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:

It was a defining moment for the growing Muslim community as members of disparate organisations and associations came together to celebrate the achievements of their own.

The Jan. 19 event, hosted by the Muslim Coordinatin

g Council (MCC) and the Ottawa Muslim Association (OMA), honoured 20 Ottawa Muslim recipients of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award.

“This is the first time in Ottawa that 42 Muslim organizations joined hands in a community-wide celebration of our contributions to Canada,” the MCC said in a statement issued after the event.

When Dr. Farook Tareen first came to Ottawa over forty years ago, the Muslim community was small. He joined the Ottawa Muslim Association and maintained the relationship until his death on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. He worked tirelessly to both develop and nurture the Muslim community and to build bridges with the broader community of Ottawa.  The following is compiled with excerpts from emails sent to Dr. Tareen's family by those who knew and loved him.

Canadian Blood Services are encouraged by the "fantastic" success of their two blood clinics with the Ottawa Muslim Association (OMA) and would like to build a mutually rewarding relationship with the Muslim community, Community Development Coordinator Glen Crowe says.

In Ottawa, spring is synonymous with renewal, rebirth and of course the awakening of thousands of colourful tulip bulbs from a long sleep during the freezing nights of fall and the long bitter and frigid days of winter.

In 1997, a diverse group of Ottawans led by Dr. Farook Tareen decided to celebrate the arrival of spring by doing something really special. Through the Ottawa Muslim Association, Dr. Tareen launched the Tulipathon, an annual charity walk that brings together people of every faith in an effort to raise awareness about the urgent need for affordable housing in our city.

Carrying a message of tolerance, the new imam of the Ottawa Muslim Association mosque has taken up his job with a commitment to advance the cause of moderate Islam, help the local Muslim community contribute more to the wider society and enhance interfaith relations.

“I have a mission of building bridges, helping the Muslim community to know the moderate approach of Islam and coexist with the wider community like we have here in Canada,” Imam Samy Metwally, an Egyptian Muslim scholar, told the Ottawa Citizen.