Hamimah is a trained Speech and Language Therapist / Pathologist. She holds a PhD in Speech, Language and Communication Disorders from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
She lost her husband, Zekeriya Tuyan, in the terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on 15 March 2019.
She is the Chair of the Sakinah Community Trust, which is a women-led organization comprising strong empowered women impacted by the attacks. This Trust supports initiatives that aim to strengthen communities, promote wellbeing and build social cohesion. She is also the Chair of the Collective Impact Board which was established in May 2021 in line with Recommendation 26 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attacks. The Board facilitates public sector agencies, non-government organizations and affected families, and survivors to agree a specific work programme to provide ongoing wrap-around services to them. Hamimah actively participates in agency-led initiatives for implementing the various recommendations.
Hamimah believes that it is critical for the future health of her community and the nation that they strive to preserve the lessons learnt on 15 March 2019 and move forward resiliently together as a way to honour those lost.
At the Summit
The inaugural Eradicate Hate Summit was a truly impressive gathering of leaders dedicated to finding lasting and effective solutions to violent extremism. I was particularly moved by the prominence given to survivors and family members of victims of hate and violence throughout the event. Their stories and those of so many others must be at the center of what we do and why we do it.
