The Justice for Abdirahman Coalition won the award for Community Leadership at Black History Ottawa's Community Builder Awards Ceremony, held during the launch of Black History Month on January 28, 2017.

In the wake of the news that MP Ahmed Hussen has been appointed to the position of Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Muslim Link reached out to first and second generation Somali Canadians from across the country to get their reflections on what this appointment means for them. While for many Muslims, the appointment of another Muslim to Trudeau’s cabinet is seen as a victory against rising Islamophobia, for Somali Canadians, it means something far greater-hope for a brighter future in Canada.

In the fallout of the RIS Controversy, I shared a Facebook post about How to be an Ally to Black Muslims. It has been shared widely in Canada and the US. I have been asked to make it more easily accessible, so I'm publishing it here on Muslim Link.

Ginella Massa has made history once again. In January 2015, she became the first hijabi TV news reporter on mainstream Canadian Television. On November 18 2016, she was asked to sit in as news anchor on City TV, where she currently works as a reporter, thus becoming the first hijabi to anchor a newscast in Canada.

Last year, Haitian Canadian Fatima Estime visited the drought stricken village of Desab in Haiti. The village is facing chronic challenges around accessing clean water. Fatima is now determined to work to help support the village.

Muslim Link interviewed Fatima about her experience in Haiti, including visiting with Haiti's Muslim communities, and her work to collect resources and find sustainable access to clean water for Desab. She hopes to return there this summer.

“Racism in the Ummah”, a short film by a group of students from the University of Ottawa, received an Honourable Mention at the University of Ottawa Muslim Students’ Association (UOMSA) Film Festival in February.

Jamaal Jackson Rogers is a Black Muslim Canadian Spoken Word poet in Ottawa. He has coached and supported several of the city’s up and coming Spoken Word poets. Muslim Link interviewed him about his personal journey as an artist.

Recently, Black Muslim Canadian Spoken Word poet Key Ballah wrote a piece for Love, Inshallah about her experience in a predominantly Pakistani mosque in Toronto where she was interrupted during prayer and told that “This is an Urdu-speaking mosque” and “There is another mosque where you can go not too far from here. There are more people like you there.” In the piece, she reflected on the need to honestly and openly address anti-Black racism in the Canadian Muslim community. Muslim Link invited Key to speak more in depth about what she thinks needs to be done to address anti-Black racism.

Faiza Hassan, a trainee lawyer in Ottawa, reflects on the importance of professionalism for young professionals from Black and Muslim backgrounds navigating workspaces where there are still not many people who look like them. This article is based on a speech delivered by Faiza Hassan at the Awakening the Spirit of Somali Youth Conference in January 2015

Edmontonian Spoken Word poet Nasra Adem was in Ottawa in August to perform in the Artistic Showcase of the Youth Can Slam National Youth Poetry Festival. But she’s no stranger to the Nation’s Capital. “That was like 10 years of my life!” Nasra, who’s only 20, exclaimed.