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“His groundbreaking political advocacy, public relations and media work has been widely credited by insiders as framing a new narrative for Muslims in Canada,” says a bio of Hashim connected to an appearance he made at CanRoots 2016, a left-wing activist conference.

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The bio continues: “His workshop ‘Progressive organizing in the Muslim communities’ will demonstrate how the GTA Muslim community mobilized in the previous federal election, and laid the groundwork to start building a national political movement.”

Another bio from the 2017 Muslim Awards of Excellence continues this description of Hashim as something of a spin doctor, noting that “his talking points and media advocacy are changing how Muslims are seen in the Canadian identity.”

While there have been cases of high profile individuals hiring PR representatives for crisis management – such as Michael Bryant and Jian Ghomeshi – it’s rare to see it happen with someone not already in the public eye.

The media-savvy Hashim has been featured in stories for a variety of his activities including in his capacity as president of the board for the Erin Mills Youth Centre and as a leader of the Muslim community group DawaNet.

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But despite his familiarity with media, Hashim refused to answer questions from the Sun about the Hussain family and his connection with them, including how long he had known them and whether he reached out to them or vice versa.

“I’m sorry I have no comment forthe Toronto Sun,” said Hashim via an online exchange. “I think [Sun columnist] Joe Warmington’s piece was incredibly irresponsible and I have no trust in your organization to convey any truth.”