Muslim Link interviewed Ethiopian Canadian arts educator Timaj Garad. Timaj is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist, using poetry and theatre to bring stories to life. Her art is auto-biographical, working at the intersections of a black Muslim woman challenging injustice, unearthing truths, and healing. As an award-winning artist and educator, Timaj Garad has graced over 200 stages and facilitated several arts-based workshops. She whole-heartedly believes in the transformative power of the arts and is dedicated to engaging youth in critical arts education initiatives to uplift, inspire, and build ethical communities.

On Saturday, October 21, folks in Toronto had an opportunity to hear from some emerging artists from Canada’s vibrant Black Muslim community. The Stars Within Us: A Black Muslimah Poetry & Theatre Showcase will debut original works developed in the Stellar (R)evolution (cycle 1) workshop series, a SPARK Cultural Hotspot program created and facilitated by Timaj Garad in partnership with the City of Toronto, also supported by I-Insight and the Children's Peace Theatre.

Muslim Link interviewed Spoken word poet Timaj Garad and two workshop participants, Shukria D. and Hafsa Ali,  who performed on Saturday, about why it is important to create spaces for young Black Muslim Canadian women to share their stories through art.

On Sunday, October 1st, the Black Muslim Initiative-Ottawa will be having its first gathering. This will create a space for Black Muslims to discuss the challenges of life at the intersection of anti-Black racism and Islamophobia in Canada, as well as the strength that comes from having both the Black and Muslim traditions of resistance and resilience to draw from when facing these challenges.

It will also be an opportunity to meet award-winning Somali Canadian journalist Eman Idil Bare, who has recently moved to Ottawa to work as a producer on CBC's Power and Politics. Eman has been outspoken in calling attention to the issue of anti-Black racism within Muslim communties. Read Eman's CBC article about what self-identifying as Black means for young Torontonians here.

CityNews Toronto reporter Ginella Massa will be speaking at the season premiere of the Women of Influence Evening Series on Wednesday September 6 in Toronto. She will be exploring the topic of Breaking Barriers: How to Defy Expectations and Develop the Career of Your Dreams.

Muslim Link interviewed Ginella about becoming a role model for so many Muslim women and how her experience as an “outsider” within Muslim Canadian communities is an advantage when it comes to doing a better job of covering new stories that explore the complexity of the Muslim Canadian experience.

Problem: The lack of awareness both within and outside the Muslim community in Canada regarding the reality of Black Muslim lives and its consequence for the ongoing struggle against anti-black racism and Islamophobia.

Muslim Link is sharing Canadians’ reactions to Chelby Daigle’s article “Outrage About the Lack of Black Muslim Nominees at Awards Gala Shows Hypocrisy Not Allyship”

This is the response of Samiya Ahmed, a Toronto-based Somali Canadian community activist, who is highly involved in a variety of Muslim community spaces, including spaces that do not have much Black Muslim presence.

She co-presented the workshop “On Being Black and Muslim: Hard Truths and Healing” at this year’s Being ME-Muslimah Empowered Toronto Conference in May 2017.

"I just want a young Black Muslimah to look at my art and not feel alone or die of starvation for representation." – Somali Canadian artist Riya Jama

"When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." – Black American writer Maya Angelou

Recently, some non-Black Muslims have expressed their outrage to me over the fact that there are currently no Black Muslim Canadians nominated for the Muslim Awards of Excellence (MAX Gala) taking place this fall in Toronto.

I was even asked to come up with a list of accomplished Black Muslim Canadians in order to shame MAX organizers.

Farhia Ahmed is co-chair of the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition, a mother of four, a productivity junky and lover of coffee. Here she reflects on the death on Abdirahman Abdi and its impact on Ottawa over the past year.

STANDING TOGETHER: Community gathers to remember Abdirahman Abdi, one year after his tragic death.

(Ottawa, ON): July 24th, 2017 marks one year since the death of Abdirahman Abdi. The Ottawa community will gather in Somerset Square Park for an interfaith event entitled: Standing Together to remember Abdirahman Abdi and to show solidarity with the family of a man whose life was unjustly taken in our city.

Local Eritrean Canadians have come together to found Afaagh Association, a Canadian-based registered charitable organization, dedicated to helping the forgotten Eritrean refugees living in Eastern Sudan. On Friday May 19, they had their organizational launch and first fundraising event in Ottawa with Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali.