Bangladeshi Canadian Dr. Nabiha Islam is traveling to Bangladesh this month to provide medical relief to Rohingya refugees. She is currently fundraising online to help cover the costs of various medical services that will be offered to refugees through the charity Hope Foundation for Women and Children in Bangladesh.
Hope Foundation is a US-based charity run by the Bangladeshi diaspora. They run a 40-bed hospital in Ramu, Cox's Bazar, an area where many Rohingya refugees are settling in as it is only 10 km from the border with Myanmar.
Muslim Link interviewed Dr. Islam about why she is travelling to Bangladesh to help the Rohingya and what medical issues the refugees are facing.
Dr. Habib Khoury is a Palestinian Canadian practicing dentistry at Centrum Dental Care in Kanata. In 2015, he came up with the idea of finding an innovative way to raise funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)’s Community Mental Health Program which supports Palestinians, particularly children, who are coping with mental health issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He spearheaded the annual Ottawa Run for Palestine, now in its third year.
It takes place this Sunday, September 24. This year the run has a new route from Ottawa City Hall to Dows Lake. a 2K Family Walk and a 5K and 10K professional run. The run is followed by a Family BBQ with multiple activities for children, as well as cultural activities such as Dabke.
This year, the Ottawa Run for Palestine is also fundraising for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)'s youth mental health program.
Muslim Link connected with Dr. Khoury to learn more about why the run is partnering with CHEO this year.
Next Monday, Pakistani Canadian Aatif Baskanderi will be starting a trip across Newfoundland sharing his personal story as a Muslim growing up in the province. Aatif will be travelling over 2000km across Newfoundland visit 7 towns over 11 days. Many of these communities have sponsored Syrian refugees. He will be speaking at high schools, libraries and the provincial university. He is currently crowdfunding on LaunchGood to cover the cost of making the documentary “Salaam B'y - A Story of a Muslim Newfoundlander”, based on this trip in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Amar Wala, best known for his work The Secret Trial 5 (2014).
In light of the current humanitarian crisis and violence being experienced by the Rohingya community in Myanmar/Burma and Bangladesh, Muslim Link is sharing the stories of Rohingya refugees who have made a home in Canada.
Yasmine Ullah is a Rohingya refugee living in Vancouver, BC. She is part of a Rohingya women-led initiative, spearheaded by her mother, who are crowfunding on LaunchGood to help support Rohingya community members who are staying in Burma amid the current violence.
Yasmine has been speaking publicly about the plight of the Rohingya, including the dire situation faced by her own family members currently in Burma, at local mosques and to mainstream media such as CBC.
Muslim Canadians are rallying across the country to support the Rohingya in Myanmar/Burma and Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh.
On September 13th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar. "The Prime Minister conveyed his deep concerns over the situation in Rakhine State for Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic minorities. He stressed the particular importance of the State Counsellor as a moral and political leader. The Prime Minister also emphasised the urgent need for Myanmar's military and civilian leaders to take a strong stand in ending the violence, promoting the protection of civilians and promoting unimpeded access for the UN and international humanitarian actors. The Prime Minister and the State Counsellor discussed the need to defend and protect the rights of all minorities. The Prime Minister offered Canada’s support to help build a peaceful and stable society in Myanmar that is respectful of the rights of all ethnic minorities. The State Counsellor expressed appreciation for Canada’s contribution to humanitarian efforts."
Muslim Link caught up with Event Director Tariq Syed about MuslimFest's successes this year, and what we may look forward to in 2018, which will be Mississauga's Muslim arts and cultural festival's 15th year!
Muslim Link was asked by Kubra Zakir, a Scarborough Campus Students’ Union Executive, to publish this statement in relation to the recent and unexpected closure of the Islamic Foundation School's high school.
To learn more about this closure and the controvery surrounding it, read this article by Noor Javed in The Toronto Star and this article by Mike Adler in InsideToronto.
You can also learn about the new school being opened by former Islamic Foundation School staff in order to support displaced students in this article by Noor Javed in The Toronto Star.
Assunnah Muslim Association's Masjid ar Rahmah in Ottawa will be hosting a Sisters Eid Party on Saturday, September 9th.
Muslim Link interviewed Assunnah staff and volunteers about what people could look forward to at this events.
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.
The Somali Aid Campaign is back again fundraising to address the humanitarian crisis in Somalia. Their upcoming event is this Saturday, August 26 at Andrew Haydon Park.
Muslim Link interviewed members of the Somali Aid Campaign about their progress so far.
Muslim Family Services of Ottawa (MFSO) in partnership with the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa (CASO) and CAS Friends is once again hoping to raise funds from local Muslims for their annual Eid al Adha Lamb Project.
Al-Hamdu Lillah with the support of the community, SNMC donated $14,500 on Friday July 28, 2017 for BC Fire victims.
With the government matching our donation, a grand total of $29,000 will be donated for BC Wildfire Relief efforts.
The following is a statement from the family of Soleiman Faqiri after learning new details surrounding his death.
MuslimFest is back for another year, taking place from August 4th to 6th in Mississauga's Celebration Square.
The annual Muslim Arts Festival is the largest of its kind in North America, attracting over 30,000 attendes annually.
Festival and Events Ontario selected MuslimFest as one of the best festivals in Ontario in 2016.
Launched in 2004, MuslimFest is a joint project of DawaNet and Sound Vision. Offering a mix of music, comedy, spoken word, visual art, theatre and workshops on a diversity of topics, along with fun activities for children and a multicultural bazaar, MuslimFest showcases the talent of a diveristy of Muslim artists from Canada and around the world.
Muslim Link interviewed MuslimFest's Event Director Tariq Syed about why folks should visit Mississauga this weekend to check out this year's festival.
Like all of the victims of the Quebec mosque shooting, Mamadou Barry's death not only impacted his family, it crushed the dream of access to clean drinking water for his village in the West African country of Guinea. Barry was raising funds to install a 100-meter-deep well in his village, located outside of Labe, Guinea's second-largest city.
Have you ever noticed how acts of hate can spur acts of love? With the establishment of the Toronto chapter of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, thirty-four Muslim and Jewish women have come together to support each other against hostile acts directed toward both groups. One of the Sisterhood’s largest chapters and the first chapter in Canada, the Toronto group meets regularly to talk, share rituals, and to build relationships across religious lines.
This year Canada Pakistan Association of the National Capital Region (CPA) celebrated Canada’s 150th birthday on Sunday, July 2nd, 2017 at the Ron Kolbus Lakeshore Centre, 102 Greenview Ave, Ottawa.
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.
The I.LEAD conference is back for a fifth year and will take place on Saturday, July 15th. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Muslim Link interviewed the I.LEAD organizers about what people could look forward to at this year's conference.
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