Choose Nearest City

  • Calgary
  • Ottawa
  • Edmonton
  • Regina
  • Halifax
  • Saskatoon
  • Hamilton
  • Toronto GTA
  • Kingston
  • Vancouver
  • Kitchener
  • Waterloo
  • London
  • Windsor
  • Montreal
  • Winnipeg
  • Outside of Canada

Choose your city (or nearest city)

  • Calgary
  • Montreal
  • Edmonton
  • Ottawa
  • Regina
  • Saskatoon
  • Halifax
  • Toronto GTA
  • Hamilton
  • Vancouver
  • Kingston
  • Waterloo
  • Kitchener
  • Windsor
  • London
  • Winnipeg
  • Outside of Canada
  • Events
  • Directory
  • PatronsPatrons

Enter your login credentials

Forgot username?

Forgot password?

Remember Me
Register
Facebook Login Google Login
loading
Please wait, logging in...

Register Details

[Form copy_BFRegistration not found!]
Have an account? Login

Forgot Username

[Form forgot_username not found!]

Forgot Password

[Form forgot_password not found!]

How would you like to proceed?

LOG IN / SIGN UP allows you to:
  • Have a record of all events you've been to.
  • Request cancellation if you cannot make it to an event.
  • Post an event of your own.
  • Add your business/organization listing to the online directory.
  • Add an opportunity (job, volunteer, petition, survey, etc.).

Please login to continue

LOG IN / SIGN UP allows you to:
  • Have a record of all events you've been to.
  • Request cancellation if you cannot make it to an event.
  • Post an event of your own.
  • Add your business/organization listing to the online directory.
  • Add an opportunity (job, volunteer, petition, survey, etc.).
Muslim Link is Ottawa Muslims' Online Community Newspaper. The site includes an up-to-date Events Listing and Business and Community Directory for Ottawa Muslims.
.
ML Directory
ML Directory
  • Home
  • Events
    • Ottawa
    • Montreal
    • Toronto GTA
    • Edmonton
    • Calgary
    • Vancouver
    • London
    • Windsor
    • Hamilton
    • Halifax
    • Winnipeg
    • Kingston
    • Kitchener/Waterloo
    • Regina/Saskatoon
    • Event Table
  • Directory
    • Ottawa
    • Montreal
    • Toronto GTA
    • Edmonton
    • Calgary
    • Vancouver
    • London
    • Windsor
    • Hamilton
    • Halifax
    • Winnipeg
    • Kingston
    • Kitchener/Waterloo
    • Regina/Saskatoon
  • News
  • Stories
  • Islamic Finance
  • Classifieds
    • Opportunities
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Job Opportunities
      • Crowdfunding
      • Bazaar Vendors Wanted
      • Call for Donations
      • ​​Scholarships / Bursaries
      • ​​Petitions
      • Nominations
      • ​​Call for Participants
      • ​​Call for Submissions
      • Call for Abstracts
      • Grants
      • ​​Surveys
      • ​​Invitation to Dialogue
      • Sponsorships
      • Contests
    • Locations
      • Jumaa Locations
      • Full-Time Islamic Schools
      • Part-Time Islamic Schools
      • Hifz Programs
      • Iftar Locations
      • Taraweeh Prayers
      • I'tikaf Locations
      • Eid Prayers
      • Eid Festival Locations
      • Camps Locations
    • Rentals
      • Add Rental
    • Find a Place
    • Find a Tenant
  • Opportunities
  • Locations
  • Rentals
  • Blog
  • Action Alerts
  • Home
  • News
  • This Ramadan, Muslim Link is asking readers to support the Ottawa Bus Driver who fought Islamophobia
This Ramadan, Muslim Link is crowdfunding for Ottawa bus driver Alain Charette who stood up against Islamophobia. This Ramadan, Muslim Link is crowdfunding for Ottawa bus driver Alain Charette who stood up against Islamophobia.
24
May
2018

This Ramadan, Muslim Link is asking readers to support the Ottawa Bus Driver who fought Islamophobia

Written by  Chelby Daigle
Published in News
  • Add to Facebook
  • Like this? Tweet it to your followers!

In 2016, Muslim Link was asked to help Ottawa transit user Hailey DeJong find the OC Transpo bus driver who stood up for her when she was verbally attacked for wearing niqab by another passenger while on his bus. She had managed to get a selfie with him, but had not taken his name and she wanted to make sure that OC Transpo knew how much she appreciated his support.

Muslim Link published her letter and soon local media were also looking for the driver.

.

French Canadian Alain Charette didn't think he did anything special. He was just doing his job. But he decided to take the opportunity to speak to media in order to convey the message that no one should feel threatened on public transit because of their identity and it is important for others to intervene when this happens. As he explained in an interview with CBC Ottawa News, he's no hero, "Basically we are just people taking care of people."

As he stated in an interview with Huffington Post Canada, "Bigotry hurts everyone by lowering the humanity level of society. Sitting idle is not an option. You are either part of the problem or on the side of the solution."

He received letters of commendation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, as well as the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).

A resident of Quebec, he also received messages from Quebecois elected officials. He also was overwhelmed by the reacton of his fellow bus drivers, particularly those who are Muslm. 

In 2016, Muslim Link invited Alain Charette to the annual Harmony Iftar, which brings together Muslims and non-Muslims to learn about Ramadan, where he received a standing ovation. Alain still gets emotional when he thinks about the warm response he received there from the community.

Muslim Link was saddened to learn that the veteran bus driver had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to the bone of his lower back in November 2017.

.

He was initially given only 3 weeks to live, but against the odds, he is still with us and receiving treatment alhamdulillah (Thank God).

However, the costs of medication and the impact on his physical health have taken a devastating toll. He was paralysed for a short time as a consequence of chemotherapy and now has to work to regain his strength and mobility.

Through the support of his insurance, family and friends and some government programs, he is managing with the costs of medication and treatment, but one item he needs to help him stay mobile is a Lift Chair to make it easier for him to go from sitting to standing with the support of his walker. His doctor has prescribed this chair but his insurance and government programs will not cover it.

Muslim Link is asking the community at this season of giving to consider taking the opportunity to give back to a non-Muslim who stood up for one of our sisters in Islam and publicly shared a message with mainstream media about the importance of bystander intervention when members of our community face harassment.

We have started a crowdfunding campaign on LaunchGood.com to inshallah raise the money to purchase the Lift Chair for Alain. Any additional funds raised will help to support Alain and his family as they cope with his terminal cancer.

.

Please consider showing support for someone who has demonstrated allyship to our community.

To support the LaunchGood campaign for Alain Charette, click here

Donations pour in for bus driver who helped woman in niqab https://t.co/c9rydCqM2F #ottnews #ottawa pic.twitter.com/3RFcJGOQQe— CBC Ottawa (@CBCOttawa) May 28, 2018

This article was produced exclusively for Muslim Link and should not be copied without prior permission from the site. For permission, please write to info@muslimlink.ca.

Read 15088 times Last modified on Mon, 28 May 2018 10:15
Rate this item
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
(1 Vote)
Tagged under
  • Islamophobia
  • Niqab
  • OC Transpo
  • Muslim Women
  • Gendered Islamophobia
  • Bystander Intervention
  • Islamophobia on Public Transit
  • Muslim Canadian
  • LaunchGood
  • CrowdFunding
Chelby Daigle

Chelby Daigle

Chelby Marie Daigle is Muslim Link’s Editor in Chief and Coordinator. Under her direction, Muslim Link adopted its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy so that the website strives to reflect the complexity of Muslim communities in Canada. She knows that she fails to do justice to this complexity every day but she will continue to try to improve as she recognizes the frustration of being both marginalized in the mainstream and also marginalized in Muslim communities. As Coordinator, she works to build relationships with Muslim and mainstream organizations and manages the website's social media, event listings, and directories. She organizes regular Muslim Link gatherings. She also works closely with the Publisher to find ways to keep Muslim Link sustainable. Find her on Twitter @ChelbyDaigle

Latest from Chelby Daigle

  • Islamic History Month and Islamic Heritage Month 2024 Events Across Canada Islamic History Month and Islamic Heritage Month 2024 Events Across Canada
  • Sudanese and Palestinian Canadians Unite at Demonstration Against War in Sudan Sudanese and Palestinian Canadians Unite at Demonstration Against War in Sudan
  • Halal Deli Meat Now Available in the Atlantic Region Through New Partnership between Shahir and Loblaws Halal Deli Meat Now Available in the Atlantic Region Through New Partnership between Shahir and Loblaws

Related items

  • Statistics Canada Releases Infographic on Muslim Population in Canada Statistics Canada Releases Infographic on Muslim Population in Canada
  • Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW): Response to Charges Being Dropped Against Woman Filmed Pulling Pro-Palestinian Protester's Hijab Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW): Response to Charges Being Dropped Against Woman Filmed Pulling Pro-Palestinian Protester's Hijab
  • "Maybe I have no right as a Muslim woman to be in Canada": Responses to Charges Being Dropped Against Woman Filmed Pulling Pro-Palestinian Protester's Hijab "Maybe I have no right as a Muslim woman to be in Canada": Responses to Charges Being Dropped Against Woman Filmed Pulling Pro-Palestinian Protester's Hijab
back to top
.
.
.
.
.

Subscribe to Mailing List

Sign up for our free Muslim Link Snapshot and get our events listing and latest articles sent to your inbox weekly.

Please enter a name
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a city

Ottawa Events
View More Events
Celebrate Eid Prayer & Festival Featured
Fri, Jun 06, 2025 09:00am EST/EDT
Festivals
Ottawa Chand Raat Eid Bazaar (Get Your Henna Mehndi Done)
Thu, Jun 05, 2025 03:00pm EST/EDT
Educational
Islamic Relief Canada Arafah Street Iftar: Under the Stars in Ottawa
Thu, Jun 05, 2025 07:00pm EST/EDT
Celebrations
Ottawa Eagles Wrestling SUMMER Program - 16+ Grappling Program
Fri, Jun 06, 2025 all day
Courses
Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) Ottawa Eid Al Adha Prayer and Festival
Fri, Jun 06, 2025 07:00am EST/EDT
Festivals

Featured Articles

  • Greater Toronto Area Eid al Adha Prayer Locations 2025 Greater Toronto Area Eid al Adha Prayer Locations 2025
  • Ottawa Gatineau Eid al Adha Prayer Locations 2025 Ottawa Gatineau Eid al Adha Prayer Locations 2025
  • How to Move to Canada: 29 Expert Tips for a Smooth Transition How to Move to Canada: 29 Expert Tips for a Smooth Transition

About us

  • About Muslim Link
    Our Team
    About Eye Media
    Contact Us
    Diversity & Inclusion Policy
  • Events & Directory Disclaimer
  • Project: A Muslim History of Ottawa

How To

  • How to Advertise on Muslim Link?
    How to View / Edit Your Advertisement Campaign?
    How to Add a Directory Listing on the Directory?
    How to Claim a Directory Listing?
    How to Add an Event?
    How to Add an Opportunity?
    How to Add a Rental Listing?

Event Listings

  •  - Ottawa
  •  - Toronto GTA
  •  - Montreal
  •  - Edmonton
  •  - Calgary
  •  - Vancouver
  •  - London
  •  - Windsor
  •  - Hamilton
  •  - Kitchener/Waterloo
  •  - Halifax
  •  - Winnipeg
  •  - Kingston
  •  - Regina/Saskatoon

Business & Community Directory

  •  - Ottawa
  •  - Toronto GTA
  •  - Montreal
  •  - Edmonton
  •  - Calgary
  •  - Vancouver
  •  - London
  •  - Windsor
  •  - Hamilton
  •  - Kitchener/Waterloo
  •  - Halifax
  •  - Winnipeg
  •  - Kingston
  •  - Regina/Saskatoon

Advertisers

  • Advertise Online
  • Become a Patron
  • Sponsorships
  • Join Snapshot e-Newsletter
  • Snapshot Publishing Dates

ML Team

  • Writers Workshops
  • Content Policy
  • Staff Payment System
  • Join the team

Social Media

Follow us on our pages!

Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn Pinterest

Copyright © 2025 Muslim Link. All Rights Reserved. All articles, photos, graphics and images on this site remain the copyright of Muslim Link, unless otherwise noted, and should not be copied without prior permission. Designed by Eye Media Solutions
Top
Copyright © Muslim Link. All articles, photos, graphics and images on this site remain the copyright of Muslim Link, unless otherwise noted, and should not be copied without prior permission. 2025 All rights reserved. Custom Design by Youjoomla.com