Stories

Steven Zhou is a journalist and editor who focuses on international security-related affairs, often in the post-9/11 context. He has worked and consulted on a number of initiatives aimed at implementing effective counter-terrorism and civic engagement measures among Western Muslim populations. He has worked as a journalist for The Ottawa Citizen and for CBC-Radio’s Day 6 program. He is currently an associate editor of the The Islamic Monthly magazine and is a frequent op-ed contributor for CBC News online. His writings have also appears on Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera America, The Globe and Mail, Buzzfeed Canada, The American Conservative, and Embassy Magazine, among other outlets.  Steven studied Socio-cultural Anthropology at the University of Toronto before obtaining his Master of Journalism at Carleton University.

Magicuts, a well-known hair salon franchise, has opened a new store on Ogilvie Road with a special section designed to provide quality hair care services in a comfortable space for women who wear hijab. The salon is part of Shoppers City East, a new shopping district located near COSTCO. It was actually a current Magicuts staff member, Lebanese Canadian Nisrine Soueid, who suggested that the store create the hijab-friendly space as there are not many salons who offer full services for clients who wear the hijab and don’t want their hair exposed to the public.

The Muslims Actually Profile Series developed by Toronto-based community activist Farheen Khan has now moved to Muslim Link. The over 40 profiles previously published on Khan's website will now be published daily over the month of January on Muslim Link.

Muslim Link interviewed Indian Canadian community activist Farheen Khan. Khan is an published author who has written about her personal experiences with Islamophobia and spousal abuse. She ran in the 2015 Federal Election, the only woman wearing hijab to do so for the entire campaign. She is also the founder of the Muslims Actually blog which has now been incorporated into Muslim Link's website.

Farah Nasser brings extensive experience to her role as anchor on Global News at 5:30 & 6. Nasser began her career with RogersTV before accepting a position with Newstalk 1010 in 1999. There she started as a producer and worked her way up into a reporting role. Next, Nasser made the move to Toronto 1 where she worked as a journalist for two years before joining /A\ Channel News in Barrie, reporting for the Toronto Bureau. In 2006, she joined Citytv as a reporter and later became a weekend anchor. Prior to her position with Global News, Nasser was an anchor and reporter for CP24. Nasser has been informing viewers across the GTA for more than a decade. Among her career highlights are the Air France crash in 2005, G20 Summit in 2010 and the Toronto 18 terror trials. She’s a political veteran having covered municipal, provincial and federal elections.

Nour Kaiss Soliman is one of Canada’s top hijab bloggers in the digital space. Currently, she is the CEO of two companies, one of which is a new mobile app company called Souqina, set to launch this May 2016. In the past, Nour has worked as a brand representative, community speaker and entrepreneur. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree after double majoring in Religion and Middle Eastern Civilization and minoring in History and Politics from the University of Toronto, and got into her creative pursuits pretty soon after graduation. She has amazing fans from all over the world and she also owns her own hijab company, ELLE-vation.

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish received his elementary, preparatory and secondary educations in the refugee camp school system in Jabalia, Gaza. As a child and as an adult, he and his family endured the dismal and severely impoverished conditions of the refugee camp, as well as the constant humiliation and inhumanity of the siege and its associated checkpoints and travel restrictions.

At all times, Dr. Abuelaish strived to maintain a balanced and positive perspective toward his experiences and the Israeli people, knowing that the latter are not representative of the sentiments that fuel one of the world’s longest conflicts and the conflict that threatens overall world security.

In the fallout of the RIS Controversy, I shared a Facebook post about How to be an Ally to Black Muslims. It has been shared widely in Canada and the US. I have been asked to make it more easily accessible, so I'm publishing it here on Muslim Link.

Excerpts from a Mindful Conversation with Salimah Kassim-Lakha, founder and director of YogaVision, by writer Saima S. Hussain

For 21 years, Fatima Omar Khamissa was a victim of an abusive marriage which destroyed all the hopes and dreams she had for herself. She took her five children and left that marriage and today, Fatima is the the CEO of Spiritual Biz Moms, leading provider of training and coaching for women who feel stuck, frustrated, and tired of living lives without satisfaction, meaning, and progress. The trauma of abuse, apartheid and violence was not able to break Fatima’s spirit and as an international best selling Author, Fatima is sharing her message to inspire, motivate, and lead women all over the world to continual growth in both personal and professional life. Women choose Spiritual Biz Moms because Fatima is not “just another coach”, instead she’s a real business strategist and thought leader who creates custom plans for you that details practical strategies for overcoming obstacles to unlock your greatest abilities.

Shireen Ahmed is a writer, public speaker and Sports Activist focusing on Muslim women in Sports. She is an athlete, advocate, community organizer, and works with Youth of Colour on empowerment projects and is an avid sports coach and mentor. She is a regular contributor to Muslimah Media Watch, a Global Sports Correspondent for Safe World For Women and works on the Muslim Women in Sports website.

Samra Zafar is a Commercial Account Manager at RBC Royal Bank. She is the award recipient of multiple awards and a graduate of the University of Toronto, a Public Speaker, an upcoming Author, and the Founder of Brave Beginnings, an organization dedicated to helping women find personalized mentorship, friendship and support to rebuild their lives after oppression and abuse.

Shoaib Khan and Asif Saleh are fitness entrepreneurs from Mississauga. As you see can see from this picture, they are “lifting it up!” with “Because I Lift”. Check out their website for their videos, their merchandise and great tips on how to “keep fit and keep lifting”!

Sudduf Wyne is a the owner of Salam Shop Lifestyle Boutique for Muslims. Prior to starting her business, Sudduf worked as an Engineer for government and in tech/ start up companies in management level positions. Sudduf has an Materials Engineering degree from McMaster University and an MBA from Richard Ivey School of Business.

Vajid Khan is the current chairperson of the Muslim Medical Association of Canada. Vajid is a radiologist and assistant professor at St. Joseph’s Health Care at Western University. He grew up in Ottawa and has trained in every major city in Ontario. This has allowed him the pleasure of meeting many talented and diverse Muslims over his training. He is very passionate about building the Muslim community and envisions MMAC playing a critical role in helping our Ummah come together with the help of the people he has met just like yourselves.

Zehra Abbas is the Founder and President of YTGA (Youth Troopers for Global Awareness), a youth-led non-profit organization mobilizing and empowering young people for domestic and international social justice through campaigns, workshops and the arts. Zehra and the YTGA team launched a social enterprise in Mississauga called Studio.89, comprised of a fair-trade cafe, artademic resource centre, and community space. The cafe encourages ethical and healthy consumerism while hosting numerous community events and initiatives. The artademic centre offers arts, academic and lifestyle workshops as well as free resources and entrepreneurial opportunities. Zehra and her team have combined their multi-faceted talents to create the unique and dynamic Studio.89 model which facilitates both local and global action.

Interview with Fatma Nurmohamed, director of operations for Modah.

Haris Khan is an award winning (CBC Future 40) comedian, he has quickly become one of Saskatchewan’s most popular comedians. Within five short years he has become known for two things: his ethnically diverse humour, and for his charitable works.

Azeezah Kanji is Director of Programming at Noor Cultural Centre.  She has a Bachelor of Health Sciences from McMaster University, a JD from University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, and an LLM (Master’s of Law, Islamic Law specialization) from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

This is a profile of the late Daanish Memon. He was a successful business man, husband and father, and friend.  He was also a seeker. a learner and a teacher, evolving on his path with the courage to ask the hard questions and through his acceptance of past mistakes, striving towards perfection of character.  The last period of his life was occupied with refining himself and assisting others on the path. Please enjoy this brief chronicle of a life well spent. Introduction by Alex Texiera.