Arctic Muslims: Muslims in the North

Join the Muslims in Canada Archives and researcher Bouchra Mossman for an engaging talk on Muslims in the north.

Bouchra will share insights from her research on "Arctic Muslims" in Canada, exploring how Muslim communities adapt their faith practices to the unique context of the Canadian North. Drawing on interviews and site visits in Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Whitehorse, along with media, literature, and archival materials, she will also examine how religious practice intersects with migration, concepts of space and place, and processes of belonging and community-building in this northern setting.

Bouchra will discuss topics such how Arctic Muslims navigate environmental challenges, seek religious guidance, maintain community ties, and engage with First Nations and Inuit populations — especially in terms of solidarity shaped by colonial histories. This research contributes to academic discussions on Muslim subjectivity, migration, and lived religion, while offering new perspectives on how Muslim faith and community are negotiated in contemporary northern Canada — a region that is understudied in terms of Muslim minority contexts. Broadly, Bourchra’s work aims to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping these communities and their place in the broader Canadian fabric.

Bouchra will be in conversation with archivist Mitra Fakhrashrafi and the talk will offer extensive time for audience Q&A.

Accessibility: Masks encouraged. No assigned seating. For accessibility requests please email mica[at]utoronto[dot]ca

Bouchra Mossman is a final-year PhD candidate at the Center for Modern Middle East and Muslim Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. Her research examines everyday faith practices and the lived experiences of Muslim communities in the Canadian Arctic, using interviews, archival materials, media, and literature. Her interests include lived religion, migration, space, and place, narrativity, life-writing, and modern Muslim subjectivity. Bouchra holds a B.A. in Islamic Studies and History from the University of Freiburg and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies with Advanced Arabic from the University of Edinburgh. She has lived and studied in Cairo, Beirut, Amman, and across Canada, and has professional experience in the social sector and as interpreter for Arabic, French, and English in Germany.

The Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) is a participatory archive uniquely designed to document and share the history of Muslims across Canada. Our goal is to preserve the history and documentary heritage of Muslims in Canada through acquiring, organizing, preserving, and making accessible records of and about Canadian Muslim individuals and organizations.