Edmonton Islamic advocate combats rise in Islamophobia

Nakita Valerio has been told to “go back to her country” numerous times since she converted to Islam and started veiling. Her family is from Italy.
Those experiences drove Valerio, an academic studying Jewish and Islamic history, to take a direct role in Edmonton’s Muslim community. Now an executive of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council, Valerio works as a voice of the community’s grassroots work.
Valerio converted to Islam in 2010. She was drawn to the religion&rs