News

TorontoMuslims, a project of the Muslim Canadian non-profit organization Dawanet, launched a brand new environmental campaign aimed at promoting sustainable practices within Mosques and Islamic centres. #WasteFreeRamadan has distributed 10,000 free Eco-friendly reusable drinking containers across Muslim places of worship. Participating Masjids have discouraged salat-goers from bringing disposable plastic bottles, instead opting for the colourful range of BPA-free bottles provided by the campaign.

Select foodora restaurant partners to deliver ‘Break Your Fast’ packs with every order placed at dusk.

Canadian Muslims will observe Ramadan beginning Saturday, May 27 through to Monday, June 26, and on-demand food delivery service foodora will help customers identify halal food options by adding a halal symbol to select restaurant partners on its website and app. Throughout Ramadan, foodora will provide its users with a complimentary ‘Break Your Fast with foodora’ pack with every order placed between 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. from 39 participating restaurant partners that offer halal options in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Each Ramadan ‘Break Your Fast’ pack will include two 500 mL bottles of Happy Water, and a box of Masa Dates, a traditional custom.

Local Somali Canadian university students have come together to organize a fundraising iftar to raise awareness and money to help people impacted by the drought and famine in Somalia. The iftar takes place on June 7.

We did it! After a very long campaign, we have secured permanent resident status for Dima Siam, who has lived over 30 months under a cruel and heartless Canadian deportation order to Syria based on a minor paperwork error.

Congratulations to Dima, Mohammad Al Rayyan, and your four children. Hundreds of other Syrian refugees remain under deportation order from Canada. We still have so much work to do.
Below is Dima's statement of thanks: 

Local Eritrean Canadians have come together to found Afaagh Association, a Canadian-based registered charitable organization, dedicated to helping the forgotten Eritrean refugees living in Eastern Sudan. On Friday May 19, they had their organizational launch and first fundraising event in Ottawa with Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali. 

“We [Indigenous Peoples and Muslims] come at life from a place of peace... from a place of honouring and recognizing the importance of our spiritual and religious practices...We have so much in common.” - Elder Joanne Dallaire

Maymuna Mohamed represented the riding of York Centre, Ontario at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Maymuna Mohamed.

Afghan Canadian Soleiman Faqiri died in Lindsay Correctional Facility in December 2016. His family wants answers. His brother, Yusuf Faqiri, will be in Ottawa on May 16 to discuss his family's fight for justice.

The Justice For Soli in partnership with Muslim Link and the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project is hosting this event on May 16 at 7pm at the University of Ottawa aimed at engaging people in Soleiman Faqiri's family fight for justice, as well as raising awareness about the crisis within Ontario's correctional facilities, particularly in terms of the treatment of people living with mental illness.

Register to attend the event online here.

Good Samaritans invite Ottawa believers to join us in an Inter-Faith Food Drive to feed the poor and show interfaith solidarity at this time of increased intolerance. Bring some non-perishable food to your place of worship this Mother’s Day weekend as you go to pray. We are asking the place of worship to announce the food drive and deliver the food donations to the Ottawa Mosque parking lot, where volunteers will load it onto trucks for the Ottawa Food Bank.

Neelofer Mansuri represented the riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge, Ontario at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Neelofer Mansuri.

As a committed volunteer within the Pakistani community for over 20 years, Qamar Masood was presented the Mayor’s City Builder Award on April 26, at a City Council meeting by Mayor Jim Watson and Orléans Ward Councillor Bob Monette.

Soccer academy opening in Ottawa with professional soccer player Gifton Noel Williams at its head.

Afghan Canadian Soleiman Faqiri, 30, was diagnosed with schizophrenia during his first year of university at Waterloo in 2005.

Jamaal Jackson Rogers was named Ottawa's English-language Poet Laureate by Mayor Jim Watson in March. Rogers, a spoken word artist, arts educator, residential counsellor for adults with disabilities, and creative director of Origin Arts and Community Centre, will be the city's first poet laureate in over 25 years.

Rabia Abdeddaim represented the riding of Quebec, Quebec at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Rabia.

Khadija Waseem represented the riding of Don Valley North, Ontario at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. She addressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Parliament about Islamophobia and supports for the mental health of indigenous communities (see video on CBC here).

Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Khadija.

Hafsa Madar represented the riding of Edmonton-Mill Woods, Alberta at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Hafsa.

Hafsah Asadullah represented the riding of Milton, Ontario at Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote gathering in March, which brought together 338 young women between the ages of 18 and 23, representing each Canadian riding. Muslim Link had the opportunity to interview several of the young Muslim Canadian women who were selected to participate in this historic event, including Hafsah.