Zak Sheikh's Topic is "Canadian Islamic Perspective".
Speaker Biography
Shaykh (Zak) Sheikh
Muslim Chaplain at the University of Alberta
Shaykh Zak Sheikh, BSc, was born on Sept. 11, 1949 -- a date that
proved ominous 52 years later -- to a Muslim family in Egypt, a
majority Sunni Muslim society. At first he took his religion for
granted, but three Middle-East wars (1956, 1967 and 1973) and trips
to Europe in 1969 and 1970 changed that.
At 28 years old, he had acquired a BSc in horticulture from Cairo
University and worked as a marketing director for a major Egyptian
company that exported perishables to Europe and cosmetics to Russia.
Life was good, but Zak felt empty in the knowledge department.
On Sept. 11, 1978, Zak left Egypt. After a solo, one-night soul-
searching birthday celebration in London, three weeks visiting with
friends in New York City, a month with relatives in Detroit, and a
few days in Toronto, Zak landed as a new immigrant in Edmonton.
With a totally new attitude towards life, Zak started his second life
in Canada mainly looking for an answer to the question that nagged
him throughout his previous life: what happens to us after we die?
Having survived in different jobs in sales and otherwise, including a
five-year stint as a product manager for an aerosol manufacturer back
in Egypt in the 1990s, and looking deeply into Islam while comparing
it to most other religions large and small, Zak thinks he has finally
found some answers.
For the past three years, Zak has been the Muslim chaplain at the
University of Alberta. Zak Sheikh considers himself a Shaykh -- an
elder or spiritual counselor.