Muslim History Project to be Unveiled at Olive Tree Foundation’s Event

(July 16, 2009) – The Olive Tree Foundation has announced that Dr. Katherine Bullock will deliver the keynote address at its Annual Appreciation Brunch on Sunday, July 26.

The event will be held at the Delta Markham Hotel, 50 East Valhalla Drive, Markham, Ontario, starting at 11 am.

Dr. Bullock is the Director of the recently formed policy institute and think tank, the Tessellate Institute, and she will deliver the keynote address on the Institute’s inaugural project, ‘Mosque One: Oral Histories of Toronto’s First Mosque’.

”This project will foster better understanding, relations and even integration between Canadian Muslims and other communities,” said Dr. Katherine Bullock. “There is a need to anchor and document the civic history of Muslims in the Canadian mosaic.”

The project is the first in a proposed series that will document Muslims’ narratives as part of the Canadian social fabric. The information will be promoted and made available through a multimedia website that will provide open access to this research.

The Olive Tree Foundation, earlier this year, provided a grant to the Tessellate Institute to fund the project.

“The Olive Tree Foundation is very pleased to be able fund this inaugural project of the Tessellate Institute,” said Muneeb Nasir, President of the Foundation, in announcing the grant. “Muslims are often depicted in mainstream Canadian media as outsiders and this project will show the early contributions of the community.”

The Olive Tree Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that promotes community development through the collection of endowed funds and charitable contributions to fund services for the long-term benefit of the community.

The Foundation is requesting that anyone who is interested in attending the Appreciation Brunch should RSVP by July 20, 2009; email: info@olivetreefoundation.ca or call 1-866-607-1552