Shady Hafez, who is of Syrian Arab and Algonquin descent, reflects on what the closing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission means for him and his generation.

Muslim Link is grateful to Shady Hafez for letting us publish his original blog post discussing media and community reactions to Carlos and Ashton Larmond’s application for Indian Status.

The 24 year old Larmond Twins converted to Islam five years ago, according to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), and were raised by their grandmother, Linda Brennan, in Vanier where they attended Rideau High school. Both twins have been arrested on allegations of participating in the activity of a terrorist group as part of the RCMP’s Project Servant arrests. Carlos Larmond has been accused of planning to leave Canada with the intention of joining ISIS.

Ottawa’s Muslim community is full of uncommon mixed race identities, but Shady Hafez, 25, might be an original. Born in Ottawa, the son of an Algonquin mother from the Kitigan Zibi reservation and a Muslim father from Syria, Shady was raised in two worlds, each misunderstanding of the other, and both misunderstood by mainstream Western culture.

As the author of the recent BuzzFeed article 12 Easy Steps For Canadians To Follow If They’re Serious About Reconciliation, Shady's writing aims to help bridge the gaps between his communities.

Muslim Link interviewed Shady Hafez back in 2014, about how he navigates his identities.