@nenshi speaks to His Highness the Aga Khan during a reception at Government House #ableg #cdnpoli http://t.co/uFEa763C—
Mark Cooper (@Coop_MB) October 24, 2012
Tag Archives: Naheed Nenshi
Calgary Herald: Nenshi: Making Calgary an even better place to live
Nearly two years ago, Calgarians elected a new mayor and city council with a mandate for real change. As I did last year, I thought it would be helpful to provide a progress report on what’s been done and what work remains for the final year of our term.
In 2011, your council unanimously passed our fiscal plan for Calgary after consulting with more than 20,000 citizens. The plan begins with these words:
“Calgarians have always been innovative, confident, entrepreneurial, and willing to make things better. They expect no less from their city council. We need to continue to transform government, becoming better at delivering the services Calgarians need. We do that by valuing City of Calgary employees as colleagues, and by empowering them to do their jobs better. We will strive to be more efficient and more effective, while focusing on transparency and engagement with all Calgarians.”
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
Documentary on rise of Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi finally airs on Sunday
A year-old documentary film about the rise of Mayor Naheed Nenshi is finally hitting the television screen.
The movie, @nenshi4mayor, was first screened at the public library last September.
It premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. on OMNI.
“We completed the documentary more than a year ago, its airdate is beyond our control,” said Larry Day, the president of Pyramid Productions.
“It’s not really out of date. It’s still very interesting to watch and it’s a great behind the scenes story.”
The Nenshi film takes viewers behind the scenes during the October 2010 mayoral campaign, and into the beginning of his first term.
“We had amazing access as we documented this dramatic adventure in politics. It’s a fascinating inside look at an amazing underdog story.”
via Documentary on rise of Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi finally airs on Sunday.
Mayor Nenshi | The City of Calgary – Statement on the Passing of Kurban Nenshi
Today, on Father’s Day, the day after his 72nd birthday, Kurbanali Hussein Nenshi passed away.
Born in Tanzania in 1940, Kurban was thrust into a leadership role early when his own father passed away. From that moment, Kurban worked tirelessly to ensure that his younger siblings were able to succeed. He married Noorjah in 1967, and the family came to Canada in 1971, settling in Calgary in 1973. In many ways, his life was ordinary – struggle, sacrifice, giving back to the community, building an amazing future for his family. But he never forgot just how extraordinary this country and this city are, in giving him and so many others amazing opportunity. This, combined with his deep and unshakeable faith, led him to instill the value of service in everyone he touched. Kurban was a compassionate man who loved his family with a fierce devotion.
He leaves behind his loving wife Noorjah, daughter Shaheen , son-in-law Al-Noor and son Naheed, as well as the lights of his life, his granddaughters Asha and Sofia. He also leaves five siblings and their families and innumerable nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, great-grand nieces, as well as his wife’s family, the Esmails, to whom he was very close. He was pre-deceased by his parents, five other siblings and two much-loved siblings-in-law. — Click here to read more: blog.calgarymayor.ca
Sad Father’s Day for Calgary Mayor Nenshi after dad passes away | Calgary | News | Calgary Sun
It’s been a sad Father’s Day for Mayor Naheed Nenshi and his family, who are mourning the loss of his dad who died Sunday.
Kurbanali Hussein Nenshi, who just turned 72 on Saturday, was born in Tanzania in 1940 and settled with his wife Noorjah in Canada in 1971, settling in Calgary in 1973.
“In many ways, his life was ordinary – struggle, sacrifice, giving back to the community, building an amazing future for his family,” the family said in a statement.
“But he never forgot just how extraordinary this country and this city are, in giving him and so many others amazing opportunity.
“This, combined with his deep and unshakeable faith, led him to instill the value of service in everyone he touched. Kurban was a compassionate man who loved his family with a fierce devotion.”
The family thanks the many health care professionals who helped Kurbanali until the end.
via Sad Father’s Day for Calgary Mayor Nenshi after dad passes away | Calgary | News | Calgary Sun.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/mayor-mourns-fathers-death-080426893.html
Dad of Calgary mayor dies on Father’s Day – Canada – Canoe.ca
CALGARY — It’s been a sad Father’s Day for Mayor Naheed Nenshi and his family, who are mourning the loss of his dad who died Sunday.
Kurbanali Hussein Nenshi, who just turned 72 on Saturday, was born in Tanzania in 1940 and came to Canada with his wife Noorjah in 1971, settling in Calgary in 1973.
“In many ways, his life was ordinary – struggle, sacrifice, giving back to the community, building an amazing future for his family,” the family said in a statement.
“But he never forgot just how extraordinary this country and this city are, in giving him and so many others amazing opportunity.
“This, combined with his deep and unshakeable faith, led him to instil the value of service in everyone he touched. Kurban was a compassionate man who loved his family with a fierce devotion.”
The family thanks the many health-care professionals who helped Kurbanali until the end.
“It was because of this amazing care over the years that Kurban was able to see his children achieve their dreams, and see his granddaughters born, as well as spend special precious time with them,” the statement said.
A private memorial service in the Ismaili Muslim tradition will be held.
In lieu of flowers, if so desired, memorial tributes may be made to the Calgary Foundation, referencing the Nenshi Family Charitable Fund, benefiting immigrant youth, people in poverty, and arts and culture in Calgary:
Galleries
via Dad of Calgary mayor dies on Father’s Day – Canada – Canoe.ca.
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria’s feature: Immigration lessons for the U.S. from around the world – citing Canada’s Muslim Mayor Naheed Nenshi
-Excerpt- When Nahed Nenshi became the first Muslim mayor of a major Canadian city in 2010, he shattered Calgary’s “redneck” stereotype.
“When I was running for office, it was only people who were not from here who said ‘Whoa, is Calgary ready for a mayor like that?’” he says. “The people in Calgary just said, ‘Ah, it’s a kid from the East End. We know him.’”
Canada’s real challenge, says Nenshi, is ensuring the economic and social integration of immigrants once they are living in the country. Continue reading
Calgary mayor kept busy at 4 charity walks Sunday – Calgary – CBC News
The summer is shaping up to be a very busy season for Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi when it comes to community engagement.
He participated in four charity walks alone on Sunday — a feat that he said would probably happen a few more times over the coming months.
“So I started this morning at Betty’s Walk and Run for ALS, then the World Partnership Walk for Global Poverty at Prince’s Island, then Stanley Park for the Telus Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk and now here we are at the Walk to Fight Arthritis,” said Nenshi from Fish Creek Provincial Park.
He said while his weekends are filling up quickly, he is just glad to see so many Calgarians come out for a good cause.
via Calgary mayor kept busy at 4 charity walks Sunday – Calgary – CBC News.
BBC Video Interview with Naheed Nenshi: High-profile Canadian Muslim mayor on trust
Naheed Nenshi on the cover of Reader’s Digest
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is on the front cover of the May edition of Reader’s Digest. The five part article is also available on-line
Politics 2.0 – Naheed Nenshi and the Power of Social Engagement
How a number-crunching tweet machine became Calgary’s mayor, and why his down-home leadership is transforming municipal politics. By Marcello Di Cintio From: Reader’s Digest Canada, May 2012
Nenshi credits his faith for teaching him the value of community. His older sister, Shaheen Nenshi Nathoo, agrees. Religion, she says, taught them the value of public service. Nenshi and his sister both volunteered at the Ismaili mosque. “My parents stressed that no matter what we had, there was someone who had less, and that it was our duty to give back in whatever way we could,” Nenshi Nathoo says. “Even at a young age, Naheed took that lesson to heart.”
—
Nenshi argues that the real story about his election isn’t about his race or religion—which, he’s quick to remind reporters, hardly came up during the campaign—but about Calgary’s colour-blindness. “It’s about what Calgary does right in a world desperate for role models on making multiculturalism work.”
Article online: http://www.readersdigest.ca/magazine/2012-trust-poll/politics-20-naheed-nenshi-and-power-social-engagement
Article by Mayor Naheed Nenshi on Democracy
Quotes His Highness the Aga Khan.
By Naheed Nenshi, For the Calgary Herald March 2, 2012
Late last week, reflecting on the ongoing robocall scandal, Post-media columnist Andrew Coyne wrote on Twitter: “Always remember: everyone in politics is trying to con you in one way or another. Some go to greater lengths at different times than others.”
The sometimes-witty Coyne was, I hope, being tongue-in-cheek, but I was surprised when people jumped in to agree with him. One Calgary journalist wrote that Coyne was “merely expressing a belief held by large (numbers of Canadians).”
I simply don’t believe that’s true.
Read at the source: calgaryherald.com: Nenshi: Not all politicians are out to con you, really.
Related, letter to the editor: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Dichotomous/6245765/story.html
Naheed Nenshi celebrates birthday with prostate test
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi turns 40 this week and he’s marking the occasion early by making a statement about men’s health.
Nenshi arranged with the Prostate Cancer Centre to have its mobile testing unit — called the Man Van — stop by city hall Monday so he could have a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test.
The mayor says it’s important for men to get the baseline blood test done once they turn 40.
“You know men are embarrassed by this,” said Nenshi.
“We don’t like to talk about health issues. We especially don’t like to talk about health issues below the belt, and when you talk about getting your prostate exam and people think about digital exams and how uncomfortable and unpleasant that might be, but in fact, you should do it. And what you should start with a simple blood test.
via Naheed Nenshi celebrates birthday with prostate test – Calgary – CBC News.
Naheed Nenshi: Crucial players in 2011′s revolutions – The Globe and Mail
Naheed Nenshi
Old-style politics leaves people cold, the young most of all. Where time-serving cynicism abounds, creativity is silenced and hopefulness scorned. The sudden and joyful arrival of 39-year-old Naheed Nenshi as mayor of Calgary drastically altered that dreary template and supplied a powerful shock of delight to a moribund political system. There’s a place for talent, real talent, in politics, and you don’t have to park your brains or exuberance at the door.
Mr. Nenshi is an Ismaili Muslim with a Harvard pedigree, Continue reading
Adrienne Clarkson offers insights into how immigrants overcome trauma in Room For All of Us
The book opens with Nenshi, who has gone on to become one of Canada’s most popular mayors after winning a surprising victory in the 2010 election. Clarkson explained that she wanted to start with the Ismailis, who escaped East Africa in the early 1970s during the rising pan-Africanist movement.
Many Ismailis traced their roots back to the Indian subcontinent, and moved to Africa during the colonial era.
The persecution was worst in Uganda, where Idi Amin ordered them out of the country in 1972 or face dire consequences. Then-Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau responded by welcoming the Ismailis to Canada, and many settled in the Lower Mainland.
Clarkson said that at that time, it was the largest influx of Muslims into this country. “They have an inclusive world view that has much volunteering in it,” she added.
She described Ismailis as “a people of the diaspora”, who’ve lived in Iran, Egypt, and South Asia. Clarkson noted that similar to European Jews and Chinese in Southeast Asia, Ismailis know what it’s like to be under threat.
“They are very sensitive to that,” she said.
More with video at the source: Adrienne Clarkson offers insights into how immigrants overcome trauma in Room For All of Us | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com.
Mayor Nenshi says strengthening cities last unfinished task in nation building
Sep 22, 2011 -Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is on a four-city tour to promote the vitality and opportunity in his city. He used his stop in Ottawa on Thursday morning to tout the “energy” that surrounds Calgary — and he was not just referring to the oil patch. The energy, he explained, extends to the city’s great ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.
Strengthening Canada’s cities, he said, is the last great unfinished task in nation building.
Building a great city, according to Nenshi, requires creating a vibrant culture scene, ensuring communities are attractive, and that public infrastructure is accessible. Such a city puts the focus on sustainability and ensures it has a cohesive chorus of business and social networks. Calgary, he argued, has all of those elements.
Calgary’s sunny mayor dangles jobs to gloomy East
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/09/22/john-ivison-calgarys-sunny-mayor-dangles-jobs-to-gloomy-east/
http://www.bepartoftheenergy.com/energy-makers-person.php?id=23
New documentary – @nenshi4mayor
As Calgarians, we all know it, and in fall of 2010, Naheed Nenshi lived it – anything is possible in Calgary! A Muslim political newcomer with little name recognition in the city at large was elected mayor of one of Canada’s most vibrant cities, right in the heart of “redneck Alberta.” How’d it happen? The face of politics in Calgary was forever changed when an informed, self-made Harvard grad harnessed the power of social media to engage directly with citizens and tackle civic issues head-on to win over a city. Campaign insiders share behind-the-scene stories of his strategy and surprise victory. With full access, the film follows Naheed Nenshi as he changes the culture of City Hall, the face of Calgary, and the future of politics.
In celebration of Alberta Arts Days (September 30 – October 2, 2011), join social media experts and cultural ambassadors for a lively post-screening discussion on the role social media can play in promoting arts and culture in our dynamic and rapidly evolving city.
Where: JOHN DUTTON THEATRE – Calgary Public Library – 616 Macleod Trail SE – Film screening 50 Minutes, followed by the panel discussion. FREE ADMISSION
via @nenshi4mayor/ Social Media 4 Culture Panel Discussion – Calgary International Film Festival.
At Stampede Parade, a fleeting Royal moment and a mayor on horseback – The Globe and Mail
There were cowboys on horses, beauty queens on horses, Mounties marching, and a prize-winning float designed by Ismaili Muslims.
Besides the warm feelings shown toward William and Catherine – who, in their defence, had to get to their own viewing spot for the big parade – some of the biggest cheers were for Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who actually looked comfortable on his placid brown horse.
It is a fact of life in this town that if you want to be a winning politician, the key isn’t kissing babies – it’s being able to ride a horse and look like you love it.
via At Stampede Parade, a fleeting Royal moment and a mayor on horseback – The Globe and Mail.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi: State of the arts
Excerpt: “Every mayor has had their own pet (cause) and, for me, it’s always been Calgary’s arts community,” Nenshi says.
That’s no secret to those who know Nenshi best. According to his sister, Shaheen Nenshi Nathoo, her younger brother gravitated toward the arts from a young age.
The son of working class South-Asian immigrants from Tanzania, Nenshi taught himself to read at the age of two. Continue reading
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s Interview with The Ismaili
Aaida Rajabali recently spoke with Mayor Nenshi on behalf of TheIsmaili.org to learn about his first few months in the office. The mayor discussed his views on pluralism in civil society, community-building, and his vision for women, youth and the Ismaili community.
Aaida Rajabali (TheIsmaili): The last few months have been quite exciting for you. Can you recall a particular challenge, situation, moment, or achievement that stands out in your mind?
Mayor Nenshi: There are a lot of them. Traditionally, the mayor gets to choose the person who swears him in, as well as the religious figure that does the invocation or the prayer. We made the prayer very multi-faith. I invited a leader from the Ismaili Muslim community, a leader from the Jewish community, and a leader from the Christian community. For my actual swearing in, I asked my sister to do it on behalf of my family, the Ismaili community and really all immigrant families in Calgary. That was a very, very special night.
via The Ismaili: Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi on community building and the pursuit of passions.
NYTimes.com: From Canada, Lessons on Revolution
By CHRYSTIA FREELAND – CALGARY, ALBERTA — Conventional wisdom has it that the Internet is dumbing us down and making politics more partisan. Sound bites are more effective than substance. The punditocracy that shapes these truisms is, needless to say, pretty certain they apply most powerfully to people in the provinces, especially those with a history of voting for the right.
That is why the election of Naheed Nenshi, a 39-year-old former business school professor, as mayor of Calgary, is a watershed event that should be of interest far beyond Canada, where he has already become a political superstar.
When Mr. Nenshi earned his upset victory last October, the first flutter of outside enthusiasm was around the fact that an Ismaili Muslim son of South Asian immigrants who came to Canada from Tanzania had been chosen to lead the capital of Canada’s conservative heartland.
Click here to read at the source: From Canada, Lessons on Revolution – NYTimes.com.
