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To celebrate the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him - pbuh), Ottawa's Ajyal Al Mahdi group held a unique thee-day exhibition aimed at giving people a better understanding of Islam and its final prophet.

The Birth of Light exhibition, which was open to the public from Jan. 30 ”“ Feb. 1, 2014, documented the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from his birth to his death through a series of scenes illustrated by life-sized models. The exhibition also included a real-life depiction of the Prophet's (pbuh) house along with other visual displays.

George Karkour, 23, posted his documentary Quebec 60 on YouTube in January. Within a week it got over 18,000 hits.  In the documentary, Karkour interviews several hijab-wearing Muslim women about how they feel about Quebec's proposed Bill 60. The bill would forbid public service workers from wearing religious symbols, like hijabs.

From December 9 to 26 of 2013, I traveled to Mount Everest in Nepal as part of a group of young Muslims fundraising for Islamic Relief Canada. For a few years now, I have been personally raising funds for orphan sponsorship by asking family and friends. Two years ago, a friend of mine encouraged me to participate in Islamic Relief Canada's CN Tower Edge Walk Challenge. It was a great experience being 1168ft above the ground, on the roof of CN Tower's restaurant! That's when I was introduced to Islamic Relief's challenges.

“It is in the freedom of diversity for all faiths and those of no faith tradition that there is justice for all.”
- Excerpt of The Canadian Interfaith Conversation's statement against the Charter

From Winnipeg to Toronto, London to Ottawa, opposition to the Parti Quebecois's proposed values charter reached a crescendo on December 10, International Human Rights Day.

Called the “National Day affirming Human Rights and Religious Diversity”, the aim was to raise awareness about the proposed charter right across Canada.  Over three dozen local and national faith and secular organizations endorsed the initiative and took part in various related actions.

The 2013 annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) conference, now in its twelfth year, boasted a line up of some of the most renowned Muslim scholars, intellectuals and contemporary philosophers of our time. A uniquely youth effort, RIS aims to “promote stronger communal ties within North America and beyond.”

Attended by a record breaking 25,000 attendees this year, the convention aimed to address pertinent issues relating to Muslim youth and inculcate a strong identity that is true to both faith as well as the modern realities manifesting itself within North American society.

Breaking the Silence in Mugeza is a non-profit organization aimed at supplying hearing aid equipment to children in Mugeza, Tanzania. Inspired during a volunteering stint in the summer of 2012 with CanAid Africa, Ahmed Kotb and Mohammed Rashid came upon the Mugeza Primary School while touring nearby villages. Rihan Kanso, Hiba Abdul-Fattah, and Zuzanna Kucharski joined in to create an organization focused on international development and health, and helping vulnerable populations.

The Muslim Basketball Association of Ottawa (MBA-Ottawa) ended its season with a sold-out All-Star game at the Canadian Tire Centre with Team Arafat facing off against Team Baqi.  As an added bonus, those who attended the MBA-Ottawa game were also able to attend an Ottawa SkyHawks game. During the SkyHawks game, the MBA-Ottawa's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Ali Sow,  was congratulated during half-time in front of a crowd numbering over 2,000. The MBA All-Star game was also recorded by Rogers TV to be broadcast sometime in January.

A campaign started by three Montreal Muslim women in opposition to the Quebec Charter of Values, Support Another calls on Canadians to “walk in the footsteps of a visible minority” on January 13th, by wearing an article of religious clothing for a day.

“Support Another is a campaign against the Charter of Values with the purpose of giving all Canadian citizens an equal chance to stand up together for our freedom,” explains Yusr Al-Obaidy, one of the campaign organizers. “We are encouraging everyone to wear one of the four religious symbols that the PQ wants to ban in the public sector in order to eliminate the words ”˜visible minority' for one day.” 

Canada and Canadians joined the international community in mourning the death of South Africa's first elected Black President, Nelson Mandela.

An Ottawa Muslim congregation listened intently at its weekly Friday prayers as his enduring quality of forgiveness was recalled from the pulpit.

The Canadian Parliament rose to pay tribute to Mandela.

In a rare recent gesture, reflecting Mandela's own sterling legacy of fostering unity, the two opposing parliamentary leaders, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair, crossed the floor, in turn, to shake hands. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau also praised the fallen African hero. 

Less than three weeks ago, the new School of Social Work at the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland opened its doors to 50 incoming students, including 25 young women.

During the fall of 2013, the Friends of the University of Hargeisa School of Social Work,a committee established to lay the foundation for the creation of the School of Social Work,collected 300 social work-related books to form the first library for the program.

For new immigrants, the long painful road to settlement is historically marked by trepidation, adversity, and ultimately, triumph.

The Environics Institute is a non-profit founded in 2006 by Michael Adams, author of Unlikely Utopia, as a means to listen to unheard Canadian voices. Keith Neuman, the Institute's Executive Director, describes how Adams' interest in pluralism led him to respond to the Pew Research Centre's 2006 study of Muslims in Europe.

It's 8:30am on a blustery cold Sunday morning, a time most people spend in bed with a cup of coffee. Not so for Lila Hammouda, lifelong educator and mother of four. As an Ontario certified elementary teacher at a local public school, Lila is passionate about education. She also serves as the Principal of Kanata Muslim Association's Hikmah School, a weekend school teaching language and faith.

Today is an important day as her vision of creating collaboration between the weekend school community and the larger Ottawa educational community is finally taking place. It's a day of professional development workshops for weekend educators.

The Centrepointe Studio Theatre boomed with laugher, applause, and appreciative snapping on the evening of November 9th,  as Muslim performers, including poets, comedians, and singers, entertained an audience of over 200 people at “Hope Eternal,” the 6th annual show organized by Expressions of Muslim Women (EMW).

Inspired by the highly successful White Ribbon Campaign, Muslim communities around Canada have kicked off the third annual Muslims for White Ribbon Campaign, a similar initiative that aims to put an end to violence against women.

The White Ribbon campaign is the largest organized movement of men in the world taking a stand and working to end violence against women.

This month we at Muslim Link noticed this photo that was being shared widely thorough various social media. We decided to track down its origin and discovered that it was the creation of a 17 year old high school student, aspiring photographer, and jewelry designer from Alexandria, Egypt named Hadeia Nour Adel. Here is Muslim Link's interview with her.

Following a successful campaign last year, the Who is Hussain Ottawa team is gearing up for their Muharram 2013 campaign. In its second year, Who is Hussain is a worldwide initiative that aims to familiarise the public with Hussain (pbuh), grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). For standing up against injustice and oppression, Hussain (pbuh) was killed alongside his companions and family on Ashura (tenth day of the Islamic month Muharram) in the year 680 AD.

On October 25, the Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CWWA) organized a screening of the Afghan film 25 Darsad (25 Percent). Directed by Diana Saqeb, 25 Darsad features Afghan female politicians speaking about their daily lives.

In Afghanistan's parliament, out of the 249 available seats, 68 or 25 percent are reserved for female parliamentarians. 

Diana Saqeb is a documentary film maker and women's rights activist who grew up in the Afghan diaspora. A current resident of Kabul, she focuses on stories that touch her or that she has experienced. Her own sister, Sabrina Saqeb was an Afghan parliamentarian.

Even before the spirit of Eid hit everyone, the BISA (Bell Islamic Student Association) crew was busy planning one of their biggest events of the year: the annual Eid dinner.

On October 18, following the celebrations of Eid-Ul-Fitar, guests were treated to poetry, a fun photo booth, and excellent food. This year's event included speakers Qussai Abu-Naqoos and Osama Berrada, and was hosted by Othman Tmoulik.

Egyptian singer Hamza Namira, who is considered to be the unofficial Artist of the Egyptian Revolution during which he was a fixture in Tahrir Square, performed in Ottawa on Sunday, October 27th to a packed audience. Namira was in Ottawa as part of his first-ever Canadian tour, which is a fundraiser for Islamic Relief Canada's projects in Egypt. PeaceMidan, a non-profit organization which aims to build on the momentum of the Arab Spring in order to foster civic engagement and social entrepreneurship in Arab countries, organized Namira's visit. “Hamza Namira is the voice of hope, not only in Egypt but in the Middle East region,” explained Mohamed Abouelsaoud, co-founder and vice-president of PeaceMidan.

This Halloween, Nagat Bahumaid was surprised to find herself on the front page of Imgur, a popular photo sharing site. A friend had casually posted a photo Nagat had taken of herself at work dressed as Princess Leia from the film Star Wars, using her hijab to make those classic Princess Leia braids. Within a few hours the photo went viral, getting over 100,000 views and shared on blogs around the world.