Dr. Husaini walked a fine line which embodied the best values of the old world – from India – while bringing an enlightened and critical view to the social context of her community in Edmonton and Canada.  The balance of culture and religion with values of humanism was a lifelong journey for her.  It was so intrinsic to her being that one could not discern where her intellectual life ended and where her community life began.

As she researched for grants that contemplated the appropriate human rights response to forced marriage, she never forgot to offer a cup of tea, or perhaps a samosa from Masala Wok, to those who sat beside her in struggle.

Two of her dearest colleagues and fellow board members at ICWA, Jagjeet Bhardwaj and Avau Fast, she considered to be her sisters. That Jagjeetji is Hindu and Avauji is Bahai is entirely congruent with her worldview, which thrived on the beauty of pluralism as the foundation of love and understanding.  

When we reflect on how we can assess the impact of our dear friend, aunt, colleague, mother, grandmother and mentor, Dr. Zohra Husaini, it strains the imagination.  But we can be assured in knowing that her brilliance is captured in the energy and light that all of us carry with us from our single or many encounters with her.   The idea that a vision of justice includes all of us and that each one of our voices is urgently needed to join the struggle for building a better world is both daunting and inspiring. We are inspired by her courage, her vision and her action in the world.  And we are grounded by her compassion in setting out a plate of chana, aloo for her colleagues - never just a cup of tea.

In all things compassion. But never compassion without justice. That was Dr. Husaini’s legacy: her thought, her action, and her humanism.