"I just want a young Black Muslimah to look at my art and not feel alone or die of starvation for representation." – Somali Canadian artist Riya Jama

"When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." – Black American writer Maya Angelou

Recently, some non-Black Muslims have expressed their outrage to me over the fact that there are currently no Black Muslim Canadians nominated for the Muslim Awards of Excellence (MAX Gala) taking place this fall in Toronto.

I was even asked to come up with a list of accomplished Black Muslim Canadians in order to shame MAX organizers.

Toronto’s Muslim fashionistas will be converging on the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre on August 23d and 24th to take part in the city’s first International Muslim Fashion and Design Festival (IMFDF).

Although the event will bring together some of the world’s Muslim fashion royalty with an array of leading designers, models, bloggers and YouTube hijab tutorial celebrities, time is also being prioritized to provide educational opportunities on issues like fair trade and ethical consumerism.

In this installment of the Journey to the Light, we hear the brothers’ side of the Ottawa convert story. A local entertainer, Joshua Asare, aka Jae Deen, agreed to speak to Muslim Link's Sakina bint Erik about his journey.