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Lively dance performances by a First Nations group and a Lebanese trio were among the highlights of Human Concern International's 32nd Annual Dinner.

Although the volume for the show was a little louder than some people would have liked, the event was enjoyed by most of those in attendance. HCI Events and Media Coordinator Mahmuda Khan says she received overwhelmingly positive feedback from many of the over 360 guests at the banquet. The majority were pleased with the opportunity to hear about new HCI initiatives from speakers at the event.

Despite a day of truly terrible weather, well over 800 people turned up for the International Food Festival on Oct. 14. They came out to the St. Elias Banquet Hall to enjoy food and performances representing Ottawa's multicultural mosaic and to show their support for the people of Yemen.

The festival, a joint initiative of local youth group Gentler and Softer Hearts and the charity Human Concern International (HCI), raised awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Help may soon be just a phone call away for Muslim women in distress.

1-888-315-NISA, the first toll-free anonymous phone counseling service for Canadian Muslimahs, is being launched this month by Mercy Mission, a non-profit Islamic organization.

The helpline, a project of Mercy Mission's Women's Resource Centre, is designed to answer questions and provide references and advice to Muslim women across the country seeking support, guidance or even a listening ear.

A recent announcement from the office of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews ”“ that all non-Christian chaplains working in the national penitentiary system will have their contracts cancelled ”“ has sent shockwaves through Canada's interfaith and multicultural organizations.

The Canadian Islamic Congress has denounced the move, saying it is unfair to Canadians of all faiths.

A campaign to write condolence letters to the family of the late U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens ended on Sept. 24, but its impact is continuing. The campaign initially hoped for 1,000 letters in 10 days. Instead it went viral with over 7,500 letters from 115 countries.

Mr. Stevens was killed this September in Benghazi by an armed mob protesting violently against the release of an obscure anti-Islam film in the United States. In response to the tragedy, Celebrate Mercy, a non-profit organization which tries to promote the values and example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him, organized a letter-writing campaign.

This week, a young Muslim woman will give a keynote address on integration with Canadian society to a large gathering in Toronto. In mid-October, Muslim women will recognise their peers who have made a difference with contributions to civic engagement in Canada. And later this year, a Muslim woman will be honoured by the Canadian government for championing women's rights and promoting interfaith dialogue.

The Parti Québécois win in Quebec has drawn mixed reaction from Canada's second largest Muslim community.

Amongst Montreal's 200,000-strong Muslim community, there was a varied sense of disappointment at the success of the Parti Québécois, consolation that the separatist party failed to win the required 63 seats to form a majority government, relief that the Liberals are no longer in leadership; and hope that the new balance of power will usher positive change.

With the academic year getting back in full swing, many families across Canada spent the last few weeks of their summer vacation preparing their children to go back to school. At the Sadaqa Food Bank, similar preparations were underway this month, as the organisation ran its annual Back to School campaign to help families in need.

“We have many needy families in the community and they don't just need food,” Yacoub Abu-al-Hawa, coordinator of the Sadaqa Food Bank explains. “One of the things that many families need help with is back to school preparations. If you need to buy just one item, it's not expensive, but when you have a whole list of things you need and especially when you have a lot of children, then it quickly becomes very expensive. And this cost comes all at once; it isn't distributed over the year. It is very difficult for many families to afford. So we are just trying to help them and provide what we can.”

Thinking of throwing out your old mobile phone? Think again.

Your electronics junk could help save lives in Syria.

The Canadian Syrian Relief, a local organization, is collecting unwanted electronics (including: cell phones, printers, digital cameras, DVD players, hand-held devices, laptops, monitors, copiers and video recorders) which it will exchange for money to benefit Syrian refugees.

When was the last time you heard about a potential hate crime or incident targeting Ottawa's Muslim community?

Think now, it wasn't long ago.

In high school, Ayan Ismail would get constant questions about why she wasn't eating or drinking during the month of Ramadan. The questions persisted right through university.

“I wanted to answer them,” she explained in an interview, “but I also wanted to do something.”

University students and recent graduates of Egyptian heritage successfully teamed up with local community organizations and individuals last month to raise over sixty thousand dollars for micro financing and education projects in Egypt.

Heba Eid, one of the July 28 fundraising dinner's energetic organizers, wrote in an email interview that the team of young people was originally just hoping to be able to raise forty thousand dollars to kick start an ambitious program that would help finance 25 projects in a Cairo slum.

Starting this school year, all school boards will be required to implement strict policies to prevent bullying

On June 5th, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 13, the Accepting Schools Act, which will allow schools to expel bullies. The bill states that every student has the right to a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting, regardless of “race, ancestry, place of origin, color, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender entity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability”.

Mississauga resident Dr. Farhan M. Asrar has been recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for his leadership skills.

Dr. Asrar, the chief resident medical doctor with McMaster University's Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine program, has been announced as the winner of the college's 2012 Leadership Award.

The national award is given to a resident medical doctor that “has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills during their residency training, has encouraged the development of future leaders in medicine and has shown strong role modeling and mentorship ability among his peers.”

The Canadian government has announced that it will match donations made by Canadians to eligible charities responding to the crisis in Sahel, a sub-Saharan region of West Africa where more than 18 million people are facing food shortages.

Do you have a “bucket list”?  A list of things you'd like to do or accomplish before you die?  At the top of my list would likely be travel.  Meeting new people and hearing their stories inspires me.  Seeing how people live and trying new cuisines intrigues me.  There is just something so fulfilling about experiencing something new.

To mark the Queen of England's sixty years on the throne, a commemorative medal is being bestowed on deserving Canadians across the country.

Among those who have already received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal is Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan, a retired civil servant and refugee judge who is also a journalist and founder of the Muslim Coordinating Council of the National Capital Region (MCC-NCR).

Sheema Khan, whose monthly columns appear in the Globe and Mail, and who is the founder of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, was also bestowed with the honour.

Pleasant weather, a cool spot beside the Rideau Canal, delicious food, and lively games for the kids made for a memorable celebration of Canada's 145th birthday.

According to organizers, the July 1 celebration at Strathcona Park, organized jointly by the Muslim Coordinating Council (MCC-NCR) and the Indonesian Canadian Congress was a smashing success.

The sun shone down on my family and me as we entered Brewer Park June 30, joining Ottawa Muslims and members of the greater community as they ate, shopped, and played at the Sadaqah Food Bank Food Festival, an innovative fundraising event.

People streamed in from the park's entrance and parking lot off Bronson Avenue, across from Carleton University. Large bouncy rides seen from the street invited children to come in and play while adults were lured in by the long line of tents offering food for sale.

Canada reluctantly bade farewell to a loving daughter with sorrow, admiration, respect and warmth.

In a poignant memorial ceremony on June 11, the country and the Muslim community said good-bye to Lieutenant-Commander Wafa Dabbagh after she succumbed to her long battle with cancer.

Wafa made history when she joined the Canadian armed forces in 1996 wearing the hijab. Officers were baffled by why a practicing Muslim woman wanted to join, and wondered how her recruitment would work out. She won that battle easily -- everyone she met loved her friendliness. They not only accepted her, they embraced her.