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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.

Nestled between the fruit markets and video stores on a busy street in St-Laurent, many may pass by the modest bureau of the Amal Center for Women without a second glance. An inconspicuous sign at the front door leads the way up a flight of stairs to the center's office, where Muslim women from different parts of the city come together to bring hope to those that need it most.

Meagan Sheridan scanned the fifteen children's faces in front of her. As each child aged 7 to 14 years old shared which superpower they would pick if they could have any, she listened carefully, and watched to see which kids looked unsure and which ones spoke with ease.

The children were gathered on the first day of March Break for an informal workshop at the Higher Learning Institute in Bell's Corners.

The one-day event organized by local parent Lula Adam through the Tarbiyah Learning homeschooling network, included a mix of homeschooled and public-schooled kids from across the city.

A full house stood for ”˜Asr (mid-afternoon prayer) Saturday, Mar. 31,  after 17 long years of waiting, in the finished lower level of the Assunah Muslim Association (AMA) Mosque. At first glance the mosque hides in the corner behind the trees which line Sawmill Creek, but when you enter the parking lot driveway, the design and height of the mosque dominates the view. A shining sun graced the afternoon as worshippers from all areas of the city arrived, filling the large tiled hall with Muslim men, women and children anxious to be the first to pray in the long-awaited building.

Over 100 men and women joined a yoga class at Ottawa's Richellieu Vanier Community Centre, held simultaneously with similarly massive classes taking place in 20 other cities across Canada on Mar. 4.

The 1-hour yoga class, lead by yoga instructor Jessica Keats of YogaFit was part of the Power of Movement national initiative to raise funds for arthritis and autoimmune conditions research.

The Power of Movement initiative started in 2005, and has raised over $1 million to date.

A group of activists took Ottawans by surprise on Saturday, Feb. 18, staging an Israeli military checkpoint in the heart of the city.

The “guerrilla-theatre” piece was intended to demonstrate the system of apartheid which oppresses Palestinians in their own territories, in the favour of Israeli residents.

Actors posing as Israeli soldiers set up a “roadblock” outside of Winterlude festival, and other participants stood in line, attempting to cross the checkpoint and enter.

Carleton University's Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) continued their Israeli Apartheid Week on Tuesday Feb. 6 with the showing of the acclaimed independent documentary, Budrus. The movie showed aspects of Palestinian nonviolent resistance, and was a part of SAIA's aim to dispel myths on the occupation of Palestine.

“Alongside the misconception that Palestinians resist the occupation by Israel with violence are the myths that women are less involved than men, and that young people in Palestine take a backseat when it comes to speaking out,” Dax D'Orazio, a SAIA member said.

“This film really breaks those myths, and we wanted to show that women and youth are really at the forefront of a lot of nonviolent protests that take place in Palestine, be it against the apartheid wall in the West Bank or in other areas,” he said.

Sensitivity training for care workers and providers was one of the issues raised at the third annual Conference on Spirituality and Aging on Feb. 23.

The one-day event organized by the Council on Aging of Ottawa at Saint Paul University also tackled topics of mental health, support and relief for care workers and family members, discrimination, and spiritual wellbeing.

Syed Mumtaz Akhtar has been involved with community and cultural groups for the past four decades. He was the founding member and/or president of several Muslim organizations including: the Ottawa Muslim Association, Sadaqa Food Bank, Human Concern International, Canada Pakistan Association, Federation of Pakistani Canadians, Muslim Community Council of Ottawa-Gatineau and the Jamiatul Muslimeen of Ottawa Carleton. Mr. Akhtar has had roles in the Canadian Muslims National Steering Committee for Bill C-36 and C16 and the Community Policing Action Committee.

A successful March break programme for inner-city kids is expanding its intake this year giving more children from some of Ottawa's poorest families the chance to enjoy a safe and fun-filled holiday they couldn't normally afford.

Thanks to a new partnership with the Ottawa-based Muslim charity Human Concern International, York Street ULTIMATE will be accepting 35 kids ”“ up from 20 children last year ”“ into its high quality children's day camp in the Lowertown area during March break.

Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is using her moment in the international spotlight to bring attention to victims of acid attacks in her country of origin.

On Feb. 26, Ms. Obaid-Chinoy, 33, won best documentary at the Academy Awards ceremony for her film Saving Face, which highlights the plight of thousands of Pakistani women who have survived brutal acid attacks by male relatives or female in-laws.

Friday, Feb. 24, and Ottawa receives one the heaviest snowfalls of the year. But that doesn't deter Maher Zain fans who throng Tudor Hall this evening, prepared with flags, lyrics in mind and warmed up voices. Multi-platinum singer, songwriter and performer Maher Zain has come from afar, and the Ottawa audience has been waiting for him for a long, long time.

"Is he going to sing Insha'Allah (Maher's hit song from his debut album)?” the crowd keeps asking the organizers.

Faith & the Common Good, a non-profit multi-faith coalition, through its Greening Sacred Spaces program organized a green building tour of the Ottawa area dubbed the Sustainability Bus Tour. The tour introduced eco-tourists to various buildings around Ottawa which implement environmental initiatives or innovations in their design or practice. The tour involved a number of places of worship across Ottawa.

The tour was made up of people from all walks of life. From builders to community workers, businessmen to faith leaders, all were interested in learning about what faith-based organizations and communities in Ottawa are doing to reduce their ecological impact in our city. Some were even interested in implementing some of what they saw on the tour in their own community's places of worship.

The RCMP is investigating a case of vandalism at the Syrian embassy on Cartier Street as people around the world protest escalating violence in Syria.

The front of the embassy was splattered with a large quantity of red paint overnight on Feb. 3 to symbolize the blood of the people killed in Syria. The paint covered the embassy door, mailbox, gates and canopy of the embassy's main entrance.

A local organization is looking for champions from the Muslim community to lead the fight against domestic violence.

Following the successful launch of their educational campaign against domestic abuse, organizers of the Neighbours, Friends and Family Muslim Project, are seeking 30 “champions” who will get the community actively involved in combating violence against women.

The launch event ”“ held on Nov. 24 to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women ”“ was attended by over a hundred people. Organisers say the event underscored the need for a community response for violence against women.

A London, Ontario group hopes lessons learned from a project aimed at Chicago street gangs can be applied to curb family violence.

The Family Honour Project was unveiled on Jan. 24 by the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration as part of its mission to eradicate domestic violence.

The project was developed in partnership with the renowned CeaseFire group that has been working with Chicago street gangs for 11 years to prevent violence before it occurs.

More than 30 North American imams signed a religious edict on Feb. 4 condemning honour killings, domestic violence and misogyny as "un-Islamic.”

Thirty-four imams belonging to the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, including a handful of American members, say the fatwa aims to clarify any possible confusion over the teachings of the Quran.

While it has no legal teeth, the fatwa is "morally binding" for all Muslims, said Syed Soharwardy, a Calgary-based imam who founded the council.

Weightlifter Kulsoom Abdullah was on the brink of qualifying for the American Open tournament last year when she was eliminated. It was not her training regimen, muscle strength or weight that kept her from competing. It was her clothes.

After qualifying for a national tournament, the computer engineer with a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech and a black belt in taekwondo was told she could not compete because the modest athletic attire she wears might be dangerous or give her an unfair advantage because the long-sleeved garment would prevent judges from seeing if her elbows were locked.

With help from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ms. Abdullah waged a personal crusade with both the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Weighlifting to push reform of the uniform law. As a result, on July 15, 2011, Ms. Abdullah became the first Muslim woman to compete in America's most prestigious weightlifting competition -- the USA National Weightlifting Championships -- while wearing clothing that covered her legs, arms and head.

Former Ottawa-resident Naser Bader al-Raas jailed in Bahrain for taking part in last year's anti-government protests was unexpectedly let out on bail on Feb. 6.

Mr. al-Raas' supporters say they hope he will soon return to Canada a free man.

Although Mr. al-Raas was apparently released for health reasons, his lawyer told AFP that the decision could also be “because (Mr. al-Raas) will most probably be proved innocent at the next hearing” set for Feb. 16.

Ottawa residents had the chance to sit down with one of sixty human "books" available to sign out at public library locations across the city on Jan. 28.

The event was billed as an exciting opportunity for the public to connect one-on-one with individuals who have diverse life experiences, stories and knowledge. For 20 minutes at the human library “readers” could “check out” people from completely different walks of life for one-on-one talks.

The concept of the human library was launched in Denmark in 2000 as a way to promote dialogue and diversity, reduce prejudice and encourage understanding. The eclectic list of human “books” at the Ottawa event included an Aboriginal spiritual healer, a child services worker, a neurosurgeon a Somali refugee, a judge, an HIV-positive man, a police officer and a Peking Opera performer.