News

NCCM condemns terror attacks in Paris. Expresses condolences to the families of the victims

There has been an increase in hate related incidents in Ottawa reported this October, particularly targeting Muslim women wearing hijab or niqab. The Ottawa Police Service has reached out to the Muslim community and the mainstream media to encourage reporting of these incidents.

An unprecedented number of Muslim Canadians ran in the 2015 Federal Election. With the Liberal surge nationally, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, several of them won, including Canada's first Somali Canadian MP Ahmed Hussen and Canada's first Afghan Canadian MP Maryam Monsef. The majority of Muslim Canadians who will be coming to Parliament are newcomers to politics with the exception of Omar Alghabra and Yasmin Ratansi who were previously Liberal MPs. So far, we have confirmed 11 Muslim Canadian Candidates in total, the largest number in Canadian history. 10 were elected with the Liberal Party and 1 with the Conservative Party. 

Please note that this may not be a complete list. If you know of any other Muslim Canadians who won this election please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) Youth Centre is holding Eid Prayer and an all day Eid Celebration on Thursday, September 24th from 10 am to 6pm at 1085 Grenon Avenue. 

Hundreds of Ottawa residents gathered on September 5th to raise awareness about the global refugee crisis and what is seen as the current Canadian government’s ongoing lack of support for refugees.

Dr. Habib Khoury, 42, is a Palestinian Canadian practicing dentistry at Centrum Dental Care in Kanata. Last year, 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. The program supports Palestinians, particularly children, who are coping with mental health issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Roya Shams, 20, has received wide spread attention in Canadian media since she was supported to come to Canada from Afghanistan by Michael Cooke  and Paul Watson  of the Toronto Star after the assassination her father, a police officer and outspoken voice for women’s equality. Roya’s life was in danger because she was also a vocal advocate for women’s education. Since coming to Canada, it has not been safe for her to return to Kandahar to see her family.

Check out Muslim Canadians Who Won in the 2015 Federal Election.

Muslim Link is quite excited about the number of Muslim Canadians running in this federal election.

Camp Inspyred is back for another year, offering young Muslim women from Ottawa a unique camping experience. Registration for the Camp is currently full but fundraising is ongoing in order to ensure that campers who require financial assistance to attend the camp can be covered. Muslim Link interviewed the Camp Inspyred team about their vision, their fundraising, and their plans to further develop their initiative in the future.

So much has been written about the recent Senate Report , particularly the suggestion of “certifying imams”. The “Certifying Imams” controversy comes from Recommendation 9 of the Senate Report which states that “The federal government work with the provinces and the Muslim communities to investigate the options that are available for the training and certification of imams in Canada.”

Letters to Khadijah is the creation of Vancouverites Tahia Ahmed and Romila Barryman. They run sessions for Muslim women to connect while exploring the complexity of their identities in writing.

They recently hosted a virtual hangout with Muslim Canadian Women writers Monia Mazigh, Zarqa Nawaz, Hawa Mire, and Urooba Jamal.

They are coming to Ottawa on July 27th as part of their national tour.

Muslim Link interviewed the duo about creating safe spaces for Muslim women to explore their diverse identities and share with one another despite their differences.

The IMPACT initiative is multi-partisan, grassroots project based in Toronto, whose aim is to educate Canadian Muslim youth in the political process and its vital importance, provide training in how to get involved on-the-ground, and empower them to recruit and lead their own team of volunteers.

The deadline for their fellowship for Canadian Muslim youth between the ages of 16 to 25 who wish to be involved during the Federal Election is Wednesday, July 22nd. You can apply online here.

Muslim Link interviewed the people behind IMPACT to find out more about the fellowship and what they hope to achieve.

The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) is holding its annual Eid al Fitr prayer and hallmark Muslim Summer Festival together on July 17th from 8am to 8pm at the Ernst & Young Centre.

Muslim Link spoke to the festival organizers about what participants have to look forward to this year.

It is a scene that is likely familiar to many young Muslim families living in Orleans. Usually the conversation starts something like this:

“MashaAllah, your kids have gotten so big! Are they in school yet?”

“The older one is starting next year. Going to try for Abraar School or Ottawa Islamic School.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea MashaAllah, both schools are great. It’s just too bad they’re so far from here.”

“Yeah, we’ll probably be moving to Kanata, or maybe Barrhaven. It’s too far going all the way from here every day. We should really have a school in Orleans someday.”

“Agreed, some day InshaAllah.”

The Ottawa Race Weekend, May 23-24 this year, is an annual two-day running event made up of multiple races. All the races start and end at Ottawa City Hall. There are 2K, 5K, 10K, half (just over 21km), and full marathons (just over 42km) in addition to a 1.2m kid’s marathon and a wheelchair marathon. Almost 50,000 people participated this year and the key event is the Ottawa Marathon. First held in 1975, the Ottawa Marathon is the largest marathon event in Canada and participants can use it to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Raysso Aden ran her first 5K on this weekend and shares her experience with Muslim Link.

The Ottawa Race Weekend, May 23-24 this year, is an annual two-day running event made up of multiple races. All the races start and end at Ottawa City Hall. There are 2K, 5K, 10K, half (just over 21km), and full marathons (just over 42km) in addition to a 1.2m kid’s marathon and a wheelchair marathon. Almost 50,000 people participated this year and the key event is the Ottawa Marathon. First held in 1975, the Ottawa Marathon is the largest marathon event in Canada and participants can use it to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Seyma Uran ran the 5K with a group of friends as part of Islamic Relief Canada’s IRChallenges. Each raised $500.00 for orphans. She shared her experience with Muslim Link.

The Ottawa Race Weekend, May 23-24 this year, is an annual two-day running event made up of multiple races. All the races start and end at Ottawa City Hall. There are 2K, 5K, 10K, half (just over 21km), and full marathons (just over 42km) in addition to a 1.2m kid’s marathon and a wheelchair marathon. Almost 50,000 people participated this year and the key event is the Ottawa Marathon. First held in 1975, the Ottawa Marathon is the largest marathon event in Canada and participants can use it to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Fireda Ahmed ran her first 10K on this weekend and shares her experience with Muslim Link.

The Ottawa Race Weekend, May 23-24 this year, is an annual two-day running event made up of multiple races. All the races start and end at Ottawa City Hall. There are 2K, 5K, 10K, half (just over 21km), and full marathons (just over 42km) in addition to a 1.2m kid’s marathon and a wheelchair marathon. Almost 50,000 people participated this year and the key event is the Ottawa Marathon. First held in 1975, the Ottawa Marathon is the largest marathon event in Canada and participants can use it to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Haissam Dahan ran his first 10K after marriage and kids on this weekend and shares his experience with Muslim Link.

Communities of different faiths gathered near Dow’s Lake on May 3rd to take part in the annual Tulipathon, a charity walk organized to raise awareness and funds for affordable housing in Ottawa.