Bayan Khatib
Title: Co-founder at Syrian Canadian Foundation
Biography
Bayan Khatib is an expert on issues of refugees, newcomers, Islamophobia, immigration, integration, inclusion and diversity.
Bayan Khatib is the co-founder of the Syrian Canadian Foundation which aims to empower newcomers and people of diverse backgrounds as well as promote cross-cultural connections within Canadian society. She also served as the Executive Director of the organization for three years, building SCF from the ground up into a national organization, introducing first of its kind programming for newcomers in Canada.
Bayan currently works as the Impact Director of the Refugee Newcomers Investment Portfolio at The Northpine Foundation. Bayan is also the co-founder of the annual Syria Film Festival in Toronto which aims to give voice to the struggles and hopes of the Syrian people. During the Syrian uprising for freedom beginning in 2011, Bayan led a multinational media campaign, had numerous media appearances, and participated as a speaker on the Syrian crisis at local and international events and conferences.
Bayan is the translator of Just Five Minutes: Nine Years in the Prisons of Syria, a memoir of a female political prisoner. She is also the author of numerous short works of fiction and opinion articles published in The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
Publications/Media Experience
Web | Refugee women entrepreneurship program shares successes - Canadian Immigrant
Web| Mix of worry, optimism as Syrian Canadians react to U.S.-led airstrikes - CBC
Web | Syrian refugees celebrate fifth anniversary in Canada with virtual event - Toronto Star
Education
McMaster University,
Masters, Cultural Studies and Critical Theory, 2011
Available for
Live TV interviews
Taped TV interviews
Radio interviews
Print interviews
Op-ed writing and analysis