Agent of Change: My Life Fighting Terrorists, Spies, and Institutional Racism

Huda Mukbil was the first Black Arab-Canadian Muslim woman to join CSIS and was at the forefront of the fight against terrorism after 9/11. She was framed as an inside threat and started to question CSIS's ethical stance. Her stellar work on a secondment to MI5 earned her commendation, but only temporarily from the hostile workplace culture at CSIS. She and a group of colleagues went public about the pervasive institutional discrimination undermining CSIS and national security, leading to important changes at the agency.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2023
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

In her captivating memoir, Agent of Change, Huda Mukbil takes readers on a behind-the-scenes journey into the world of a top-tier spy agency during a period of immense turmoil. As an intelligence officer for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Mukbil recounts her experiences as the first Black Arab-Canadian Muslim woman to join the organization. Her remarkable skills in four languages swiftly propelled her to become a foremost expert in counterterrorism, making her a highly valuable asset to CSIS. However, her journey was not without its challenges.

As she worked alongside her colleagues to confront emerging international threats, Mukbil faced ongoing struggles for acceptance and recognition within the agency. The aftermath of the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the rise of homegrown extremism further complicated her situation, casting her as an insider threat. Undeterred, Mukbil remained steadfast in her commitment to proving her loyalty while also raising concerns about surveillance and profiling of Muslims and the revelations of Western agencies' use of torture and torture by proxy.

These concerns led her to question CSIS's shifting ethical stance in relation to its mandate. Her exceptional work on a secondment to MI5, the British Security Service, earned her commendation, providing temporary respite from the hostile workplace culture at CSIS. However, her determination to expose the pervasive institutional discrimination undermining CSIS and national security from within ultimately led her and a group of colleagues to go public.

Mukbil's expertise in international security and her unwavering commitment to workplace transparency drove significant changes at CSIS. Her memoir, written in a dazzling style, serves as an eye-opening exploration for anyone seeking to understand the profound impact of racism, misogyny, and Islamophobia on individuals, institutions, and the national interest. By addressing these issues openly, Mukbil believes that we can combat populism and misinformation and build a more inclusive and secure society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228016557