In early December, local imams, along with other faith leaders, attended a workshop at the South Nepean Muslim Community (SNMC) mosque exploring the intersection of mental illness and the law. The workshop was presented by Connecting Ottawa as part of The Spirit of the Law, a provincial project run by Interfaith Initiatives for Civic Engagement (IICE) and funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario. The project aims to work with faith communities to ensure that people living with mental illness who come in to conflict with the law can receive support by ensuring that faith communities and legal professionals are taking a holistic approach to their care.

Canadian Islam: Belonging & Loyalty, written by Imam Zijad Delic, is a discussion about the identity of Muslims in Canada. It is a book that could not be more relevant than it is today with the rise of the Islamic State (IS) and the cases of Canadian recruits who have made national and international headlines.

The book aims to establish Muslims as a natural part of Canadian society—something that Canadian non-Muslims, as well as some Muslims, have trouble believing.

With a new Liberal government in Quebec, the controversy around the proposed “Charter of Values” has abated. And while the new Premier has expressed his intent to address issues of reasonable accommodation, the divisiveness that marked the Parti Quebecois’ time in office has all but disappeared from the political discourse.

Muslim Link spoke to Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of the Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem congregation in Montreal for his reaction to the election results.

Prominent religious leaders from North American Sunni and Shi'a Muslim communities have developed an agreement meant to stem violence and tension between their respective communities.

The Washington Declaration For the Protection of Nations and Societies from the Menace of Sectarian Violence aims to facilitate mutual respect and unity between Muslim communities in North America and address the rise in sectarian violence in countries such as Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Disabled Muslims in Ottawa say they get no help from the Muslim community.

They were speaking at a meet-and-greet event to launch the Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities (CAM-D).

Only thirty-five people showed up at the Sept. 25 event held at Carleton University.

The Muslim community still lacks a model of support and care, which every other denomination in Ontario has established, Rabia Khedr, CAM-D's Executive Director said at the meeting.

It is because people have turned away from religion that the world is beset by so many conflicts. If Jews followed the teachings of Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, Christians followed the guidance of the Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him and Muslims obeyed the commands of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and followers of other religions did the same, there would be harmony and cooperation in the world. So stated Hujjatul Islam Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, the Imam of the Jaffari Islamic Centre in Toronto.  He emphasized that the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, told his followers to always obey the Quran and be just in all their dealings with others ”“ family, neighbors, fellow Muslims and followers of other faiths.

Two Ottawa-area residents, Shaykh Muhammad AlShareef and Imam Dr. Zijad Delic, are included in this year's listing of the world's 500 most influential Muslims.

Imam Zijad, 45, executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, appears for the second year in a row in the 500 Most Influential Muslims study published by the independent Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Amman, Jordan.