Ali[1] is an Indian-Canadian author of adult's book, best known for her Asian/Pacific American Award-winning debut young adult novel Saints & Misfits, about Janna Yousuf, an Indian-American hijabsi who grapples with getting sexually assaulted by a friend's cousin from her local mosque.

[1] Aside from writing, Ali also works as a teacher and has written articles for the Toronto Star.

[5] In January 2017, she created the hashtag #MuslimShelfSpace as a way to shine light on books by other Muslim authors.

[1] Ali is friends with fellow writers Ausma Zehanat Khan and Uzma Jalaluddin.

[7] Khan told an interviewer that they considered themselves the Sisterhood of the Pen, and appreciated comments as they shared early drafts of their work.