WHO IS BEHIND CAMP DEEN?
DIRECTORS
Safeeya
Naadia
Camp Deen has become my home away from home! Reluctantly coming to camp as a 10-year-old kid, I discovered a connection to nature and Islam at Camp Deen that I have yet to feel anywhere else. I am now 25 years old and I still very much look forward to the serenity that praying Jummah Namaz beneath the willow tree brings me each year. I have been a camp-counsellor for five years now and it is a wonderful honour to empower Muslim youth to be our future leaders. I am super excited to be a part of the Board of Directors this year along with some of the kindest people I have ever met who have selflessly dedicated their lives to make Camp Deen a memorable, wholesome, safe week for Canadian-Muslim children.
Nimet
Salaam! As both a previous camper and counsellor, Camp Deen was the one part of the summer I would look forward to. A little about me; I was a camper since I was 8, I used to be a lifeguard here at Camp since I love waterfront, and I love making people smile and laugh. Camp was a place where I made so many lifelong friends while still having so much fun learning new things about Islam and nature. Spending my summers at Camp has helped me develop into a confident kid while strengthening my values as a Muslim woman. I am very excited to be able to give everyone at Camp Deen this year the same amazing experience I have had growing up!
ADVISORY BOARD
Nadine Karachi-Estrada
Salaams Camp Deen community.
My name is Nadine Karachi-Estrada & I am part of the Camp Deen legacy.
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I happily serve on the Camp Deen Advisory Board & look forward to being at camp every summer.
Muslim camp became a part of my life when I was 6 yo. Fortunately, our parents saw the importance of having my siblings & I share in this important Canadian Muslim project back in the 1970’s and I have continued on ever since.
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I live principally in Mexico City with my husband of 26 years.
Our kids, Ali & Anisa have been part of camp for nearly all their lives.
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As a diplomat in Mexico City I also serve on boards in NY, Chicago, Mexico City & Rome, Italy. I bring these collective experiences as best I can to help make camp a great experience for our wide ranging Muslim community. This is what I love to give Camp Deen.
Nina Karachi-Khaled
Ashraf Meer
Assalamu Alaikum!
I was fortunate to grow up going to Muslim camp since I was 7 years old. It has always been the highlight of my year. My best friends are the ones I met at camp. We still keep in touch and share an incredible bond. Alhamdulillah, my kids also grew up going to camp.
I'm the "Camp Mom" to the rest of the campers too. It is such a privilege to watch young people grow up to become leaders at camp and in their community.
When you find a place where you are seen and loved then you have to share it with as many people as possible.
Ashraf is an attorney and father of three campers. He lives and works in Tacoma, Washington. Over his career, he has been a writer, an editor, a filmmaker, but he is most proud of being a camper.
Ashraf’s family has been involved with camp since the beginning. His experience as a camper made a lifelong impression on him. In 2011, Ashraf joined the Camp Deen senior staff, and for the next 6 years was active in redesigning the camp program. He attended camp as a staff member from 2012-2018. He rejoined the Camp Deen Advisory Board in 2023.
Ashraf’s favorite parts of camp are nature and canoeing.
Uncle Murray
Known as “Uncle Murray” for decades at camp, I am an avid historian, outdoorsman and writer.
I used to volunteer in leading the canoeing program but now focus on arts and crafts. In recent years I have been working on incorporating leatherwork and ceramics into the arts program. My wife and I have sent our three children to camp, and now I bring my four grandchildren. I believe so strongly in the need for a moderate and safe Muslim camp experience for children and youths. I have been active with Muslim groups since 1959 and served as secretary to two of them.
Adnan Qayyum
I've been going to camp since I was 12. I have so many fond memories of friendships formed at camp while learning about the beautiful outdoors. I'm a father of four, and my kids love camp. They call it "the funnest week of the year". I'm also known as AdnanSportsMan, because I run sports and camp games at Camp.
Timothy Gianotti
Dr. Timothy J. Gianotti is our Imam, or spiritual leader, at Camp Deen. He is a scholar of classical Islamic theology, philosophy, and spirituality with strong interests in Islamic Psychology, Ethics, Moral Theology, Education, Political Thought, and comparative mysticism; he is also a theologian and committed interfaith advocate with hands-on experience promoting interfaith engagement around the globe.
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