Stories

A twitter photo by Amna Qureshi just went viral. Posted in protest of Montrealer Rania El-Alloul being told by Judge Eliana Marengo that she had to remove her hijab in order to be “suitably dressed” in a “secular” Canadian courtroom. The incident made the ongoing Islamophobia that Muslim women who wear hijab or niqab face in accessing services a national issue. It also raised the question of how Muslim women lawyers who veil will be treated within the legal system.
As part of Muslim Link’s ongoing So You Want To… Series where we interview Muslims about their programs of study or career choices, Amna Qureshi, a graduate from the Law School at the University of Ottawa discusses the opportunities and challenges pursuing a law degree offers for Muslim women. A Pakistani Canadian, Qureshi now works as a staff lawyer at Legal Aid Alberta.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Islamic Studies teacher Hafsa Dean Thompson will be participating in this year’s I.LEAD Conference. She will be leading a women’s only session addressing the challenges Muslim women face in finding balance in their daily lives.

Muslim Link had the chance to interview her about her pursuit of Islamic scholarship, her community work with Muslim women in crisis and in prison, and why she prefers to focus her educational efforts on women only.

Muslim Link is grateful to Shady Hafez for letting us publish his original blog post discussing media and community reactions to Carlos and Ashton Larmond’s application for Indian Status.

The 24 year old Larmond Twins converted to Islam five years ago, according to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), and were raised by their grandmother, Linda Brennan, in Vanier where they attended Rideau High school. Both twins have been arrested on allegations of participating in the activity of a terrorist group as part of the RCMP’s Project Servant arrests. Carlos Larmond has been accused of planning to leave Canada with the intention of joining ISIS.

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 Assma Galuta, aka Asoomii Jay'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.