Stories

Ottawa's Sanad Collective ran a competition which challenges both children and adults to write personal letters to the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him. Algerian Canadian Hidayet Abbad won first prize in the adult category with this poem.

Originally written in 2009 for Sisters Magazine, Muslim Link is republishing our Editorial Advisor Amira Elghawaby’s tribute to her mother Mona whose struggle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) came to a peaceful end on March 3rd 2015. Mona Elghawaby had been living at the Bruyere Continuing Care since 1996.

Muslim Link welcomes the current debate the recent changes to Ontario’s sexual education curriculum has stirred within the Muslim community particularly as it is encouraging parents to be more engaged in what their children are learning at school. We are publishing one perspective on the new curriculum from a Muslim Canadian principal in a Toronto-area public school. We hope to hear other perspectives on this issue and welcome submissions which are in agreement or in opposition. You may submit them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To view an opposing opinion, read this interview with Farina Siddiqui.

Muslim Link attended MAC’s Canadian Family Day event on February 16 and asked people: What Does Family Mean To You? Here is the response from poet and playwright Habiba Ali along with her siblings Asha and Abdullahi Ali.

Faiza Hassan, a trainee lawyer in Ottawa, reflects on the importance of professionalism for young professionals from Black and Muslim backgrounds navigating workspaces where there are still not many people who look like them. This article is based on a speech delivered by Faiza Hassan at the Awakening the Spirit of Somali Youth Conference in January 2015

Muslim Link attended MAC’s Canadian Family Day event on February 16 and asked people: What Does Family Mean To You? Nesrin Lachica, originally from the Philippines, met Mohammad and Salwa Al Azzouni’s Arab father in Saudi Arabia, creating a very culturally mixed family which has set up roots in Canada as the children have come and settled here as international students.

Muslim Link attended MAC’s Canadian Family Day event on February 16 and asked people: What Does Family Mean To You? Mohammed Saleem, principal of Abraar School, spoke about family with his eldest son Omar, 13, and his youngest son Bilal, 4.

Musleh Khan, one of North America’s youngest imams, serves at the Sakinah Community Center in Toronto. Educated at the University of Medina, the city where he was born to Indo-Caribbean parents, Khan has been recognized for his ability to make some of Islam’s most complicated concepts easier to understand.

Muslim Link caught up with Khan at the Jami Omar fundraising dinner. In this exclusive interview, Khan shares his thoughts on how to prevent youth radicalization and gang involvement, as well as how to effectively engage youth and increase ethno-cultural diversity in mosques.

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Canadian Muslims for Peace, we asked Muslims who attended: What Does Peace Mean To You? Here is the response of Mohammad Mousa who studies Conflict Studies and Human Rights at the University of Ottawa.

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Canadian Muslims for Peace, we asked Muslims who attended: What Does Peace Mean To You? Here is the response of Mahamed Abdelaal with the Kanata Muslim Association's Al Hikmah School. 

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Canadian Muslims for Peace, we asked Muslims who attended: What Does Peace Mean To You? Here is the response of youth worker Mohamed Islam, who also sits as the Somali Community representative on the Ottawa Police Service's Community Police Action Committee (COMPAC).

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Canadian Muslims for Peace, we asked Muslims who attended: What Does Peace Mean To You? Here is the response of Hamid Mousa who works with Community Development for the Ottawa Police Service.

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Canadian Muslims for Peace, we asked Muslims who attended: What Does Peace Mean To You?. Here is the response of one of the organizers, Amira Elghawaby with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Arabian Canadian Bazaar, we asked Arab Muslims from Ottawa the question: What Do You Want The World to Know about Arab Culture?. Here is an executive member of Carleton University's Salam: Reviving the Arab Culture, Mohamed El Koussy's response.

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Arabian Canadian Bazaar, we asked Arab Muslims from Ottawa the question: What Do You Want The World to Know about Arab Culture?. Here is a volunteer with Youth Yemen Gentler & Softer Hearts, Sarah Al Akbari's response.

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Arabian Canadian Bazaar, we asked Arab Muslims from Ottawa the question: What Do You Want The World to Know about Arab Culture?. Here is a volunteer with the Palestinian Students' Association of Carleton University, Hind Al Hassoun's response.

Muslim Link is continuing its series Muslims of Ottawa. At the Arabian Canadian Bazaar, we asked Arab Muslims from Ottawa the question: What Do You Want The World to Know about Arab Culture?. Here is Heba Jallad's response.

Muslim Link interviewed Arab Canadian political science student Sara Elhawash about her experience studying Political Science at York University.

Recently, concerns have been raised within Ottawa's Muslim communities about how many of youth that seemed to be involved in gang-related violence, both as victims and as perpetrators, are from Muslim families.

Sheikh Ismail Albatnuni was born in 1964 in Tripoli, Libya. From an early age, he sought out Islamic knowledge, memorizing the Quran, and eventually studying Maliki fiqh (a school of Islamic jurisprudence) from local scholars. However, he knew if he ever wanted to take his studies further it would mean having to leave his homeland.

"In Libya at that time, it was very difficult. Qaddafi shut down all of the Islamic universities," Sheikh Albatnuni explained. Instead, Albatnuni made the practical choice to study engineering and computer systems. However, in 1992, he left Libya to study at a branch of Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) because he was "very eager to study sharia." After graduating, he went on to teach Islamic Studies at Khalifa bin Zayed Air College.