DR. NABILA DAJANI MALIK

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DR. NABILA DAJANI MALIK

Dr. Nabila Dajani Malik passed away in Winnipeg on August 6, 2020, at the age of 84, surrounded by her loving family. Her funeral took place on August 8, 2020.
Nabila was born in Jaffa, Palestine, into a prominent family. In the aftermath of the 1948 Palestinian tragedy, her family found themselves as refugees in Lebanon, before settling in Ramallah, West Bank. Thereafter, Nabila attended the American University of Cairo, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and History.
Having excelled in her subsequent two years as a high school teacher, Nabila was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 1959 for graduate studies in Economics at the American University in Washington, D.C., where she graduated with a Master's degree, and thereafter a Ph.D. At the American University she met her husband, Abdul Malik, a classmate, and they were married in 1961.
After graduation, Nabila and her husband worked for the Central Bank of Jordan for two years, and then migrated to Canada in 1966, settling in Winnipeg. There, Nabila was appointed as a Senior Economist with the Government of Manitoba, working at its Economic Consultative Board, Planning and Priorities Committee of the Cabinet and the Department of Industry, while her husband joined the University of Manitoba faculty.
Nabila and her husband were among the pioneers of the Muslim community in Manitoba (a story told in the documentary film Prairie Mosque). She was very active in the broader Winnipeg community via her involvement in the Altrusa Club of Winnipeg (the local chapter of an international non-profit organization focused on community service, comprised of professional women), as well as in philanthropy, through fundraising for causes such as health services in the Palestinian Territories.
Nabila's work for Altrusa included the establishment of the Language Bank for translation and interpretation services, a scholarship fund at the University of Manitoba, easy to read specialized books for the functionally illiterate, and many other service projects for the City of Winnipeg. She was also invited by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to represent Muslims on its Ethics Committee, whose objective was to ensure that CBC followed the highest ethical standards in its programming with respect to all faiths.
In her retirement years, Nabila enjoyed her family and friends at her homes in both Winnipeg and Toronto, and continued to pursue causes she very much cared for. She particularly enjoyed her garden in Winnipeg, as well as reading (with a large number of books on her beloved Kindle), and was an active participant in her Toronto book club.
Nabila will be particularly remembered for her deep interest in promoting education and concern for community, as well as for her generosity, warmth, love of family and amazing cooking.
She is survived by her ever-loving husband, her children, Nasser and Leena, for whom she is their guiding light, her sister and brother-in-law in Toronto, as well as many nieces, nephews and her cousins in Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 15, 2020