News

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.

On September 20th, the Ottawa Muslim Association in partnership with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) hosted an information night and panel discussion on the subject of Hate Crimes.

The event, which was held in the basement of the Ottawa Main Mosque, was attended by over 50 members of the Ottawa community. The event was opened by Imam Samy Metwally who spoke a few words on the principles of Islam as it pertains to justice, reminding the audience of the importance of forgiveness and the pivotal role it plays in the legislation of love in Islam.

Prominent religious leaders from North American Sunni and Shi'a Muslim communities have developed an agreement meant to stem violence and tension between their respective communities.

The Washington Declaration For the Protection of Nations and Societies from the Menace of Sectarian Violence aims to facilitate mutual respect and unity between Muslim communities in North America and address the rise in sectarian violence in countries such as Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Two local university students have decided to raise funds to provide free wheelchairs in honour of a disabled family member in a most unconventional way: collecting pull-tabs off pop cans.

Lama and Narjes Zeitoun founded Kawthar on Wheels (KOW) last June, a non-profit organization which aims to provide wheelchairs for those with physical disabilities and financial challenges.

The Muslim Students' Association (MSA) at Carleton University has unveiled a useful new online service that allows people to find and invite suitable roommates to live with.

Human Concern International (HCI) held its 33rd Annual Charity Dinner on Friday, September 27th with a theme of hope interwoven throughout the evening.

This year's keynote speaker was Dr. Norman Cook, a former director with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) who retired in 2006 but has continued to work in the field in the Middle East and Central Asia.

The Kanata Muslim Association (KMA) presented a cheque for $2500 to City Councillor Marianne Wilkinson to support the construction of the Richcraft Recreation Complex. Located in Kanata North, near the Terry Fox Drive and March Road Intersection, the Richcraft Recreation Complex will be an energy efficient, high quality, fitness, recreation and aquatic facility. The City of Ottawa will name the kitchen in the complex after KMA.

Muslim Family Services of Ottawa (MFSO) is working with the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa (CAS) to implement the Shared Journeys project which aims to improve communication and collaboration between CAS and Ottawa's Muslim communities.

The impetus for the project arises from the work of the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration (MRCSSI) of London, Ontario which has worked with that city's CAS to dramatically reduce the number of Muslim children who are taken into care. MRCSSI received $285,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and another $70,000 from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in order to expand the project to York, Kingston, and Ottawa.

In a groundbreaking event, on Sept. 19th Palestinian Authority Foreign Affairs Minister Riad Malki delivered a public speech at the University of Ottawa's  Huguette Labelle Hall.

In his speech entitled “Palestine: Current Challenges and Prospects for Peace” Minister Malki highlighted the lessons learned in the past 20 years since the Oslo Agreement was initiated, and how this interim peace offer has affected the Palestinian people and the overall political environment of this volatile region. Minister Malki expressed his sadness over the conflict that has affected the area for decades, stating how disheartening it is that such violence is being witnessed in a land where “people of every religion greet each other with ”˜Peace'”.

For the 13th year in a row, Britannia Park transformed into a diverse and fun-filled showcase of Ottawa's eclectic Muslim community to celebrate both the summer and Eid.

Held by the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) on August 10, the festival once again provided an opportunity for members of the community to showcase their cultures and traditions to one another and the general public.

“The more familiar we are with each other, the more respect we will build within our own community. Not only does it create positive networking for local businesses but it gives the youth a chance to feel part of a global family,” said Mariam El-Chamaa, a professional event planner who headed up this year's programming for the first time.  She said she was surprised by how well she enjoyed the experience.

Along with tents set up from a variety of Muslim majority countries from around the world such as Palestine, Egypt, and Somalia, there were also tents representing Muslim convert communities closer to home including First Nations in Canada and Latin Americans representing Venezuela and Peru.