531 A global interfaith initiative to change the world By Rahim Kanani More than two thirds of the world’s population – over four billion people – identify with one religion or another. Imagine the motivational energy of these four billion people used as a positive force for global social change. Whether tackling issues of poverty, disease, health, energy, education, gender
Canadian Muslims Eid ul-Adha on Tuesday November 16 and Wednesday November 17 (November 6, 2010) – Some North American Muslims will celebrate Eid ul-Adha on Tuesday, November 16 while others will celebrate on Wednesday, November 17. Muslims in North America, as well as in many other parts of the world, hold two different opinions about the observance of Eid ul-Adha. Some Muslims observe
Canadian Muslims North American Muslim Scout Leaders join the Hajj A delegation from the US and Canada has been invited to perform the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia as part of a global invitation extended to approximately fifty Muslim Scout Leaders by the International Union of Muslim Scouts (IUMS) in appreciation, and as a reward for their outstanding achievements and
Canadian Islamic Congress The Hajj: A time of importance, blessings and hope By Imam Dr. Zijad Delic Muslims – wherever they are geographically located — live in continuous connection with the sacred house called the Ka’bah, the symbol of their relationship with the Creator, the homeland of the Prophet, and the first Masjid (Mosque) on earth. Allah has chosen this Masjid as the
531 Interfaith dialogue for a globalised world by Tareq Oubrou In these times, it is essential to engage in interfaith and intercultural dialogue, given the way our world is evolving. With post-modern globalisation there has been a decline in the belief in the philosophy of progress: the secular theory of salvation no longer has the answers to
Canadian Muslims Who speaks for Canadian Muslims? By Yahya Abdul Rahman Any individual or group who appears on TV or writes an opinion piece in a newspaper promoting themselves as THE voice of Canadian Muslims should not be taken seriously. It is impossible for any one person or group to encapsulate the diversity of thought and opinion
Canadian Muslims When it comes to the burqa debate, France should look to Canada By Elsa Rizkallah As the burqa controversy continues to make headlines in France, it is worth examining what France could learn from Canada, which has worked to reconcile freedom of religion with national security and women rights. Bills banning the burqa – a garment that fully covers a woman’s body,
Canadian Muslims Haider and Habib This is a story about Haider and Habib. It’s a real story that happened seven, maybe eight years ago. Haider was a humble, down to earth kinda guy – a guy who’d give up his seat on the bus to just about anyone else: Old, young, sick, healthy, didn’
Canadian Muslims Should we fear Islam? By Keith Ellison At a time when our nation is seeing a rise in intolerant behaviour, crossing every cultural line, whether based on race, religion or sexual orientation, we seem simultaneously stuck with a national news media that is preoccupied with conflict and controversy when we desperately need one that
Canadian Muslims Connecting with our history By Sikander Hashmi The year was 1938 and Canada’s Muslim population stood at just around 700, in stark contrast to the close to 1 million Canadian Muslims today. And there were no mosques in the country. So a woman by the name of Hilwi Hamdon, along with her friends,
Canadian Muslims Muslims concerned over Muhammad drawing on door of Yellowknife mosque The Yellowknife RCMP is investigating a possible hate crime against the Muslim community in Yellowknife, N.W.T. Nur Ali told CBC News [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/10/12/yknife-muslim-centre-muhammed.html] that he went to the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife to pray early Monday morning, October
Canadian Muslims Religious bias in US textbooks? By Susan Douglass Last week, the Texas Board of Education adopted a resolution with a 7-6 vote that “accuses textbook publishers of favoring Islam over Christianity and tells them to stop it.” Although the resolution is non-binding on future board members or textbook publishers, it attempts to set a precedent
Canadian Muslims Time to re-think community priorities By Yahya Abdul Rahman In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, US President Barak Obama is quoted as making the following statement: “One of the things that you realize when you’re in my seat is that, typically, the issues that come to my desk — there are no simple answers
iqra IslamOnline Founders Launch OnIslam After a several-month battle against Qatari financers over editorial independence, the editorial team that founded IslamOnline.net ten years ago launched on Saturday, October 9, their alternative OnIslam website. [http://www.onislam.net/english/] “Our main concern and objective was to launch a website where editorial work is independent from
Canadian Muslims Gandhi and human fraternity By Tariq Ramadan Equality between men is an ideal. Religions, philosophies and political ideologies have made the equality of human beings the essence of their teachings, principles or systems. Individuals must be treated with equal dignity and fairness. And yet a journey through societies and nations is all it takes
531 Canadian Muslim organizations call for urgent meeting with Defense Minister MacKay (October 5, 2010) – Canadian Muslim organizations are calling for an urgent meeting with Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defense, following his decision to cancel a lecture [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/10/01/imam-mackay.html] by Imam Dr. Zijad Delic, the Executive Director of the Canadian Islamic Congress
Canadian Islamic Congress My message to Canadians - if presentation was not cancelled by the Hon. Minister Peter MacKay By Imam Dr. Zijad Delic, Executive Director – Canadian Islamic Congress Dear Fellow Canadians, In light of maintaining a transparent and open dialogue with my fellow Canadians, I am forthwith attaching a copy of my speech which is consistent with previous appearances across Canada and with other Government agencies. My intention
531 Peter MacKay's cancellation of Imam Zijad Delic's speech is deplorable by Yahya Abdul Rahman We now live in an age of collective punishment. One person holds an objectionable view or makes a controversial statement and anyone associated with that person in anyway is also found to be guilty. We call this guilt by association and most right thinking people consider
Canadian Muslim Fellowship Aboriginal peoples are our family, our brothers and sisters By Dawood Zwink Turtle Island is an ancient land, place and people. Canada, as an evolving reality, is rooted and nurtured by millennia of wisdom seeking, spiritual experiences, and a circular approach to thinking that remains open and inclusive. Aboriginal Elders and peoples are the guardians of that legacy. Islam
Canadian Muslims October is Islamic History Month across Canada (October 1, 2010) – The theme of the 4th Islamic History Month Canada (IHMC), which begins today with events across the country, is “Islam and the Environment.” Since its inception in October 2007, IHMC has been officially declared and recognized by the Parliament of Canada, as well as by a number
Abdul Malik Ahmad Hip hop group confronts rise of Islamophobia in music video (Sept. 29, 2010) – The American Muslim hip-hop group Native Deen [http://www.nativedeen.com/iamnear/]today released a music video in response to the rising tide of Islamophobia facing America, especially in the wake of the New York Islamic cultural center controversy. The music video, released as part of the
531 Mohamed Magid elected new ISNA President (Sept 28, 2010) – The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) announced today that Imam Mohamed Magid has been elected to lead the organization replacing outgoing President, Dr. Ingrid Mattson. Imam Magid Ali is a Sudanese-born American who came to the United States in 1987 and he current serves as the
Canadian Muslims Little yellow mosque arrives in Inuvik (September 27, 2010) – The little yellow mosque has arrived in the Arctic to serve a growing Muslim population in Canada’s far north after travelling 2,485 miles over land and water, the project sponsor, Zubaidah Tallab Foundation of Thompson, Manitoba announced last Thursday. “By the Grace of God Almighty
Agnes Callamard Writers urge U.N. to abandon efforts to prohibit defamation of religions, concentrate instead on respect-building initiatives At a panel held in conjunction with the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva last week, writers and free-expression advocates from around the world today warned of the potential harm of imposing legal restrictions on expression considered offensive or defamatory to religions, arguing that such restrictions not only would do
531 A Defense of Free Speech by American and Canadian Muslims We, the undersigned, unconditionally condemn any intimidation or threats of violence directed against any individual or group exercising the rights of freedom of religion and speech; even when that speech may be perceived as hurtful or reprehensible. We are concerned and saddened by the recent wave of vitriolic anti-Muslim and
