News

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.

Dec. 23rd 2011 marked the tenth year anniversary of the "Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference" -- an event which draws thousands of Muslims each year from all over North America and the world to Canada, precisely at the foot of the iconic CN Tower.

Once a small youth initiative, the RIS Conference has now reached massive popularity among North American Muslims and attracted an attendance of approximately 20,000 people making it a sold out event for the first time since its inception in 2001.

Droves of Muslims descended upon the Metro Toronto Convention Center to shop in the Great Bazaar, to reconnect with old friends but most of all, to listen to inspiring lectures given by a panel of internationally recognized Muslim scholars.

Local and national Muslim groups are demanding swift action against vandals who attacked two west Quebec mosques.

“These are clearly hate crimes and authorities should act with speed and determination to catch the culprits so that they face the full force of the law,” Mohammad Zakaria Khan, president of the Muslim Coordinating Council (MCC-NCR), a local umbrella group said in a statement on Jan. 9.

Blessings are often taken for granted until they are taken away from us. ILT For those of us blessed to live in Canada, the thought of deprivation hardly ever crosses our minds. We do not have to think about lack of water, lack of food, leaving our home and belongings behind to live in an open-air camp, seeing people around us dying every day from hunger and treatable illnesses like malaria, diarrhea and cholera. These thoughts rarely, if ever, come into our minds. Yet they are the living reality for thousands of people affected by drought in Somalia.

Expressions of Muslim Women held their 4th annual show called Winds of Change at Centrepointe Studio Theatre on Dec. 10, 2011. The show exhibited artwork and performances by local Muslim women to a female audience. The new venue provided a professional space for this group of talented women to share their art with a full house of over 200 people. Proceeds went to local charities, including the Sadaqa Food Bank. The following are some of the items presented and the reactions from audience members:

On November 19 2011, a crowd of about 500 people gathered at the Human Rights Monument in downtown Ottawa and marched to Parliament Hill demanding that the Canadian government recognize the Syrian National Council and expel the Syrian Ambassador.

The march was organized by the Ottawa chapter of the Syrian Canadian Council and was attended by a diverse group of protesters from around Ottawa, Montreal and as far as Toronto.  Protesters came from various backgrounds and age groups and were joined by Syrians and non-Syrians alike who came to show support and solidarity with the Syrian people. A few Occupy Ottawa protesters also joined the march showing solidarity.

Carrying a message of tolerance, the new imam of the Ottawa Muslim Association mosque has taken up his job with a commitment to advance the cause of moderate Islam, help the local Muslim community contribute more to the wider society and enhance interfaith relations.

“I have a mission of building bridges, helping the Muslim community to know the moderate approach of Islam and coexist with the wider community like we have here in Canada,” Imam Samy Metwally, an Egyptian Muslim scholar, told the Ottawa Citizen.

United States' Special Representative to Muslim Communities, Farah Pandith, was in Canada between Nov. 15 and 17 “engaging” with Muslim communities and organisations on behalf of her boss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

On Nov. 16, at a meeting with ethnic media hosted at the US Embassy, Ms. Pandith spoke about her mandate and what her government is doing to reach out to Muslim communities in the U.S. and around the world.

A woman who pleaded guilty to assault after pulling off a Muslim woman's face veil at a Mississauga, Ont., shopping mall has been given a suspended sentence.

Rosemarie Creswell had been charged with pulling the niqab off Inas Kadri as her three-year-old son and two-year-old daughter children watched at the Sheridan Centre mall in August 2010.

Domestic violence is expected to be the core subject of Friday prayer sermons in mosques and Islamic centres across Ottawa on Dec 9.

Prominent Muslim   organizations, Imams, community leaders and activists from all over the country have added their collective voice to the fight against domestic violence.