Islam has a rich history in the arts, and the recipient of this award would be passionate about the arts in general and well-versed on the topic of arts as it relates to Islamic history. The recipient of this award would demonstrate how the arts has enriched his/her own life while at the same time, enriched their understanding of the world around them. The recipient of this award would show how they have shared their artistic talents with others through volunteer efforts, art exhibits and the like.
A Muslim History of Ottawa is a multimedia series developed by Muslim Link, Ottawa's Muslim Community Newspaper, in order to record and preserve the stories of how our community came to be from the 1950s to the present.
For the first episode of the series, focusing on the 1950s, we are eager to preserve the stories, insights and perspectives of some of Ottawa’s earliest Muslim residents before they are forever lost to us.
We will interview one of Ottawa’s first Muslim business owners, Nusret Bejkosalaj, who owned the Miss Westgate restaurant which would employ many of Ottawa's first Muslim Lebanese immigrants, the majority of whom came from the village of Majdel Balhis.
Shano Bejkosalaj, his wife, one of the few women in Ottawa’s early Muslim community will also be interviewed. Both came to Canada as Albanian refugees after the Second World War. Shano would go on to work with Eva Wahab, the first Muslim child born in Ottawa-Gatineau in 1914, to co-found the Ottawa Muslim Women's Auxiliary in 1963 when there was only 500 Muslims in the city.
We will also interview Pakistani Canadian artist Naz Ikramullah about coming to Ottawa as a child with her father, Canada’s first Pakistani High Commissioner, and attending Elmwood School in 1953.
This first episode will show how the city’s first Muslims survived and thrived in the rapidly growing City of Ottawa in the 1950s.
We hope to have an episode for each decade from the 50s to the 00s which shows which communities of Muslims came to Ottawa when and why. Our hope is that knowing more about our history in this city will better equip the present day community to understand itself and its own complexity and diversity.
To view our playlist of short YouTube video interviews with Nusrat, Shano, and Naz, click here.
First Eid al Fitr Celebration at Pakistan High Commission 1953
Naz Ikramullah's father, Canada's second Pakistani High Commissioner, organized an Eid al Fitr celebration at the Pakistani High Commission in Ottawa in 1953. Members of the community gathered from as far away as New York City.
Albanian Canadians in Ottawa
Shano and Nusrat Bejkosalaj came to Canada as refugees or "displaced persons" from Albania after World War II.
Miss Westgate
Nusrat Bejkosalaj ran the popular restaurant Miss Westgate, which would employ many of Ottawa's first Muslim Lebanese immigrants.
The First Muslim Born in Ottawa, Eva Wahab
Eva Afife Wahab is pictured here with Shano Bejkosalaj. Eva was the first Muslim child born in Ottawa-Gatineau in 1914. Eva and Shano worked together to create the Ottawa Muslim Women's Auxiliary in 1963 which would help spearhead fundraising for Ottawa's first mosque. The Women's Auxiliary would eventually grow into the Ottawa Muslim Women's Organization (OMWO). OMWO would go on to establish a bursary for First Nations female students at the University of Ottawa in Eva's name.
The High Commissioner's Daughter
Naz Ikramullah came to Ottawa at the age of 13 with her parents when her father was named Pakistan's second High Commissioner to Canada in 1953.
Arrival in Ottawa
Naz Ikramullah and her family arrive in Ottawa in 1953 to much fanfare. The family's comings and goings were regularly reported in the Ottawa Journal.
A Family Portrait
Naz Ikramullah with her family and guests during the Pakistani High Commission's first Eid al Fitr Celebration in Ottawa in 1953.
Muslim Link aims to inform, connect, inspire and celebrate Muslims living in Ottawa-Gatineau. We build community through storytelling.
Muslims in Ottawa-Gatineau come from a diversity of ethno-cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Some have newly arrived as refugees, others are third generation Canadians. Some are struggling on social assistance in subsidized housing; others are making three-figure salaries and living in expensive neighbourhoods. Some have recently retired; others are just trying to get that first job while still in high school. Some identify strongly with Islam as a way of life, others are still working out just what being Muslim means to them. Muslim Link hopes to use its online platform to create a space where the diversity and complexity of these experiences can be captured and explored in order to increase Ottawa’s Muslims’ understanding of themselves and each other.
Muslim Link is independent of and not affiliated with any Muslim organization in Canada or abroad. This independence allows us to be free to explore the diversity of perspectives within Ottawa-Gatineau’s Muslim communities.
Muslim Link provides an avenue for Muslim and non-Muslim organizations to advertise and communicate with the Muslim communities of Ottawa-Gatineau.
Mandate:
Muslim Link is a community website that provides a forum for people from all backgrounds to read and write stories exploring the diversity of Muslims in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Our articles and blog posts aim to educate and create awareness on topics pertaining to Muslim life in Ottawa-Gatineau, in particular the achievements of local Muslims in the fields of community service, education, business, and arts & culture.
Muslim Link also strives to build bridges between Ottawa's Muslim and non-Muslim communities. By showcasing the diversity of Ottawa's Muslim community, non-Muslims will have an opportunity to explore its complexity. By profiling the lives and work of non-Muslims, our Muslim readership will gain a better understanding of their non-Muslim friends and neighbours.
Muslim Link has developed an innovative Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy aimed at ensuring that we strive to represent the full spectrum of Muslim Life in Ottawa-Gatineau across ethno-cultural, socio-economic, regional, and generational lines. We do not differentiate between people who identify as Muslim based on degree of religious practice or religious orientation if we feel they have a story that will be of benefit to our readers. It is this inclusive approach that makes our site better able to reach a wider diversity of Muslims in the region.
Muslim Link also has a regularly updated Events Listing which aims to spread the word about upcoming events by or of interest to Muslims in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Muslim Link is also now building a Directory of businesses and services owned by Muslims and/or catering to the needs and interests of Muslims in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Muslim Link provides an Events Listing and Directory of programs, projects, organizations, and businesses as a public service only. We also share these listings in our social media and on our mailing list for informational purposes only.
Events and Directory Listings are often submitted directly by private individuals and organizations. The views and opinions presented by organisations and individuals at events or on their websites do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Muslim Link and a listing of an event or organization on our websites does not necessarily imply an endorsement by Muslim Link of that event or organization. Readers attending or participating in an event or learning about an organization do so at their own discretion.
We recognize that our Events Listing and Directory represent a broad range of practices and religious interpretations within local Muslim communities and we leave it up to the discretion of our readers to choose events and organizations that best suit their own religious interpretations.
Errors on Listings:
While every effort is made to maintain accuracy, Muslim Link does not guarantee that the information contained in the Events Listings or Directory is always correct or current. If you see any errors there are a few things you can do.
1. If you are the organizer of an event or the business owner or manager of the organization listed in the Directory you can create an account, claim your event or directory listing and make any changes right here online (subject to admin approval). 2. You can also let us know about any errors by clicking the report link available on any directory listing. 3. You can also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know about any changes that should be made to an event or directory listing.
Muslim Link aims to inform, connect, inspire and celebrate Muslims living in Canada. We build community through storytelling.
Muslims in Canada come from a diversity of ethno-cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Some have newly arrived as refugees, others are third generation Canadians. Some are struggling on social assistance in subsidized housing; others are making three-figure salaries and living in expensive neighbourhoods. Some have recently retired; others are just trying to get that first job while still in high school. Some identify strongly with Islam as a way of life, others are still working out what being Muslim means to them. Muslim Link hopes to create a space where the diversity of these experiences can be captured and explored in order to increase Canada’s Muslims’ understanding of themselves and each other.
Muslim Link is a social enterprise which is independent of and not affiliated with any Muslim organization in Canada or abroad. This independence allows us to be free to explore the diversity of perspectives within Canada’s Muslim communities. To learn more about the people behind Muslim Link visit Our Team Page.
Muslim Link provides an avenue for Muslim and non-Muslim organizations to advertise and communicate with the Muslim communities of Canada.
Mandate
Muslim Link is an online hub that provides a forum for people from all backgrounds to read and write stories exploring the diversity of Muslims in Canada.
Our articles, event listings, and directory listings aim to educate and create awareness on topics pertaining to Muslim life in Canada, in particular the achievements of Muslim Canadians in the fields of community service, education, business, and arts & culture.
Muslim Link also partners with local businesses and community agencies to write promotional articles specifically tailored for a Muslim audience.
Muslim Link also strives to build bridges between Canada's Muslim and non-Muslim communities. By showcasing the diversity of Canada's Muslim community, non-Muslims will have an opportunity to explore its complexity.
Muslim Link has developed an innovative Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy aimed at ensuring that we strive to represent the full spectrum of Muslim Life in Canada across ethno-cultural, socio-economic, regional, and generational lines. We do not differentiate between people who identify as Muslim based on degree of religious practice or religious orientation if we feel they have a story that will be of benefit to our readers. It is this inclusive approach that makes our site better able to reach a wider diversity of Muslims in Canada.
Muslim Link also has a regularly updated Event Listingswhich aims to spread the word about upcoming events by or of interest to Muslims in Canada. We currently have Event Listings for Ottawa, Toronto/GTA, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Regina-Saskatoon, Windsor and Halifax.
Muslim Link is also building a Directory of businesses and services owned by Muslims and/or catering to the needs and interests of Muslims in Canada. We currently have Directory Listings for Ottawa, Toronto/GTA, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Regina-Saskatoon, Windsor and Halifax.
History
At the beginning of its journey, Muslim Link was launched as a newsletter in September 2002 to create a forum for Muslim voices to speak and be heard. In its first year, we compiled, published, and distributed seven issues on a variety of timely themes. Each issue had a distribution of 4,000 copies covering all Jummah (Friday worship service) locations and Islamic schools in Ottawa/Gatineau.
One year later, Muslim Link made history by becoming the first Muslim English-language newspaper in Ottawa-Gatineau.
In October 2014, Muslim Link discontinued its print publication. It now focuses exclusively on its website.
Muslim Link strives to not directly or indirectly favour any Muslim organization or group over another. Coverage of news related to Muslim organizations does not equal endorsement.