Zarqa Nawaz

Zarqa is a Canadian producer for film and television, a published author, public speaker, journalist, and former broadcaster.

In 2007, Ms. Nawaz created the internationally renowned CBC comedy series, Little Mosque on the Prairie, the world’s first sitcom about a Muslim community living in the west. Little Mosque on the Prairie went on to win a Gemini as well as being nominated for Best Television Series .

Zarqa went on to successfully sell comedy pilots to ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox Studios. and made her mark in the publishing world. Her 2014 comedic memoir Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, appeared on the bestseller list of The Globe And Mail, and was shortlisted for several awards.

Zarqa’s debut fiction novel, Jameela Green Ruins Everything (2022), further illustrates her comedic genius and brilliant use of satire.

A frequent public speaker on Islam and comedy, Zarqa received a Doctor of Divinity from the University of Saskatchewan for her interfaith work in the community. In recognition for her contribution to the world of arts, she received The Brampton Walk of Fame in 2019.

Zarqa lives in Regina with her loving but long-suffering family and is the proud mother of four children.