Heba Al Tarhuni, Dentist, “To belong to the Muslim community is to have a strong backbone in times of happiness and need”

​Dr. Heba Al Tarhuni, a respected dentist with a thriving practice in London, is grateful for the opportunities afforded by Canada.  “I am a Muslim dentist, mother, volunteer, activist and health advocate,” says Dr. Heba, “I try to live a balanced positive life and inspire and support those around me to do the same.”

Dr. Heba was a young 10-year-old when her parents decided to immigrate to Canada.  At that time the family was living in Saudi Arabia, where their Palestinian/Lebanese heritage made it almost impossible to access further education. “My parents really wanted to seek out better opportunities for us, and with my mom being Francophone, Canada was the top choice for them.  It was one of the biggest sacrifices they made, but look at us now - my sister, my younger brother and I all became doctors.”

London was the choice of destination for Dr. Heba’s family because they had distant cousins living here at the time.  They made the big move in May of 2001, leaving behind her eldest brother who choose to remain in Saudi Arabia.  Dr. Heba attributes the success of their transition to being in the multicultural neighbourhood of White Oaks, where there were people like herself.  “Luckily the place we were renting was right next to the South London Community Centre and my mother reached out to them.”  She remembers with great fondness the team at the centre, where she was enrolled in summer camp as soon as she arrived.

Dr. Heba says, “It is literally 20 years ago and Krista, who worked at the centre became like a real aunt to us. She signed me up for camp, took me shopping, helped me get my hair done, she even gave me my very first winter coat! There’s nothing like having your hand held gently when trying to take your first few steps!” There were counsellors at the South London Community Centre who wore the hijab (headscarf), and for the young Heba it was a powerful lesson that she too had a place in this country.  Heba says, “It's not that we were being forced to assimilate. It showed me that we can integrate while holding on to our culture, our identity, and our perspectives.”

Heba remembers her first job in London as a young girl.  She had been accepted to work as a server at the still to be opened Krispy Kreme before she covered her head.  In the time it took to open the outlet, Heba had made the decision to wear the hijab.  She was very nervous before her first day that she might not be allowed to be part of the team.  However, when she showed up for work that first day her manager admired her head scarf and even commented on it being an excellent alternative to the hair net.  This acceptance and normalization of her visibility as a Muslim was a defining moment for Heba.
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While she believes that Canada is a beautiful place for all religions and all cultures, she is not blind to the struggles that immigrants face. She hopes for more minority representation in every level of every sector to combat those small pockets of xenophobia that all minority groups face.  “The best way to have real change is to use education effectively,” says Heba, “to have acceptance of all colours, races, cultures, ethnicities engraved on our hearts from an early age.”

For Heba, her Islamic faith is her moral compass. It is the reason she tries to be better every single day.  She says, “to belong to the Muslim community is to have a strong backbone in times of happiness and need”.  As a visible Muslim (wearing a hijab) she feels a responsibility at every interaction to show that she is an asset to this beautiful community. “We work hard, we pay taxes, we volunteer,” she says.  Dr. Heba believes Canada wants immigrants to succeed and there are so many great role models out there like hockey super star Nazim Kadri. “Dreams do come true”, says Heba, “you just have to keep trying”.

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