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In commemoration of the first anniversary of the tragic attack against Our London Family, the Afzaal’s, I Am London 2022 will join in local efforts to combat Islamophobia by celebrating Muslim members of our community. We hope to amplify the stories of Muslim immigrants to showcase the diversity of our Muslim community and the important role so many individuals play in our community.
Born and raised in Amman, Jordan Hetham Karky has had to overcome several setbacks, beginning with the loss of his parents when he was very young. He put himself through Law school in Jordan, and just before the pandemic he was invited to join Western University’s Law School as a visiting scholar. He arrived in London in July 2019 and was soon immersed in the community around him. “Since coming to Canada in 2019, I have been involved in several community organizations,” says Hetham, “I am currently the Vice-Chair of the Neighbourhood Legal Services Board and a Member of the Diversity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Advisory Committee with the City of London, and past Chair of the University Heights Public School Council for two consecutive years.”
There are many achievements that Hetham is proud of, but the one that stands out is the establishment of the Rights and Responsibility Awareness initiative (RRAI) of which he is the Executive Director. “As a new immigrant I became aware of the challenges that newcomers face in Canada,” says Hetham, “especially the pitfalls from the differences in language, culture, law – which at certain points can be dangerous.” RRAI, an initiative created by Hetham, was funded by City of London, when his proposal to create and deliver educational courses and seminars on the rights and responsibilities of newcomers to London won the “Get Involved London, City of London, 2019,” funding. The RRAI pillars focus on Community, Education, Diversity and Justice. “RRAI is now a registered charity, established under federal Canadian laws and regulations,” says Hetham, “through our work we aim to create a better and stronger community.
Our services are for everyone and the education we provide helps with legal, financial, and cultural awareness.“RRAI is well supported in London,” says Hetham, “more that a thousand people have been through our awareness programs – both newcomers and long-term residents. This is because the topics we cover are often universal in nature, such as wrongful dismissal, financial literacy, tax issues, housing issues.”
RRAI has received support over the years from various organizations in London providing office space, venues, trainers, etc. “I am very grateful for the support,” says Hetham, “to name a few, Pillar Non-profit Network; the London Public Library, London Police Service, the Community Legal Services clinic at Western Law and WILL Employment Solutions. In fact, Libro Credit Union provides most of the financial literacy training.”
Hetham attributes his exposure through travel to his job with Ministry of Industrial Works in Jordan. “I was fortunate to interact with people of all faiths and cultures,” he says, “but here in Canada I was further challenged to create and sustain healthy, fruitful relations not only with people of different faiths, cultures but also of different orientations, beliefs etc. and given all the differences that exist, respecting boundaries has been a good challenge.”
“Family, community, kindness, honesty, integrity, accepting others – that is the key to living harmoniously” says Hetham. He muses further, “It is a sign of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it. You have the right to believe whatever you want, and I must respect that. You have a right to believe regardless of whether I too subscribe to that belief.”
Born and raised in Amman, Jordan Hetham Karky has had to overcome several setbacks, beginning with the loss of his parents when he was very young. He put himself through Law school in Jordan, and just before the pandemic he was invited to join Western University’s Law School as a visiting scholar. He arrived in London in July 2019 and was soon immersed in the community around him. “Since coming to Canada in 2019, I have been involved in several community organizations,” says Hetham, “I am currently the Vice-Chair of the Neighbourhood Legal Services Board and a Member of the Diversity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Advisory Committee with the City of London, and past Chair of the University Heights Public School Council for two consecutive years.”
There are many achievements that Hetham is proud of, but the one that stands out is the establishment of the Rights and Responsibility Awareness initiative (RRAI) of which he is the Executive Director. “As a new immigrant I became aware of the challenges that newcomers face in Canada,” says Hetham, “especially the pitfalls from the differences in language, culture, law – which at certain points can be dangerous.” RRAI, an initiative created by Hetham, was funded by City of London, when his proposal to create and deliver educational courses and seminars on the rights and responsibilities of newcomers to London won the “Get Involved London, City of London, 2019,” funding. The RRAI pillars focus on Community, Education, Diversity and Justice. “RRAI is now a registered charity, established under federal Canadian laws and regulations,” says Hetham, “through our work we aim to create a better and stronger community.
Our services are for everyone and the education we provide helps with legal, financial, and cultural awareness.”
“RRAI is well supported in London,” says Hetham, “more that a thousand people have been through our awareness programs – both newcomers and long-term residents. This is because the topics we cover are often universal in nature, such as wrongful dismissal, financial literacy, tax issues, housing issues.”
RRAI has received support over the years from various organizations in London providing office space, venues, trainers, etc. “I am very grateful for the support,” says Hetham, “to name a few, Pillar Non-profit Network; the London Public Library, London Police Service, the Community Legal Services clinic at Western Law and WILL Employment Solutions. In fact, Libro Credit Union provides most of the financial literacy training.”
Hetham attributes his exposure through travel to his job with Ministry of Industrial Works in Jordan. “I was fortunate to interact with people of all faiths and cultures,” he says, “but here in Canada I was further challenged to create and sustain healthy, fruitful relations not only with people of different faiths, cultures but also of different orientations, beliefs etc. and given all the differences that exist, respecting boundaries has been a good challenge.”
“Family, community, kindness, honesty, integrity, accepting others – that is the key to living harmoniously” says Hetham. He muses further, “It is a sign of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it. You have the right to believe whatever you want, and I must respect that. You have a right to believe regardless of whether I too subscribe to that belief.”
Rights And Responsibilities Awareness Initiative (RRAI) is a community initiative, incorporated as a registered charity, aimed at spreading legal, financial, and cultural awareness to the Ontario community.