TORONTO, Ont. (June 23, 2022)

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the annual Muslim Arts Festival, MuslimFest, found a way to keep up the annual tradition of showcasing Muslim arts & culture in Mississauga, Ontario.

MuslimFest is back for its 16th year!

Aatif Baskanderi grew up in a place where not many people looked like him or believed in the same things that he did. As a Muslim child of Pakistani immigrants, Newfoundland became home. His experiences growing up on “the rock” was like something out of a storybook. On this cold, isolated island in the Atlantic ocean, Aatif learned sincerity and appreciation for others that would set him up for remarkable success in life.

Arts and entertainment festival will be back in Mississauga from August 31-September 2

Muslim Link caught up with Event Director Tariq Syed about MuslimFest's successes this year, and what we may look forward to in 2018, which will be Mississauga's Muslim arts and cultural festival's 15th year!

MuslimFest is back for another year, taking place from August 4th to 6th in Mississauga's Celebration Square.

The annual Muslim Arts Festival is the largest of its kind in North America, attracting over 30,000 attendes annually.

Festival and Events Ontario selected MuslimFest as one of the best festivals in Ontario in 2016.

Launched in 2004, MuslimFest is a joint project of DawaNet and Sound Vision. Offering a mix of music, comedy, spoken word, visual art, theatre and workshops on a diversity of topics, along with fun activities for children and a multicultural bazaar, MuslimFest showcases the talent of a diveristy of Muslim artists from Canada and around the world.

Muslim Link interviewed MuslimFest's Event Director Tariq Syed about why folks should visit Mississauga this weekend to check out this year's festival.

As MuslimFest, Canada's largest Muslim summer festival, gets ready to kick off on July 31st at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, the Muslim Link sat down with Taha Ghayyur, one of the founders and organizers of the two-day art and cultural festival, to get his thoughts on the need for such event and his hopes for the future of Muslim artistes in North America.