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Imam Irshad Osman (Naleemi)

Country: Canada

Khateeb, Danforth Islamic Centre and Toronto Islamic Centre

Imam serves as a Khateeb at Danforth Islamic Centre, Toronto Islamic Centre and other mosques in the GTA. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Islamic studies at Naleemiah International Islamic University in Sri Lanka and also holds a master’s degree in public policy and management from the University of Manchester, UK and graduate training in theology from the Leiden University, in the Netherlands. Imam Osman is a fundraising consultant by profession who has received the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation in Canada. He has worked at United Way Greater Toronto, Silent Voice Canada, Women’s College Hospital Foundation, and International Development and Relief Foundation overseeing fundraising portfolios worth of millions of dollars to support local and International causes. He was selected in the first cohort of the Association of Fundraising Professionals "Fellowship in Inclusion and Philanthropy" in 2015/2016. As a religious leader in the community, Imam volunteers his time with many Toronto-based organizations advocating for social justice, minority rights, true inclusion, anti-racism and anti-hate, and supports interfaith collaboration to find solutions to common issues, such as poverty and homelessness, faced by the community. In 2020, he received the Interfaith Innovation Fellowship granted by Interfaith Youth Core based in Chicago. As part of the fellowship project, he is developing a toolkit for fundraisers on how to engage and cultivate religiously active donors by understanding their faith-driven motivations and religious sensitivities. He also serves in the leadership team of “Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia: Moving from Hate to Hope” initiative and volunteers his time as a career and civic engagement mentor for newcomers at Culturelink.