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Are you a proud Canadian? Are you satisfied with the government? Is there anything you would change?

Remember how we felt when we heard that Jack Layton had passed away? What a loss for Canada! And then a second set of tears flooded our eyes when we read his letter. Throughout Canada, his words resounded; filling our hearts with pride and inspiring us to action.

His message was full of love, hope and optimism: “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world,” his letter read.

Are you optimistic about the future of Canada?

Lateef Hussaini reviews Glimpses from the Life of Muhammad Rasul Allah by Anwer Kuraishi

“Lives of great men all remind us; we can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Indeed, there has never been a greater man on earth than Muhammad bin Abdullah, the Messenger of Allah, the last and final prophet of Islam, may infinite peace and blessings be upon him.

It was mostly a gathering of the youth, and their message was clear: Muslim community leaders should take care of the community's most vulnerable.

The first town hall meeting of the “Voices of Muslim Youth” (VOMY) was a moving experience. Some 85 people attended, mostly but not all youth, including a big number of sisters. The evening included presentations, maghrib prayers (sunset prayers) and questions, as well as comments from the floor. Some 30 to 40 people stayed until the end.

Muslim Link was given the opportunity to interview Sister Shawana Shah, who answered a few questions about the Neighbours, Friends and Family Muslim Project, a campaign that is rapidly gaining support, both on Facebook and throughout the Ottawa community.

What is the NFF project and how does it work exactly?

“Only by working together constructively will the Muslim community be able to uplift itself and serve the country effectively,” Mohammed Zakaria Khan told an iftar (evening meal to break the fast) gathering of students of Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.

The president of the Muslim Coordinating Council spoke at an iftar of Muslim students of the two universities, which was hosted by Human Concern International (HCI) and the Muslim Coordinating Council of the National Capital Region (MCC-NCR). HCI is one of MCC-NCR's member organizations and has previously hosted such iftars. MCC-NCR co-hosted the iftar for the first time.

In early July, Canadians engaged in an online conversation with the aim of increasing their understanding of Muslims, the main non-Christian faith community estimated by government demographers at 1.1 million in 2011 or 3.2 per cent of the total population. It was an initiative of the national daily newspaper, The Globe and Mail, which ran a series of articles on Muslims and invited readers to comment and ask questions.

In particular, readers were curious how Muslims reconcile their lifestyle, which is inspired and informed by a seventh century religion, with the egalitarian values of a modern, secular society. One key subtext was gender relations and the common misperception that Muslim women just get married, have babies and stay home to serve their men.

Heroes Saleh Moujally and Ibrahim Zreick were among six taxi drivers who received special awards from the City of Ottawa during its annual Taxi Driver Appreciation Celebration held at City Hall on June 14.

The awards acknowledge and celebrate great service provided by Ottawa taxi drivers. Customers and members of Ottawa's taxi industry nominated candidates for five award categories: Excellent Customer Service, Access for All, Driver Role Model, Heroism and Lifetime Achievement.

Saleh Moujally and Ibrahim Zreick each received the Heroism Award.

For Mohamed Sofa, helping and serving others is simply second nature.

So it came as no surprise to his friends and family when the Somali-born community activist and community builder was awarded the Mayor's City Builder Award.

In the 15 years since he arrived in Ottawa as a refugee, Mr. Sofa, now 29 years old, has helped initiate and implement dozens of community projects, including homework clubs, soccer teams, basketball leagues, sports nights, and celebrations for youth.

Eleven women and girls from the community of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto were recently honoured by the Government of Ontario.

On Wednesday, April 27, 2011 a ceremony was held at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto to present the women and girls with the province's Leading Women/Girls, Building Communities Recognition Award.

The award recognizes women and girls, who through their extraordinary volunteerism in their community work and leadership, have helped improve the lives of other women and girls in Ontario.

Canadian Muslims, used to frequent distortion in the media, were invited to have their say in a recent meeting arranged by CBC Radio.

“Bias and Belonging: Being Muslim in Ottawa” Town Hall filled the hall on March 15 but enabled only a few Muslims to express their thoughts. While other Muslims had been invited to speak of experiences on the radio prior to the meeting, the town hall on the whole served to underscore the difficulties and biases that Muslims encounter with the media.

It is because people have turned away from religion that the world is beset by so many conflicts. If Jews followed the teachings of Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, Christians followed the guidance of the Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him and Muslims obeyed the commands of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and followers of other religions did the same, there would be harmony and cooperation in the world. So stated Hujjatul Islam Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, the Imam of the Jaffari Islamic Centre in Toronto.  He emphasized that the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, told his followers to always obey the Quran and be just in all their dealings with others ”“ family, neighbors, fellow Muslims and followers of other faiths.

The Coquitlam RCMP and the B.C. hate-crime team are investigating the March 10 vandalism at the Port Coquitlam's Masjid Al Hidayah as a potential hate crime. 

The vandalism included graffiti with a racial slur.

“This is extremely disturbing ”¦ and psychologically jarring, as the masjid represents a place of sanctuary and peace,” a local member of the Muslim community said.

Muslim civil rights groups are condemning the incident and applauding the decision of law enforcement officials to investigate the incident as a potential hate crime.

When Waris Malik and his team of volunteers from the Islamic Foundation of Toronto set out to form a community soup kitchen back in 2005, they had little idea that their efforts would lead to the establishment of the first free restaurant-style soup kitchen in Canada.

It was during his involvement with relief efforts for the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster when Mr. Malik realized that in addition to what was being done overseas, there was need at home as well, right in his own community: “We thought, if we have done so much for overseas efforts, why don't we do something for our own city and our own country?” And thus Hot Soup Day was developed.

Five o'clock in the afternoon on Sat. Nov. 6th, 2010 and I'm late. Krystal calls me on my cell, “Where are you?” I tell her I'm on my way. There are two hours left until the show starts, and yet, we still have to meet to practice the finale. I wonder if everyone practiced their own parts yet? Then there's the mic checks, the lighting check, the signs to post up, the easels to put together, the tables to place, the artwork to get up, coordinating the different volunteers”¦ do the performers know their order? Where's a program? Take a break for Maghrib prayer!

How can we prevent our youth from becoming vulnerable to radicalization and violent extremism?  That was the question on everyone's minds at a recent conference organised by the Canadian Friends of Somalia.

The conference held at the National Arts Centre on 6th and 7th December was titled, “Promoting Peace and Preventing Youth Radicalization” and focused primarily on Somali youth who are at risk of being recruited to fight in their home country.

The following is an open letter to the community from outgoing Muslim Coordinating Council president, Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful

With Allah's help and the efforts of many brothers and sisters the Muslim Coordinating Council of the National Capital Region has built a solid foundation. Insha Allah (God willing) a new team of dedicated, wise, patient and visionary people will carry on the task and serve our community and our country. As my term ends, I pray to Allah to bless you for your support.

Hanan Awneh, who left the United Arab Emirates with her mother and two brothers for Ottawa about four years ago, received this year's Marion Dewar Scholarship for immigrant and refugee youth.

It's not easy to be a top student in your class when you are new to the country and don't speak much English, explains Hanan, in an interview with Canadian Newcomer. “Back in United Arab Emirates it [the education] was based on memorizing books and stuff, and here it's about understanding what you are learning.”

Sometimes a slow start leads up to a surprising finish. Look to the west of Ottawa, to the site of the Jami Omar Mosque, where after years of what looked like little or no progress, there now stands an almost fully completed mosque.

In truth, major construction on the Jami Omar Mosque had been completed much earlier, but as with the other mosque projects, most of it occurred underground, noticeable only to careful observers. Now, that the basic structure of the mosque is complete, it is easier more those of us driving by the site to connect it with the beautiful artists' rendition of the finished building found on the Jami Omar fundraising webpage.

On 21 October 2010, the government introduced Bill C-49 titled “Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act”. Despite its name, the bill has attracted strong criticism from human rights groups who say that most of its provisions appear to target refugees, not smugglers. This is what a few lawyers and refugee rights activists have had to say:    

“Measures keeping some refugees longer in detention, denying them family reunification and restricting their freedom of movement are likely in violation of the Canadian Charter and of international human rights obligations. People who are forced to flee for their lives need to be offered asylum and a warm welcome, not punished.”                  

- Wanda Yamamoto, President, Canadian Council for Refugees   

For 57 years, Capital Memorial Gardens has been a fixture of Ottawa life. Tens of thousands of people from all faiths and backgrounds have found their final resting place there. You may have driven by the property at 3700 Prince of Wales Dr. (near Woodroffe Ave. in Barrhaven) and not even realized it to be a cemetery. With its 90-acres of rolling grass, water features and stately trees, it looks more like a golf course or botanical garden.

Capital Memorial has just opened the Garden of Paradise, a new section of their cemetery set aside specifically for the Muslim community. James Gregory, the Family Counsellor responsible, answers questions about this new service.