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Love My Neighbour: paying it forward for global vaccine equity

Love My Neighbour: paying it forward for global vaccine equity

Thirteen-year-old Carter wasn’t thinking about material gifts as he approached his milestone birthday last fall — his second ‘pandemic birthday.’ Global vaccine equity was the only thing on his wish list. In lieu of gifts, he chose to fundraise for the Love My Neighbour initiative, in support of UNICEF Canada.

Lawyer drowns in Lake Simcoe while saving his friend’s life

Lawyer drowns in Lake Simcoe while saving his friend’s life

Dr. Hakan Acar, a lawyer and a law professor, has drowned while trying to rescue a friend in Lake Simcoe on Saturday. Acar and his son were boating with two family friends at the popular Ontario lake when a cry for help came from the water. One of Acar’s

MuslimFest returns

MuslimFest returns

MEDIA RELEASE: After a two-year COVID-19-induced hiatus, the Muslim festival of the year is back. MuslimFest is an annual cultural festival celebrating the diversity of the Muslim tradition. The must-attend summer event is a flutter of excitement. MuslimFest showcases a range of art, musical, theatrical, and comedic performances, as well

Shaila Kibria Carter is new Co-Chair of the Canadian Interfaith Conversation

Shaila Kibria Carter is new Co-Chair of the Canadian Interfaith Conversation

The Canadian Interfaith Conversation has announced that Shaila Kibria Carter has been affirmed as the new Co-Chair for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2022. The Executive Committee had unanimously supported her nomination to the Participant Assembly to serve as the next Co-Chair. Shaila is a wife, mother, and daughter

The Northpine Foundation makes a historic $20 million donation to Scarborough Health Network Foundation

The Northpine Foundation makes a historic $20 million donation to Scarborough Health Network Foundation

Scarborough Health Network (SHN) Foundation announced a transformative, $20-million gift today, donated by The Northpine Foundation. The gift will create the Northpine Emergency Department at SHN’s Centenary hospital, the Northpine Diagnostic Imaging Concourse at SHN’s General hospital, and the Northpine Centre for Surgical Quality Excellence. All three priority

Edmonton SafeWalk helps Muslim women feel safe in the city

Edmonton SafeWalk helps Muslim women feel safe in the city

Edmonton SafeWalk, a new program by Sisters Dialogue, was launched on Saturday at Bannerman Community League to offer a buddy system for Muslim women, especially Black women, when they are walking around or running errands in the city. "The idea that people are safer in numbers and on walking together,

Encountering Islamophobia in the medical profession

Reflections Featured

Encountering Islamophobia in the medical profession

By Dr. Aliya A. Khan After a recent lecture I delivered at a national conference of Canadian physicians, I reviewed the evaluations received from the attendees. While many commented on what they had learned from my talk on metabolic bone disease, one comment stood out, which had no bearing on

Friday reflection: To what are these times calling us as people of faith?

Friday reflection: To what are these times calling us as people of faith?

By Muneeb Nasir These are times of brokenness, disruptions, dislocation, and uprootedness. What are we being called to in these times as people of faith? First, we are being called to respond to our calling as religious people. In the Qur’an, God invites us to this calling: “You who

Rabia Khedr receives Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Award

Real Lives Featured

Rabia Khedr receives Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Award

On the 60th anniversary of the enactment of Ontario’s Human Rights Code, in a YouTube premiere, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) presented the first-ever Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Awards, and honoured four recipients who have each made significant contributions to advance human rights in Ontario and beyond.

Spreading good news

Spreading good news

Goodable, the world's first company that uses the power of news to improve mental health, and Raydiant, the leading in-location experience management platform, have announced a new partnership that will see Goodable TV available to broadcast to thousands of locations around the world, including restaurants, bars, hotels, clinics, offices, and

Hajj 'lottery' for western pilgrims leaves many unanswered questions

Hajj 'lottery' for western pilgrims leaves many unanswered questions

By Mohamed (Jay) Mobeen The recent announcement by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is short on details but it is expected that with the short time between now and Hajj 1443, the murkiness of this initial news release will dissipate with added clarity revealed on the new system

Interview with children’s author Farhad Khadim

Interview with children’s author Farhad Khadim

Children’s author Farhad Khadim recently released his second book, Nani's Beef Patties. The book is about Dhaakir and Salaama and their visit to their grandma one day in Ramadan - the trio prepare beef patties, a savoury snack, having fun while doing so. Farhad Khadim was born in Guyana,

Government calls for applications to fill the new position of Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

Government calls for applications to fill the new position of Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

Today, Ahmed Hussen, Canada's Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, invited applicants to submit their candidacy for the new position of Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, has been posted on the Governor in Council Appointments website. The Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia will serve as a champion, advisor, expert

To Yumnah, With Love

To Yumnah, With Love

A London, Ontario youth organization, was recently formed to bring education and awareness to Islamophobia, and they have released a powerful video to honour their friend Yumnah, who was killed when her family was run down by a truck in what police have called a hate-motivated attack. Maryam Al-Sabawi is

City of London commemorates 1 year anniversary of terrorist attack on London family

City of London commemorates 1 year anniversary of terrorist attack on London family

June 6, 2022 will mark the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack that took the lives of four of the five members of the Afzaal family. Members of the London community, along with the City of London are honouring the family with several community events in hopes of continuing the

Friday reflection: On gratitude

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: On gratitude

By Muneeb Nasir “Praise be to God” (Al-Hamdulillaah) are truly the words of a thankful person. This phrase punctuates a religious Muslim’s lexicon. Counting one’s blessings, being thankful and grateful to God, is essential to our well-being. Expressing thanks and being grateful are consistently associated with greater happiness.

'A heartache that will never go away': Afzaal family speaks out

'A heartache that will never go away': Afzaal family speaks out

It is the deepest sadness when you realize that the people who gave you the best memories, have become but a memory. Missing you all, our beloved family, is a heartache that will never go away. Your memories are a treasure that we keep in our hearts and we continue

N.L. Muslim community concerned about recent Islamophobic incident in St. John’s

N.L. Muslim community concerned about recent Islamophobic incident in St. John’s

The Muslim community in Newfoundland and Labrador is expressing concern following the physical assault on two visibly Muslim teenagers in May 2022. “While racism and Islamophobia are certainly not as prominent in Newfoundland and Labrador as they are in the rest of Canada, the local incidents of the last few

NCCM responds to Supreme Court decision on Quebec City Mosque Shooter's sentence

NCCM responds to Supreme Court decision on Quebec City Mosque Shooter's sentence

The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on Friday to keep Quebec City mosque gunman Alexander Bissonnette’s parole ineligibility period to 25 years will be received with difficulty by many, particularly for those in the community he ravaged on the night of January 29th, 2017, according to the the

Call for NHL to implement a lifelong ban of racist fans in aftermath of attacks on Nazem Kadri

Call for NHL to implement a lifelong ban of racist fans in aftermath of attacks on Nazem Kadri

Over the long weekend, while Canadian families from across the country tuned into NHL playoffs, Arab-Muslim-Canadian Colorado Avalanche player, Nazem Kadri, and his family were the subject of fierce anti-Arab-racist and Islamophobic social media posts and death threats, after he was involved in a collision during a game on Saturday

New int’l initiative celebrates Muslim accomplishments in May

Culture Featured

New int’l initiative celebrates Muslim accomplishments in May

Celebrating Muslim pioneers and change-makers, the International Muslim History Month (IMHM) [https://linktr.ee/muslimhistorymonth] has returned for the second year this month to celebrate Muslim accomplishments throughout history and confront Islamophobia globally through education. Established by the New York-based World Hijab Day organization in 2021, the successful initiative aims

Stand Up #forSafeWorship

interfaith Featured

Stand Up #forSafeWorship

The United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) has released the first edition of a #forSafeWorship Update, which has been collecting inspiring stories about places of worship around the world as shared symbols of our history, traditions, and humanity. UNAOC was established in 2005 [https://www.unaoc.org/who-we-are/history/] and

Friday reflection: On Trust

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: On Trust

By Muneeb Nasir Trust is what makes our lives and relationships meaningful and rewarding and, as we have learnt during the pandemic, make us safe. Damien Cave, New York Times bureau chief in Sydney, Australia, wrote in a recent article [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/australia/covid-deaths.