Stories

Muslim Link interviewed the poet, writer and arts educator about her work and the challenges of writing authentically as a Muslim woman in Canada today.

Refugee Rights Day is a day to create awareness in the public consciousness about the rights and protection of refugees in Canada. Celebrated on April 4th, this day is significant particularly for refugee claimants, because it brings attention to the advances made in the protection of refugee rights in Canada as a result of the Supreme Court’s 1985 Singh Decision. In this decision, the Supreme Court found that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the fundamental rights of refugees. The Court decided that ‘everyone’ includes refugee claimants in the sentence: ‘Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.’

Black Panther has taken the world by storm, experiencing box office success across North America, Europe, Africa and, to many in Hollywood’s surprise given a long history of rejecting films with Black leads, Asia.

Furthermore, a Blockbuster Hollywood film that centralizes Black characters and their narratives in authentic ways both in front of and behind the camera, and that also weaves in discussions about colonialism and slavery, is groundbreaking within the current socio-political context; it’s also deeply needed.

Despite this, online comments about Black Panther have been accusing it of Islamophobia, with some even going as far as to tell Muslims to boycott the film.

Mahdi Tirkawi is the imam at Mosquée Al Rawdah in Montreal. 

Muslim Link interviewed him about being a young imam in Montreal, Quebec.

Muslim Link interviewed him about the theme of this year’s conference and the lessons he has learned from working closely with the Muslim community of Quebec City after the tragic mosque shooting that left six men dead, and several injured.

Razia Sultan Hamidi is a Muslim community organizer in Montreal. She has focused on creating spiritual programming that is welcoming and relevant to women and youth.

Muslim Link interviewed Razia about her work in Montreal and what civic engagement means to her.

Pakistani Canadian Daood Hamdani is a pioneer in the study of Muslims in Canada. A retired statistician, his most recent publication, "Canadian Muslims: A Statistical Review", has been used to highlight key statistics about Muslim demographics in Canada, including the ridings with the largest Muslim populations in the lead up to the 2015 Federal Election.

In 1999, United Nations proclaimed February 21st as International Mother Language Day as a way to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. This date was chosen in recognition of the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in what is now Bangladesh.

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I grew up between the contrasting worlds of South Asian and Arab culture. Born to Algerian and Bengali parents, I could identify with a realm of backgrounds and the experiences that came with them. A valuable part of this experience was community and people.

Somali Canadian Iman Abdullahi is the marketing coordinator for Rasmi Natural Skincare, a family business based on the natural skincare products made by Iman's mother.

Muslim Link interviewed this Vancouver-based entrepreneur about why she wanted to bring a halal certified skincare produced, made with ingredients sourced from East Africa, to the Canadian market.

Sudanese Canadian Mohamed Salih was recently named Best Local Politician by The London Free Press's Best of London 2018 survey. He was elected to the city council of London, Ontario in 2014.

Muslim Link interviewed Mohamed about his experiences being a city councillor.

First, I need to tell you who I am.

I am a diaspora Somali Canadian based in Toronto, Ontario. I am an educator, researcher with a focus on diversity and inclusion, curriculum development, public engagement, immigration, and Criminal Justice System working with underserved and underemployed Black youth in Toronto. As a co-founder of the Canadian Association of Muslim Women in Law (CAMWL) I have organized public education forums and co-authored a paper exploring issues of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism and how they intersect in the lives of Black Muslim Canadians.

In 1999, United Nations proclaimed February 21st as International Mother Language Day as a way to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. This date was chosen in recognition of the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in what is now Bangladesh.

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My “Abbu” (father) came from a Bangla-speaking family while my Ammu (mother) hailed from a Urdu-speaking family. It’s a common phenomenon in Bangladesh because before the 1971 war, we used to be East Pakistan and families that spoke both languages lived in both East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan). Growing up, my brother and I spoke both languages, at home we spoke Bangla and in my maternal grandparents' house we spoke Urdu/Hindi mixed. 

Each week Dr. Yusra Ahmad, a psychiatrist and clinical lecturer at University of Toronto, meets six to eight women with a range of mental health disorders at a mosque in the city’s west end. She leads them through a program that combines mindful meditation with concrete skills to manage negative thoughts and regulate emotions.

However, this is not your typical mindfulness therapy. Each session began with prayers from the Qur’an and incorporates teachings from Islamic scholars.

Mona Ismaeil is the owner of Modern Hejab, an online hijab store, and blogs at My Modern Hijab. She is also the director of External Affairs for the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council (AMPAC) in Edmonton, Alberta.

Muslim Link interviewed Mona about her experiences being a blogger focused on life as a woman who wears hijab.

Jan. 29, 2017 must be remembered as the date of the worst mass murder to take place in a house of worship in Canadian history. This was the day when six Muslim men were shot dead after evening prayers in a Québec City mosque.

On Jan. 29, 2017, a man entered a Québec mosque during evening prayer and opened fire on the backs of 53 congregants. Six died immediately.

The Silk Road Institute's Combating Hate, Advancing Inclusion (CHAI) digital video arts competition was funded through the Michaëlle Jean Foundation, with financial support from the Vancouver Foundation, the Edmonton Foundation, the Winnipeg Foundation and the Oakville Community Foundation settlement fund.

Muslim Link interviewed CHAI 2017 winner Aquil Virani about his video, Postering Peace.

The Ontario Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities is recruiting for new members. The deadline to apply is January 19. You can learn more here.

Muslim Link interviewed Somali Canadian Khalid Egeh, a current member of the Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities, about his experience, and why more Muslim youth should get involved.

Fatima Garsi is a group and private coach in athletics, martial arts, and nutrition. She is the founder of Sister Fit, a fitness and martial arts program for women and girls in the GTA.

Muslim Link interviewed her about her multicultural background and how her love of martial arts helped her connect with the diversity of Muslim women in the GTA.

Somali Canadian student Sahra Jama lives in Vancouver and is new to organizing demonstrations. But when she learned about the exploitation of African migrants in Libya she felt she had to act. With the support of Black Lives Matter Vancouver, she was able to mobilize around 100 supporters for a demonstration in solidarity with African migrants in Libya which took place on December 16th in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Muslim Link interviewed Sahra about her initiative, the African migrant crisis, and why she hopes more Muslim Canadians will speak out about what is happening to African migrants in Libya.