On April 10, despite being in the middle of exams, students at Carleton University gathered for a candlelight vigil to mourn the murder of 147 students at Garissa University in Kenya.

On Friday, Febraury 28th, a memorial service took place at Ridgemont High School to remember and celebrate the life of Mohamoud Hersi Abdulle. The service was attended by Ottawa Chief of Police Charles Bordeleau, who also spoke, along with Mr. Abdulle's family, friends, and colleagues. He was killed in a terrorist attack on the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Friday, February 21, just a few days before he was about to return to Ottawa. He is survived by a wife and six children. Muslim Link invited Somali community members who worked closely with Mr. Abdulle to reflect on the impact of his life and work in Ottawa.

I was in Washington DC when the horrific images from the Westgate Mall attack in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi flashed across my TV screen. Lifeless bodies sprawled on blood-spattered floors in the mall and on the parking lot tarmac. People tightly clutching children, some were running for their lives while others emerged from the mall raising their hands high up in the air -- fear written across their faces. Unbelievable scenes, truly.  

I’m sure I wasn’t the only Kenyan wondering “Why us…again?” The city where I was born had once again been hit hard by terrorists, but this attack was unlike any we had ever seen before.