Ahmed Khan is a second year science student who currently serves as the Director of McGill Students for Amnesty International.
Michelle Sung for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): How did you get involved with Amnesty International?
Ahmed Khan (AK): I first heard of Amnesty International when I was in high school when my brother told me he was working with the Amnesty International office in Vancouver. He explained to me that Amnesty International is a human rights advocacy organization that raises awareness of and takes action against human rights violations. I wanted to learn more about the organization, and I attended a one-week summer youth workshop at the Amnesty International office in Vancouver. That was the first time I learned about human rights and what struck me instantly about the organization was the impact it had. Instead of asking for simply a monetary donation, Amnesty International strives to raise mass public support against human rights violations around the world to make a difference. By signing a petition, a postcard, or writing a letter, you are able to show your support for human rights causes. Through the mass support, Amnesty International has helped preserve the rights of many different groups around the world, including freeing prisoners of conscious (people who were imprisoned for their beliefs, including political or religious beliefs). This helped me realize how all of us can help make a difference. I’ve been interested in Amnesty International since that workshop, and I immediately signed up for the McGill Students for Amnesty International when I heard about the club in my first year!
HC McGill: What kind of responsibilities does your position on the executive committee entail?
AK: This year I am a part of the executive committee as the Director of McGill Students for Amnesty International. We are a brand new executive team, and it has been amazing so far! We collectively plan interactive meetings and innovative events. Even though we all have different positions in the executive team, we always try to help each other out when we can. Specific to my role, I handle most of the administrative parts of the running the club, which sometimes includes logistics and planning of our events. Along with that, I try to assist the other executives as much as I can with their current projects, whether it is organizing an event, getting in touch with other groups, or attending different meetings.
HC McGill: What upcoming Amnesty International initiatives are you most excited about?
AK: An initiative we are quite excited about is Congo Week. One of our members, Francois Fletcher, came to our first meeting very passionate about this cause of raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are currently planning a documentary screening to raise awareness of the crisis on October 25th in the SSMU building.
Along with this event, McGill Students for Amnesty International usually hosts a variety of events every term. We partnered with Amnesty International’s Montreal chapter to organize a vigil and march for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Last year, for example, we hosted documentary screenings to raise awareness of various issues, panel discussions with other organizations on campus, and a candlelight vigil to commemorate the three-year anniversary of the Syrian uprising.
HC McGill: How can others get involved?
AK: As I mentioned earlier, we’re a brand new executive team this year, and we are looking for new members who are interested in McGill Students for Amnesty International! We have weekly meetings in the SSMU building and we would love to have any interested students to come out and join us! We also have a Facebook page where students can follow us and see what we are up to on campus. One of our main goals this term is to increase our presence on campus through various events, as this will help Amnesty International raise awareness of more human rights issues.
Images contributed by interviewee.