Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)

The story of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) begins in 1982 when a group of dynamic and devoted Muslim women from across the country congregated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Led by the late founder of CCMW, Dr. Lila Fahlman, these women sough to mobilize their passion for social justice and faith in order to enrich their communities and work towards the common good of Canadian society. This inaugural meeting led to the establishment of CCMW, a not-for-profit organization that works to provide equity, equality and empowerment for all Canadian Muslim women. For the past 30 years, its proud and accomplished roster of members have achieved and continue to achieve great milestones for Muslim women and Canada’s multicultural landscape. As a highly diverse organization, CCMW is firmly committed to the overarching vision of improving the status of Muslim women to remain true to their Islamic heritage and Canadian identity. Over the past 30 years the Canadian Council of Muslim Women has successfully completed a number of projects and tools that help empower Muslim women and their families. This has been accomplished through its collaborations with Canadians of various religious and cultural backgrounds. Pushing the boundaries on traditional gender roles and cultural understandings, CCMW has never shied away from challenging the issues that affect Muslim communities. The organization has responded to global and national crises and mobilized initiatives and projects to tackle issues including Prayers in Public Schools, the Niqab, Polygamy, Muslim Family Laws, Femicide, Diversity among Muslims, Anti-Semitism and Religious Accommodation. Collaborating with civil society groups, educational institutions, cultural community groups and government agencies, CCMW has sought to promote an Islam that is humane, egalitarian and equality-driven. At the community level CCMW has developed projects, events, grassroots workshops, and research publications in the areas of women’s leadership, Muslim youth identity, family dynamics, gender equality, racism and discrimination, anti-violence, unemployment, inter-faith work and civic engagement.