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

The award-winning memoir, Agent of Change, offers an intimate and compelling account of Huda Mukbil’s 16-year journey as a racialized woman within Canada’s national security service, showcasing her resilience and relentless pursuit of justice.

After joining CSIS as an intelligence officer, Huda quickly became a trusted expert in counterterrorism, contributing critical insights to some of the most complex challenges in global and domestic security.

Despite her invaluable contributions, she faced unwarranted suspicion from within her own organization. In the aftermath of the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the rise of homegrown extremism in the West, Huda was unjustly singled out — viewed through the lens of suspicion as a hijab-wearing Muslim and treated as a potential insider threat.

Undeterred, she navigated a 16-year career at the heart of Canada’s intelligence service, determined to bring about change from within. Her story is both a rare insider’s perspective on intelligence work and a powerful testament to courage, integrity, and the urgent need for transformation in institutions that serve the public.

📖 Agent of Change is the winner of the 2024 City of Ottawa Book Award (Non-Fiction) and The Hill Times Non-Fiction Award. It has received global recognition, including a review on the CIA website, placement at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., and coverage from international media such as the London Times.

Reviews

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Book cover titled "Agent of Change" by Huda Mukbil, featuring a woman in a hijab looking at surveillance cameras mounted on a white tiled wall.

  • "Mukbil is a trailblazer in a secret world often dominated by men. Her powerful story combines an invaluable contribution to counterterrorism in Canada and Britain with a never-before-seen picture of spy agencies. It is utterly absorbing."

  • “Mukbil’s captivating memoir shows that love for one’s country must be sutured with the courage to speak the truth: a bravery both required and despised in Canadian national intelligence circles. She deftly navigates the complicated landscape of belonging in Canada and gives a defiant and resilient voice to the psychological toll of systemic racism.”

  • “A gripping, illuminating account of an accomplished intelligence officer’s battle against systemic discrimination at Canada’s spy service. Mukbil pulls aside the curtain and shows us the many roadblocks faced by racialized professionals. Rich in detail, this is an extraordinary and highly readable book.”

  • “After years of work in one of the country’s most opaque institutions, Mukbil offers the kind of candid prose on race, identity, and inclusion that’s rare to find on Canadian bookshelves. Straightforward and courageous, Agent of Change artfully unravels our deepest misconceptions about belonging in our country - and our world.”