It was an evening of firsts as the Ottawa Main Mosque welcomed US Ambassador David Jacobson on his first official visit on April 8.

Almost 100 people attended the event titled “Strengthening Bridges & Working Together for a Better Future”.  Security was discreet and the question period was uncensored which was unusual for a high-profile guest like the ambassador. But a unique set of circumstances had created the space for this gathering.  As Ambassador Jacobson explained at the beginning of his speech:

A London, Ontario group hopes lessons learned from a project aimed at Chicago street gangs can be applied to curb family violence.

The Family Honour Project was unveiled on Jan. 24 by the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration as part of its mission to eradicate domestic violence.

The project was developed in partnership with the renowned CeaseFire group that has been working with Chicago street gangs for 11 years to prevent violence before it occurs.