Stories

Norman Paterson School of International Affairs graduate student Abdullah Abdi reflects on the need for the Canadian government to take a leading role in the development of Somalia. Originally written for thepanelonline.

Muslim Link’s new series “So You Want To…” interviews students and established professionals for advice and reflections on their various fields of study and professions, with the aim of helping other Muslims aspiring to join those fields.

In this article, Somali Canadian law student Faiza Hassan discusses her experience as a law student in Ottawa.

Muslim Link’s new series “So You Want To…” interviews students and established professionals for advice and reflections on their various fields of study and professions, with the aim of helping other Muslims aspiring to join those fields.

In this article, Arab Canadian law student Assma Basalamah discusses her experience as a law student in Ottawa.

Mirrors and Mirages a Novel by Monia Mazigh (House of Anansi, 2014; $22.95)

Monia Mazigh's debut novel, Mirrors and Mirages: a Novel, has enriched Canadian literature. 

Edmontonian Spoken Word poet Nasra Adem was in Ottawa in August to perform in the Artistic Showcase of the Youth Can Slam National Youth Poetry Festival. But she’s no stranger to the Nation’s Capital. “That was like 10 years of my life!” Nasra, who’s only 20, exclaimed.

Muslim Link caught up with 17 year old Palestinian spoken word poet Haneen Al-Hassoun aka Freedom Writer as she prepares to compete in this week’s Youth Can Slam National Youth Poetry Festival.

In this installment of the Journey to the Light, we hear the brothers’ side of the Ottawa convert story. A local entertainer, Joshua Asare, aka Jae Deen, agreed to speak to Muslim Link's Sakina bint Erik about his journey.

Like any other Muslim mompreneur, Rabiya Moola is energetic, passionate, and inspirational. Her vision is to change the way Muslim women are portrayed, and she’s doing this all in her sixties.

As a little girl, my choice for what I want to be when I grow up fluctuated frequently and often without warning, each time leaving me convinced that this new profession was my life’s calling. A surgeon, a mayor, a tennis player, an astronaut, a writer, a lawyer, and a human rights activist – the list was endless and populated with inspiration that came both from my surroundings and my parents’ continuous encouragement there really was nothing I couldn’t do.

On Saturday May 10th, close to 200 members of Ottawa’s Muslim community attended a screening of the documentary UnMosqued at Carleton University and stayed for the discussion that followed. Exploring the ways in which Muslim women, converts to Islam, Muslims from various racial background, and youth in their teens and twenties often feel unwelcome and alienated from their local mosques, the film asks critical questions about the future of the mosque as an institution in North American Muslim communities.

On June 15th, the Canadian Somali Mother’s Association honoured exceptional Somali fathers for their leadership within the community at the annual Father’s Day Celebration. Abdul Arale was one of the speakers at the event. Arale was widowed when his eldest child was just six and he went on to raise three daughters and one son as a single father.

Naceur and Lamia fled the political turmoil of Tunisia in the nineties and settled in Ottawa with their young family. Like many refugee fathers, Naceur faced the challenge of figuring out how to support his family on top of learning a new language and figuring out how to navigate a new country and culture. “My dad had no job when he first came to Canada. Then he finally found a job as a cleaner. He would find any way possible to get to his job. He even at a time walked on the highway in the freezing cold!” Zeinab shared.

“Say: travel through the land and observe how He began creation.” [29:20]

Sailing down the Nile River on my way to work in Aswan City, I stopped to reflect before the breathtaking scene unfolding before me: the empowering sun overbearing above, an uncompromising terrain spanning rugged mountains and winding sand dunes with quaint homes dotting in between. These banks were once home to the mighty Pharaohs and Kings of antiquity. I spent a moment to take in the majesty of one of the most spectacular cities I’ve ever visited…for the last time.

Jamaal Jackson Rogers is a Muslim poet who uses the spoken word to inspire his audiences to achieve their passions and pursuits. His mix of rhythm and poetry has been welcomed on international stages and his topics are based on spirituality, community, and family.

Islam has a long standing tradition of encouraging business and entrepreneurship. The Prophet (peace be upon him, PBUH) was a successful businessman at the age of 25 and so was his first wife, Khadijah. Much of Islam was spread, not by the sword, but through traders from West Africa all the way to Asia.

The idea of entrepreneurship is a long forgotten Sunnah (Muslim practice); Muslim communities, overall, have lost touch with our entrepreneurial history. The entrepreneur is a challenger of the status quo, someone who questions long existing assumptions and then builds the proper infrastructure needed around a solution.

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.

With a new Liberal government in Quebec, the controversy around the proposed “Charter of Values” has abated. And while the new Premier has expressed his intent to address issues of reasonable accommodation, the divisiveness that marked the Parti Quebecois’ time in office has all but disappeared from the political discourse.

Muslim Link spoke to Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of the Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem congregation in Montreal for his reaction to the election results.

It all started 6 years ago on her daughter’s seventh birthday. Using icing tips she had bought from the dollar store, Sobia Kamran created a beautiful cake that impressed her family and friends.

Like many women these days, Sobia wanted to stay home with her kids but also wanted to utilize her creativity and talent. She started baking cakes and cupcakes for events like school bake sales and friend’s parties and pretty soon became a baking expert. With a little encouragement from her husband, this little hobby soon turned into a part-time business opportunity.

Noor Siddiqi, 19, and Sara Siddiqi, 15, have a younger brother who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was four. “It has been a long journey for my whole family,” Sara shared. But both sisters are quick to point out that despite the challenges that have come with taking care of a sibling with autism, the experience has enriched their lives.

Last year, the sisters drew the attention of local media when they organized a table at their school, Gloucester High School, to raise awareness about autism on April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day. With items donated by Autism Ontario, the governmental organization aimed at supporting those with autism, the sisters spoke to their fellow students about the disorder and shared their own story of living with a sibling with autism.

Abdulgadir Ahmed, 17, is one of only two Student Trustees who sits on the Board of Trustees of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. While other Trustees are elected during municipal elections, student trustees are elected by their fellow students. He has taken on the responsibility of representing such a diverse constituency with a great deal of sincerity. “This isn't just something you do to put on your resume,” he explained. “You do it because you are passionate about it.” Despite his hectic schedule, the Grade 12 Sir Robert Borden student found the time to speak with Muslim Link about the issues that matter to him most.