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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.

Saint Vincent Hospital's bright multi-faith room was brimming with joyful activity during the Second Annual Eid Celebration, coordinated by the Spiritual Care Services of the Bruyere Continuing Care Centre, in partnership with members of the Muslim community.

Several patients were joined by several dozen family and community members to celebrate the end of Ramadan with prayer, music, treats and gifts on Wednesday, August 14.

The 10th Annual MuslimFest took place in the heart of Mississauga's Celebration Square over Labour Day weekend.

Over 25,000 participants attended the two-day event which has combined family entertainment with artistic expression since its inception in 2004. A joint collaboration between DawaNet, Young Muslims Canada, and Sound Vision, the festival brings together local and international performers to celebrate Muslim achievements in arts and culture.

The fiery debate over secularism and reasonable accommodation is once again a hot topic in Quebec, as Premiere Pauline Marois' government is poised to introduce controversial legislation that will ban religious symbols in the public sphere.

As part of the proposed “Charter of Quebec Values”, public employees working at government offices, schools, CEGEPs, universities, hospitals, courtrooms, police stations and daycares will be prohibited from wearing hijabs, turbans, kippas, niqabs and visible crucifixes.

Ottawa's first-ever outdoors Eid prayer and Khutbah (sermon), held at Greenboro Park, was by most accounts a smashing success as a large number of families chose to remain at the park for what turned out to be a fun-filled day of games, activities and entertainment. 

Yaman Marwah and Rama Imadi are the founders of the Syrian Association of Ottawa (SAO) which began as a regular university-based students' cultural association.

Mr. Marwah, SAO's President, is a 4th year student in Law and Economics at Carleton University. Ms. Imadi, SAO's Vice-President, is a 4th year student in Linguistics at the University of Ottawa. Both were galvanized by the March 2011 revolution in Syria to take action to raise awareness about the struggle of Syria's people against the regime.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), formerly known as the Council of American Islamic Relations-Canada (CAIR-CAN), hosted a community picnic on Saturday, July 6th at the Dovercourt Community Centre ”“ and before a crowd of over 300, re-affirmed its mission to foster civic engagement in the Muslim community.

Simultaneous events were held in Vancouver and Toronto, but Ottawa was fortunate to have the founder, Dr. Sheema Khan, attend to sketch a history of the organization from its humble roots in Montreal to its incorporation as a national civil liberties organisation in 2000.

“The media has a way of negatively representing Islam and coming here today really showed me that the Islamic community is far from that,” says Dhanuddara Mohottalage, a young high school graduate of Buddhist faith.

Ms. Mohottalage joined many other non-Muslims to celebrate and learn more about the month of Ramadhan at the 5th Annual Harmony Iftar dinner held at Sala San Marco Banquet Hall on Friday, July 26. The fast-breaking dinner is an annual event that invites Muslims to build a stronger relationship with their friends and neighbours of other faiths by introducing them to the holy month of Ramadhan and correcting any misconceptions they may have about Islam in a friendly relaxed and environment.

With about roughly 300 guests, the hall was a mosaic of Ottawa's diversity.

Politicians and community leaders cut the cake at a Canada Day community celebration held at Strathcona Park on July 1, 2013.

Sadaqa Food Bank held its annual Food Festival in McCarthy Park on Saturday, July 6th.

For the first time, Muslim Link ran a photo contest for its Eid Issue. We hope to continue running themed photo contests in future issues. We were struck by the diversity of approaches people took to their photos.

The Izzah Learning Center's mission is to support women in the study of Tilawatul (Recitation) and Hifdhul (Memorization) of the Qur'an.

The center was founded by Fatima Abdi, who is finishing up a Master's of Education at the University of Ottawa with a specialization in teaching, learning and evaluation along with Aqbal Ahmed, an experienced Arabic teacher.

In an effort to help students make the most of Ramadan this year, a team of Carleton University Muslim Students' Association (MSA) members created a YouTube series called ”˜Jewels of Ramadan'. The series is made up of 12 episodes, released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before iftar during Ramadan.

Muslim Link checked out one of the weekly iftars organized by the University of Ottawa's Muslim Students' Association (MSA) on Wednesday, July 24th. Hundreds of people, mainly University of Ottawa students, attended theiftar where food was mainly provided by students and their families.

Where can you make the yummiest treats, go on the most amazing field trips, make creative crafts, listen to exciting Islamic lessons, prepare for the most entertaining talent show and meet the coolest friends?

The correct answer is Assunnah Muslim Association's Summer Day Camp. The AMA's first ever day camp took place from July 1-5 at the AMA Mosque on Hunt Club Road. The camp provided a place for kids aged 6-12 to have fun, prepare for Ramadan, and share in exciting adventures with Muslim friends in an Islamic environment. The theme of the camp was “Pray and Play at AMA” so the campers participated in sports and activities, arts and  crafts and learned a lot about prayer and its importance in Islam throughout the week. Campers began each day with supplications and Quran recitation, played games together, attended their daily Islamic lesson and made crafts. They also played outdoor sports, learned about gardening by planting flowers, made fruit kebabs and “dirt cup” snacks and enjoyed presentations from different community members.

Young campers and staff had fun welcoming Ramadan at the 2013 Muslim Association of Canada's Ottawa Summer Camp.

Three hijabis and a niqabi, were among 60+ vendors who set up tables at the Library and Archives Building in Downtown Ottawa on July 13. This was not an Eid Festival event, nor was it part of fundraising function or a picnic organized by a Muslim organization.

These Muslim women -- owners of three different businesses: Maham's Boutique, Rana Art, and Sobia Halal Cakes ”“ set up their stands at the Artisans@the Archives craft show organized by the Ottawa Valley Crafts and Collectibles (OVCC).

John Fraser has been newly elected as  the Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ottawa-South on August 1st 2013.

Muslim Link's Chelby Marie Daigle had an opportunity to interview John during his campaign by phone on July 19th. For a biography of John visit his website.

Muslim Link: Muslim Canadians own many small businesses in Ottawa- South, particularly restaurants, and are facing difficulties with their rising hydro costs. How do you plan to control rising hydro rates?

Here's the perspective we need on the hydro situation, about 10 years ago this time of year we had a black out in Ontario. It's a black out we had because our electricity system hadn't been invested in by the previous government and governments previous to that. So we found ourselves in a situation where families, small businesses and large businesses couldn't count on the stability of hydroelectricity and we ended up having diesel generators outside of office buildings. So, over the last ten years, I think we have invested about $13 million and we invested in renewing our nuclear and hydro systems, replacing transmission lines, replacing telephone polls because they don't last forever. And we have invested in Green Energy. So where we are in 2013 is we have a stable and reliable supply of energy, electricity, which is something that families can rely on but it is also something in the larger context of the global economy something that every state is striving for. So, the reality is we are paying the true cost of energy. And we have to work with our partners in business and families so that we can do our best to conserve.

We did introduce the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit, which is 10% off hydro bills. So that's something that is happening right now.  There's also the Ontario Property and Energy Tax Credit which is something that is targeted to low and middle income families. So those are two ways that we have tried to mitigate those costs to those people where it may be disproportionately harder.

Matt Young is the Progressive Conservative (PC) provincial candidate running in Ottawa-South. Muslim Link's Chelby Marie Daigle had an opportunity to interview Matt in his campaign office on July 19th. For a biography of Matt visit his website.

Muslim Link: Muslim Canadians own many small businesses in Ottawa- South, particularly restaurants, and are facing difficulties with their rising hydro costs. How do you plan to control rising hydro rates?

Matt Young: The first thing we do is we end installations of subsidized windmills and solar panels. We are all for windmills and solar panels; they have to stand on their own two feet and compete with other sources of energy. What people don't know about Ontario Hydro is that last year we had about three hundred dollars' worth of energy unused at our dams-so that's Niagara Falls or the Madawaska River System where they actually shut off the dams because they didn't need the power. And yet we are spending hundreds of millions every year to generate wind and solar power. So if we could just eliminate any new wind and solar installations, we can't get rid of the ones we have because we've signed contracts, but we can stop the bleeding and stop the growth. So that will at least flat line hydro prices whereas if we continue on the path we are on they are going to double over the next ten years.