The University of Ottawa Muslim Students Association (UOMSA) organized an interfaith session on campus on January 31st to share concerns about the Trump travel ban on seven Muslim majority countries, including Somalia, and the shooting at a mosque in Quebec City that left six people dead.
Somali Canadian Filsan Nour, the UOMSA Events Officer, shared her thoughts on recent events. This is her edited speech.
On the cold Saturday morning, on January 14th, a group of students from multiple University of Ottawa Muslim student associations rose early and went out to warm the hearts and fill the stomachs of people who are homeless in Ottawa.
Mariam Nouser is an entrepreneur and blogger based in Toronto, Canada. While she is a full time student in university, she splits her free time between her presidential duties of the Ryerson MSA, running her own blog, being a Project Coach for the crowdfunding platform – LaunchGood as well as a barista for Starbucks.
In addition to her blessings, she has been the victim of Islamophobia whilst wearing the hijab and hopes to share her unique stories with everyone in order to cope with times of loss, confusion and trauma. As someone who suffers from a mental illness, she aspires to create a platform that increases dialogue within such a “taboo” topic.
Anyone who has ever sought out post-secondary education knows it can be a struggle to find the perfect program. One team of young Muslims from Ottawa is changing the scene with a new website aimed at helping students find the Canadian university that’s right for them.
Apportal.ca is the brainchild of Abdul Amoud. A Merivale High School graduate currently enrolled at the University of Ottawa, he recalls how his own path to post-secondary education was not so smooth.
In the wake of the news that MP Ahmed Hussen has been appointed to the position of Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Muslim Link reached out to first and second generation Somali Canadians from across the country to get their reflections on what this appointment means for them. While for many Muslims, the appointment of another Muslim to Trudeau’s cabinet is seen as a victory against rising Islamophobia, for Somali Canadians, it means something far greater-hope for a brighter future in Canada.
What started out as a play made by Rohingya refugee youth in Ontario is on its way to becoming a full length documentary. Muslim Link spoke with actor Yusuf Zine is crowdfunding for a documentary to share the stories of the Rohingya refugees he has been working with in Kitchener-Waterloo over the last few years.
14 Rohingya refugee youth living in Ontario got together to save their people through theatre. Let's let the world hear their story. Support the making of the documentary on LaunchGood here.
Yemeni Canadian Dhilal Alhaboob had the opportunity to participate in the One Young World Summit which took place in Ottawa from September 28th to October 1st. She represented both Canada and Yemen. Muslim Link interviewed Dhilal about her experience at the summit which gathered together young leaders from around the world.
Muslim Link interviewed university student Zein Ahmed who is fundraising to support Yemeni refugees to have fled to Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa. She will be visiting them during this Christmas break when she returns to Djibouti to visit family. She hopes to raise $8000 by December 22nd. Check out her GoFundMe Page.
Tens of thousands of Yemeni refugees have sought refuge in Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia, countries which are themselves struggling with food insecurity. Ahmed reflects on the little attention the world has given to the Yemeni crisis, and what she hopes Muslims and other Canadians will do to support her community.
While learning about indigenous peoples in my Grade 7 History Class at Al Furqan School, we sought to bring some authentic voices to our classroom. Kiera Brant, an indigenous woman and a graduate student at the University of Ottawa, gave a speech to our class on the difficulty of being an indigenous person in our day and age in Canada. She also spoke about the discrimination and past struggles faced by indigenous peoples.
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Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) concerned by media coverage of anti-Palestinian incident at Sir Robert Borden High School
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