being themselves!
Hi, I’m Zuhrina! I am a current Communications student studying at Brock University. I joined the MWSBL to help young females find a space where they can get active and find a love for sports, in their own community. My love and passion for sports stemmed from being a competitive runner growing up, along with playing various other sports but I often had to leave my community to do so. I want the next generation of women and girls to have a safe space close to home where they can engage in athleticism while being themselves!
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Powel Obiorah , Director of Finance & Treasure
My name is Powel Show Obiorah. I am currently completing my undergraduate studies at Brock University majoring in Business Administration. I am very honored to be part of MWSBL as the director of finance and treasure, and be an ally for Muslim female athletes. My sports journey began at a very young age with soccer then moved on to other sports such as table tennis, basketball and swimming; for soccer, I competed at the varsity level in my elementary and high school which was a great accomplishment of mine. I am very delighted to be a part of MWSBL because I believe in the organization’s vision, core values and long-term goals; the thought of trying to empower Muslim women worldwide exhilarates me and makes me feel like I have a purpose. |
The Advisory Board
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Hinnah Ansari - Legal/Policy Analyst, Rep Basketball Coach
Hinnah Ansari is a dedicated education advocate for student-athletes; a coach; and the founder of Underrated No More, a community writing and basketball analysis program for the youth. Over the last fifteen years, Ms. Ansari has worked in Criminal, Employment and Charity Law and Policy, and has research experience in Governance, Human Rights, and Administrative Law. She holds a B.A. in Policy Studies, an M.A. in International Development, and a law degree from the University of Ottawa. Ms. Ansari is also currently serving on the Peel Family Mediation Services Board. As a former athlete/college basketball player, Hinnah understands the needs of young women longing to play recreationally or striving to excel at a competitive level. Ms. Ansari’s goal is to utilize her academic, athletic, and professional experiences to support MWSBL’s valuable work in introducing, providing access to, and promoting, the beautiful game of basketball. |
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Melissa P. McLetchie - Teaching Assistant and PhD Student at York University
Melissa started playing competitive basketball when she was 12. Her love for the sport (especially for shooting) grew quickly and she continued playing throughout high school. In college, most her time outside of class was spent in the gym. She was usually the only female among the other players and she found it difficult to find her place on the court. Because she didn't have her own team of 3, Melissa quickly learned that if she wanted to play she had to demand that she was "next." It was like a tryout every time she played with new people. She knew the men underestimated her, which pushed her to run faster, jump higher, and work harder to win. Finding her place on the basketball court hasn't always been easy, but thanks to groups like Hijabi Ballers and now the Muslim Women's Summer Basketball League, she is grateful that she can contribute to creating spaces for other female Muslim athletes who may be feeling isolated and marginalized. It's important to her that Muslim female athletes are able to participate in the sports they love without compromising their faith. |
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Amreen Kadwa - Executive Director of Hijabi Ballers
Amreen's sport ‘career’ began when she joined her high school’s rugby team in Grade 10. She joined the team to try something new and experience what it was like to be on a sports team. Since then, she fell in love with the sport and continued to play rugby for years to come. In 2017, she started Hijabi Ballers out of the need for more recognition for Muslim female athletes and better resources for Muslim girls and women to take part in sport. Now as the Executive Director of Hijabi Ballers, she has learned and continues to learn the ins and outs of building her own sport-for-development, grassroots, non-profit organization; a skill she hopes to bring to the Board of MWSBL. She has grown very fond of basketball in recent years and has witnessed how powerful of a tool basketball is to build sisterhood in the Muslim community. I am excited to see MWSBL grow and become a significant piece of Toronto’s sports community. |
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Shadya Yasin -Youth Community Outreach Worker & a Teacher
Shadya studied African Studies, International Development and Community Arts at York University. She is also a certified teacher and recently finished her Masters of Education with a focus on Adult Education and Community Development from University of Toronto. Shadya has over 10 years work experience within the youth, education and community development sectors. She is an artist, an advocate and an organizer with local and international community development initiatives. Shadya is a life-long learner and always looking forward to learning and sharing while working with children, youth, adults and seniors. |