This year Canada Pakistan Association of the National Capital Region (CPA) celebrated Canada’s 150th birthday on Sunday, July 2nd, 2017 at the Ron Kolbus Lakeshore Centre, 102 Greenview Ave, Ottawa.

When Ahmad Iqbal moved to North America, he was surprised by this culture’s bathroom habits. A Pakistani Canadian who grew up in the Middle East and Asia, he was used to washing with water after using the toilet. Seeing as this is the religious requirement for all Muslims, bidets are staples of most modern Muslim homes and are even common in countries like South Korea and Japan. However, they are not commonly found in North American households.

But Ahmad hopes to change that. He founded Nadeef (clean in Arabic), a company which sells easy to install hand-held bidets, offering a simple and affordable solution for anyone in North America who wants a more hygienic and environmentally friendly alternative to toilet paper.

Muslim Link interviewed Ahmad about Nadeef Bidet and the lessons he has learned from his experience in business that he hopes will help other aspiring entrepreneurs.

As a committed volunteer within the Pakistani community for over 20 years, Qamar Masood was presented the Mayor’s City Builder Award on April 26, at a City Council meeting by Mayor Jim Watson and Orléans Ward Councillor Bob Monette.

Hafsah Asadullah represented the riding of Milton, Ontario at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Hafsah.

Al Jamia Masjid made headlines in late December, when it became a temporary overnight shelter for Vancouver’s homeless during a cold spell that cost people their lives.

Muslim Link reached out to 22 year old Pakistani Canadian Abubakar Khan, who spearheaded the initiative, to learn more about how he and his multi-faith group of friends made such a great act of community service possible.

Zehra Abbas is the Founder and President of YTGA (Youth Troopers for Global Awareness), a youth-led non-profit organization mobilizing and empowering young people for domestic and international social justice through campaigns, workshops and the arts. Zehra and the YTGA team launched a social enterprise in Mississauga called Studio.89, comprised of a fair-trade cafe, artademic resource centre, and community space. The cafe encourages ethical and healthy consumerism while hosting numerous community events and initiatives. The artademic centre offers arts, academic and lifestyle workshops as well as free resources and entrepreneurial opportunities. Zehra and her team have combined their multi-faceted talents to create the unique and dynamic Studio.89 model which facilitates both local and global action.

Haris Khan is an award winning (CBC Future 40) comedian, he has quickly become one of Saskatchewan’s most popular comedians. Within five short years he has become known for two things: his ethnically diverse humour, and for his charitable works.

Mode-ste, Canada’s largest and fastest growing Modest Fashion brand. started a few years ago, when Aicha Chtourou and her mother Hong, a master seamstress, started a small women’s clothier out of their basement in Montreal.

Pakistani Canadian Azfar Rizvi reflects on the impact of the late Abdul Sattar Edhi, the beloved Pakistani philanthropist who passed away on July 8, 2016. This piece was original published on Medium.

Naheed Khan wants Ottawa’s Muslim community to contact their city councillors and ask that the Ottawa Transit Commission agree to provide a low-income transit pass for Ottawa’s low-income residents.