Mashooda-Lubna Syed
Community Pillar
Mashooda-Lubna Syed has nearly 40 years of community building and service.
As a Muslim woman from a minority community, Mashooda is a respected female leader of the community. She is very knowledgeable about procedures and rights, and advocates for what is right, holding herself and others to a high standard of honesty, accountability and integrity. She has supported the Ottawa community through educational fundraisers, food-raisers, civic engagement, celebrations of female empowerment, and guidance to individuals during times of crises.
Mashooda-Lubna Syed was the first female President of Canada Pakistan Association and has excelled with confidence in many environments where there is little female representation. Her great strength in leadership has also been demonstrated through her involvement in other organizations. In 2021, Mashooda was elected to join the Board of Directors of Human Concern International (HCI) and has also been active on the Board of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women.
Mashooda is an active and well respected member of the United Muslim Organization of Ottawa-Gatineau (UMO-OG). She was a member of the Parents’ Committee at Ashbury College for 12 years and has been a volunteer with the Ottawa Food Bank since 2018.
Mashooda worked diligently to assist new Afghanistan refugees in Canada. She united Global Affairs Canada, Immigration Canada, Orleans Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Lotus community and Human Concern International to help collect, sort, and provide necessities to the refugee families.
During the first year of COVID-19, Mashooda collaborated with the UMO-OG and the Ottawa Food Bank to establish a home delivery program that brought free food hampers directly to the doorsteps of food bank clients in Ottawa.
From 2020-21, Mashooda was House Manager and Ottawa Lead for Sakeenah Homes, a network of sheltering projects that provide a safe and nurturing environment for Muslim women and children so that they may be given equal opportunities to excel, grow, and thrive with respect and dignity.
Ms. Syed has received multiple prestigious recognitions and awards at community and governmental levels. In 2012, Mashooda-Lubna Syed received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2017, she received The Senate 150th Anniversary Medal for helping Syrian refugees settle in Ottawa. The medals were awarded to Canadians or permanent residents actively involved in their communities who, through generosity, dedication, volunteerism and hard work, make their communities a better place to live.
