World Refugee Day Symposium—Afghan Women: Resisting, Redefining, and Reclaiming

• Dr. Sofia Noori

Dr. Sofia Noori is an Assistant Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Education, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. Before coming to K’emk’emeláy̓ (Vancouver), Dr. Noori taught classes ranging from K-12, college courses, undergraduate classes, and professional teacher training courses across the Greater Tkarón:to (Toronto) Area. She received the prestigious President’s University-Wide Teaching Award from York University (2021) and the Killam Prize for Teaching from UBC (2025). Dr. Noori’s research and writing focuses on how refugee youth navigate schooling systems in Canada, in the aftermath of living in civil unrest or war, migration, transitory states, refugee camps, and resettlement. Her work is informed by postcolonial theory and developmental psychology. She is working with educators from across Canada to develop resources and strategies to help meet the academic and psychosocial needs of newcomer students from war zones.

Paper: Afghan Women’s Access to Higher Education in British Columbia

• Sediqa Bakhtiari

Sediqa Bakhtiari is a research consultant. Her personal experience as an Afghan refugee fueled her passion for forced migration studies. Sediqa was a visiting fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford and is a research fellow at the Refugee-Led Research Hub, University of Oxford. She is also working with Refugee Education UK's research team, a charity working to provide education for refugee youth. Since 2022, she has collaborated with TSOS and currently serves as a community liaison and consultant.

Paper: Diaspora initiatives for girls' education in Afghanistan: Challenges and opportunities

• Shahnaz Qayumi

Shahnaz Qayumi, M.A. in Developmental Psychology & Pedagogy, is a faculty member in the Early Childhood Education department at Langara College. She also holds a Master Certificate from Harvard’s Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery program. With over two decades of teaching experience across various Canadian institutions, she has led numerous culturally responsive educational initiatives. As COO of Partnership Afghanistan Canada, she developed the LIVES mobile-learning curriculum to support Afghan mothers and improve early childhood outcomes. Shahnaz is a passionate human rights advocate focused on education and mental health for women and girls. She also writes children’s books that reflect diversity, resilience, and belonging, including Zia’s Story and Like You and Me.

Paper: Leveraging M-Learning to Support Holistic Child Development in Post-Conflict Afghanistan

• Dr. Karim Qayumi

Dr. Qayumi is a professor, acting Director of Research at UBC’s Divisions of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, and Director of Surgical Techniques Training Programs for undergraduate UBC medical students, core surgical residents and specialty surgical residents. He holds an MD and Ph.D. in Surgery from the Kieve Medical Institute. Dr. Qayumi developed the interactive “Cyberpatient” software that allows medical students to take the history of a virtual patient and carry out an examination and offer treatment. The software has been used by dozens of medical schools world-wide. He is also CEO of CanHealth International, a Canadian not-for-profit organization that brings high standard healthcare education free of charge to developing nations.

Paper: Enhancing medical training in conflict zones and remote areas through innovation: introducing the Canadian Virtual Medical University Initiative

• Maryam Beghzada

Maryam is a full-time student researcher at the Scholars at Risk: Afghanistan project (Summer 2022) with Dr. Jenny Peterson and a recent graduate from UBC’s Political Science department. She also worked with Yvonne Dawydiak at UBC’s Faculty of Education, Teacher Education Office.

Paper: Strengthening Afghan Diaspora Knowledge Networks Worldwide: Insights from Digital, Physical, and Psychological Spaces

• Dr. Graham Reynolds

Dr Graham J. Reynolds is an associate Professor and Associate Dean, Research, and International at the Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. An award-winning teacher and accomplished researcher, his work focuses on the relationship between intellectual property and human rights. Graham completed his DPhil degree at the University of Oxford, and has held visiting positions at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law and the University of Bern, Switzerland

Paper: Afghan Female Justices for Justice Justice Wahida Rahimi Justice

• Justice Wahida Rahimi

Bibi Wahida Rahimi is an international Human rights Lawyer. She holds an LLM from Notre Dame University on International Human Rights. Previously, she was a Judge in the court of Hearing Violence Against Women and Juvenile Delinquencies in Afghanistan, where she worked on cases of violence against women and gender-based violence. After the Taliban's takeover, Wahida left Afghanistan, and moved to Canada and started working as a Research Associate at the University of British Columbia Peter Allard School of Law, where she undertook research projects on the issues relating to women and the law in Afghanistan.

Paper: Afghan Female Justices for Justice

• Justice Zamila Sangar

Justice Zamila Sangar, a former judge from Afghanistan, holds a Master's degree in Criminal Law and Criminology. With over 14 years of experience in Afghanistan’s judicial system, she served in various capacities, most notably as head of the Violence Against Women and Juvenile Violations Unit at the Court of Appeal. In this role, she played a pivotal part in advocating for justice for women victims of violence, handling complex cases involving honor killings, rape, domestic violence, and forced marriage. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Zamila immigrated to Canada. She holds a position as a Visiting Scholar at the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC).

Paper: Afghan Female Justices for Justice

• Justice Freshta Masomi

Justice Freshta Masomi, a recent immigrant to Canada following the Taliban's takeover, was born and raised in Afghanistan. She earned an undergraduate degree in Islamic Law from Kabul University, completed judicial training with Afghanistan’s Supreme Court, and obtained a master’s in criminal law and criminology. In 2013, she was appointed as a judge in Kabul’s Family Court, handling complex cases related to divorce, custody, and child protection. She also worked as a prosecutor and a legal educator, mentoring law students and advocating for women's rights. Beyond her legal career, she organized awareness conferences for over 1,700 women, inspiring many to pursue legal studies. Currently, she holds a position as a Visiting Scholar at the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC).

Paper: Afghan Female Justices for Justice

• Dr. Assadullah Sadiq

Dr. Assadullah Sadiq is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Studies at California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI). A former Afghan refugee, he previously taught first and second grade in Boston, Massachusetts, in schools serving large refugee populations. His research centers on the language and literacy practices of refugees—particularly Afghan refugees—across home, school, and community contexts. He also focuses on first language maintenance and bilingual family literacy programs. His work has been published in the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, Journal of Literacy Research, and Early Child Development and Care.

Paper: “Daughter, please read me the Dua:” Illuminating the Literacies and Language(s) Practices of Afghan Refugees

• Dr. Yousef Khalifa Aleghfeli

Dr Yousef Khalifa Aleghfeli is the Research Fellow in Data Science and Migration with the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration program at Toronto Metropolitan University, where they apply cutting-edge data analytics to address challenges in migrant integration and global displacement. Their current focus is on developing data science methodologies that center on refugee and migrant rights and protection. Holding a DPhil in Education from the University of Oxford, their interdisciplinary approach bridges grassroots advocacy, research innovation, and data-driven methodologies to foster systemic change for forcibly displaced populations.

Paper: Conceptualizing the gendered pathways in digital learning

• Aida Sanjush

Aida Sanjush is an Afghan-Canadian researcher, storyteller, and advocate committed to social justice, refugee rights, and equitable education. She holds a BA in Political Science from UBC, where she studied on a full scholarship, graduated with distinction, and spent a year abroad at Sciences Po in France. Her work bridges theory and lived experience, focusing on displacement, identity, and structural inequity—particularly for Afghan women navigating forced migration and higher education.

Paper: Strengthening Afghan Diaspora Knowledge Networks Worldwide: Insights from Digital, Physical, and Psychological Spaces

• Dr. Zuhra Abawi

Dr. Zuhra Abawi is an Assistant Professor of Education and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at Niagara University in Ontario. She is the author of The Effectiveness of Educational Policy for Bias Free Hiring: Critical Insights to Enhance Diversity in the Canadian Teacher Workforce (2021), and co-editor of Equity as Praxis in Early Childhood Education and Care (2021) and Enacting Anti-Racist and Activist Pedagogies in Education: Canadian Perspectives (2023). Her work focuses on discourses of race, equity and identity are negotiated, mediated and socialized in education.

Paper: Disentangling the Politics of Belonging: Access to Education as an Epistemic Good

• Kushan Azadah

Kushan Azadah is a researcher at CERC Migration and Integration and a PhD candidate in Political Science at York University. His research looks at refugee and asylum policies, migration governance, international relations, border security, and settler-colonialism. His dissertation project examines the politics of Canada's Afghan resettlement programs since the fall of Kabul in 2021. Kushan currently works across several projects at the CERC Migration and Bridging Divides programs at Toronto Metropolitan University, including a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2023-2025) funded project entitled Contemporary Paradoxes and Struggles of Migration and Belonging in Canada. He uses mixed methods approaches to code and analyze government and civil society materials, and track the qualitative shifts in Canadian migration policy and discourse.

Paper: Opening the Doors and/or Reinforcing the Frames? Negotiating the Canadian Politics of Afghan Refugee Deservingness in the Shadows of Modern Liberalism

• Dr. Helena Zeweri

Dr. Helena Zeweri is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia-Vancouver. She is also Coordinator for the Borders Research Group at the UBC Centre for Migration Studies. Helena’s recent book Between Care and Criminality: Marriage, Citizenship, and Family in Australian Social Welfare (Rutgers University Press, 2024) looks at the entanglement between criminal justice and immigration systems within migrant-targeted social policy in Australia. Her current research examines how Afghan diasporic political life in Australia and the US is shaped by the enduring effects of displacement, carceral border regimes, and empire. Helena’s work has been published in various journals, including: the International Feminist Journal of Politics, Ethnos, the Journal of Refugee Studies, and the Australian Journal of Social Issues.

Paper: The Effects of Humanitarian Parole Afghan Women Migrants in the United States: A Preliminary Analysis

• Spozhmay Oriya

Spozhmay Oriya, PhD candidate in educational psychology program with focus on collective trauma, faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University. She has BA in psychology and MA in Education from Afghanistan. She was an assistant professor at the faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at Kabul University. She is currently specializing in learning trauma and collective trauma integration and group facilitation with a packet project and academy of inner science based in Germany.

Paper: The Mental Health of Post-Summer 2021 Afghan Refugees in North America and Western Europe

• Ali Kaveh

Ali Kaveh is a sessional lecturer at the Sociology Department of the University of British Columbia. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at Herat University, until being forcibly displaced following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-2021. With a BA in Farsi/Dari Language and Literature and an MA in Sociology, Ali is currently pursuing his PhD in sociology at Shanghai University. His research interests encompass the mental health of university students, internally displaced people (IDPs), and recent refugees, a field to which he has dedicated many years of study and exploration.

Paper: The Mental Health of Post-Summer 2021 Afghan Refugees in North America and Western Europe

• Mina Naikmal

Mina Naikmal is a dedicated community leader and advocate with extensive experience in nonprofit organizations and refugee services. Fluent in English, Dari, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, and Hindi, Mina passionately supports displaced communities, significantly contributing to refugee settlement through impactful roles in community service and financial advocacy. Her expertise spans project management, strategic risk assessment, and policy development, cultivated through diverse professional experiences both internationally and domestically. Mina holds multiple certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP), financial planning, and human resource management.

Paper: Afghan Women’s Access to Higher Education in British Columbia

• Ilaha Safi

Ilaha Safi is a resilient Afghan woman whose journey from war and domestic violence to rebuilding her life in Canada reflects the strength of refugee women. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing a Master of Education at Simon Fraser University. Ilaha has worked with UNHCR, the Canadian Red Cross, and DIVERSEcity, supporting newcomers with culturally responsive services. As Founder and CEO of the Safi Association for Humanity, she leads initiatives in peacebuilding, mental health, food security, and women’s empowerment. She also founded “Nutritious BC,” a social enterprise employing refugee women to cook and deliver healthy meals.

Paper: Afghan Women’s Access to Higher Education in British Columbia

• Asiya Mohamed

Asiya Mohamed is a Master of Education student in Mathematics Education at the University of British Columbia. With a BSc in Mathematics and BEd in Education, she brings both subject expertise and pedagogical experience to her work. As a current educator at an intercultural, nature-based, non-profit enrichment program and research assistant at UBC, her work focuses on the experiences of students with refugee backgrounds in STEM education. She is currently working with Dr. Sofia Noori to explore the support Canadian teachers need to better learning environments for refugee students. She is committed to empowering educators and advancing equity in mathematics education.

Paper: Afghan Women’s Access to Higher Education in British Columbia

• Nosaiba Shaheen

Nosaiba Shaheen is a third-year undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Sociology. She is originally from Afghanistan and immigrated to Canada in July 2021, only a month before the Taliban’s takeover. Her lived experience as an Afghan woman navigating migration and resettlement has influenced her academic and advocacy work, which focuses on identity, belonging, and mental health within refugee and Muslim communities. Nosaiba is actively involved in student organizing, public speaking, and educational initiatives that uplift marginalized voices and challenge misrepresentation.

Paper: Reclaiming Afghan Womanhood: Resistance, Memory, and Voice in the Diaspora

• Sayed Baqir

Sayed Baqir is a PhD student and researcher at Simon Fraser University. His thesis research project is focused on Afghan diasporic community members' transnational communication with their left-behind communities and families. His research fields are Migration Studies, Health Communication, and Transnational Communication Platforms. He is interested in knowing about exile (internally and globally), colonized belonging and identity, and the health and well-being of neurodiverse people. Previously, he worked in Afghanistan as a researcher and faculty member at Kabul University.

Paper: Revisiting the forced migration: a case study of the internal exile of Afghan women