Reflections - Iqra.ca

A Canadian Muslim Perspective on Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti

By Muneeb Nasir Fratelli Tutti, the latest encyclical of Pope Francis, is a passionate call to the higher moral ideal of fraternity to dispel the ‘dark clouds’ hanging over the world. Pope Francis reminds us of the inherent dignity of each human being – an inherent dignity that

IQRA.ca

Muslim Torontonians Forge a Canadian Muslim Identity

By Muneeb Nasir — Since the turn of the 21st century, Toronto’s dynamic Muslim community has spawned homegrown organizations committed to Muslim participation and integration into mainstream society — Toronto’s Muslim community has been a leader in North America when it comes to forging an integrated Muslim identity.

Islam Canada

Practicing Islam in the age of COVID-19

By Muneeb Nasir Canadian Muslims, as all Muslims throughout the world, are grappling with the catastrophic changes on their personal as well as their religious life brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mosques, Islamic Centres and religious schools have been closed since mid-March and all communal services have been suspended.

IQRA.ca

Restoring the true ‘Spirit of Fasting’ During the Pandemic

By Muneeb Nasir We could be experiencing our most significant Ramadan and greatest Ramadan experience ever in our life. The holy month, in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, could be the great spiritual reset many of us have longed for during previous Ramadans but have never quite achieved. This

Muslims in Canada

Canadian Muslim Community Members Stand with the Wet’suwet’en Nation

We, the undersigned members of the Muslim community, wish to express our solidarity and support for the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and the Indigenous nations across the continent who are supporting them. We urge the federal and BC governments, the RCMP, and the Coastal GasLink

Canadian Muslims

We have much to learn about Indigenous Peoples

By Muneeb Nasir (Remarks by Muneeb Nasir, President of the Olive Tree Foundation, at program entitled, ‘Indigenous And Muslim Traditional Healing Practices In A Modern Context’ on November 14 2019, at Victoria College, University of Toronto). The Olive Tree Foundation is pleased to be a sponsor of tonight’s program

Canadian Muslims

Islamic Foundation of Toronto: A Tribute & Lessons Learnt From 50 Years

By Muneeb Nasir* [Keynote address delivered at Islamic Foundation of Toronto 50th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, September 22, 2019] Over the past 50 years, all of you and your families have given of yourselves and dedicated your time, energies and resources in service to the Islamic Foundation. May Allah reward

Canadian Muslims

A Ramadan day in the life of a charity worker

By Hassam Munir When you work for a Muslim charity and it’s Ramadan, it can be tough to figure out when your day begins and when it ends. For simplicity’s sake, let’s start at the pre-dawn meal. While most Canadians are getting their beauty sleep by 3

Canadian Muslims

People could all do with a dose of Ramadan

By Muneeb Nasir Fasting is a big commitment and it is not quite that easy for those who are not initiated into the art of fasting. Ramadan is a month of abrupt changes. For a month, the fasting person takes a break from their usual lives to return to meaning

Canadian Muslims

Why I think Ontario needs a Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia

By Sanaa Ali-Mohammed It’s been a little over two years since the terrorist attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec. Since then, many Muslim communities have been making efforts to heal. Healing has been hindered by the fact that, across Ontario, and globally, it feels like our communities

Beth Sholom Congregation

Fellowship of the Rings

By Farhad Khadim “Terror in a Pittsburgh Synagogue. Multiple fatalities. Shooter may be among the dead.” The words came crashing through my iPhone screen leaving a sense of dread that would consume me for the next few hours. How could it happen again? Were there fatalities? How many? Who did

Basic Income

Academics and activists from across the globe issue open letter to Ontario Government on Basic Income

We, collectively, represent the principal investigators, research teams and stakeholder groups behind several distinct basic income experiments underway in Finland, Scotland, the Netherlands, the USA, Spain, Kenya and India. We profoundly regret that you chose to cancel the Ontario Basic Income Guarantee Experiment prematurely. Each of our experimental designs is

CAM-D

Dirty Socks or Wheelchairs, What Belongs in the Mosque?

By Rabia Khedr CEO DEEN Support Services [Disability Empowerment Equaality Network] It is 2018, 25 years after Rafia founded ERDCO (Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario), an organization dedicated to addressing barriers faced by racialized people with disabilities. In March, in the week in which she hosted a conference

Canadian Muslims

Acknowledging the Indigenous land we have settled on

By Muneeb Nasir Seeking forgiveness and repentance are essential practices of a believer in God. The principles and pre-requisites for repentance that we practice to redress violations of the rights of God and against someone else are important principles. These principles that include truth telling (sincerely acknowledging wrongdoings and having

Canadian Muslims

Is anyone out there?

By Muneeb Nasir I have not been eating and drinking during the daylight hours this past week – not to punish myself unnecessarily – but, because in my religion, Islam, fasting in the month of Ramadan has been prescribed by God as one of the fundamental pillars of the faith so

Canadian Council of Imams

Canadian Council of Imams issue advisory to Imams about sermons

The Canadian Council of Imams has issued an advisory to Imams concerning the Friday sermon and the religious services. “The Canadian Council of Imams (CCI) hereby reminds all congregation leaders and imams, at all facilities of worship, whether permanent or temporary, to uphold the integrity of our faith and responsibility

Amira Elghawaby

Islamophobia is a threat to us all, Canada’s silent majority must speak up

By Amira Elghawaby, National Council of Canadian Muslims It has been a difficult couple of weeks. Just as we have had to come to grips with the so-called Muslim ban in the United States and all its actual and potential implications, Canadian Muslims have also had to come to terms

Canadian Muslims

OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER RE: Alleged Islamophobia and anti-black racism at York Region District School Board

October 31, 2016 SENT VIA EMAIL Honourable Mitzie Hunter Minister of Education Ministry of Education 22nd Floor, Mowat Block 900 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2 Email: mhunter.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org; — and — Honourable Indira Naidoo-Harris Associate Minister of Education Ministry of Education 22nd Floor, Mowat Block 900 Bay

Canadian Muslims

National security framework needs major overhaul

By Faisal Kutty Over the next few weeks, rights groups, lawyers, activists, experts and concerned individuals will all weigh in on how to achieve a National Security framework upholding both security and rights. The problems with the existing framework are too many to canvass here, but there are a few

Canadian Muslims

Where There is Hope, There is Faith

https://youtu.be/3ia4wjp7BNs

Canadian Muslims

What we all need to understand about the hajj

By Faisal Kutty “America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem,” wrote Malcolm X more than 50 years ago after his hajj (pilgrimage). The reality is that it’s not just America that needs to understand it. Millions will

Canadian Muslims

Tariq Ramadan: “The detention of Homa Hoodfar is unjust and un-Islamic - Iran should release her”

By Tariq Ramadan As Muslim scholar, I am deeply troubled by the unlawful and unjust detention of professor Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian scholar who was detained in March while visiting friends and family in Iran. Members of the Revolutionary Guard raided her home, confiscated her personal belongings and passports, summoned

Canadian Muslims

No gold medal for human rights at global sports events

By Faisal Kutty Citius. Altius. Fortius. Can’t go wrong with the Olympic motto of striving to be faster, higher and stronger. Unfortunately, international sporting events also have an ugly side, one too often hidden using repression and public relations budgets. Years ago on a visit to India, I came

Canadian Muslims

Persecution of Christians in Middle East is profoundly un-Islamic

By Faisal Kutty “Are you Muslim?” asks a Daesh member to a Christian couple. When the husband answers in the affirmative, the terrorist instructs him to recite from the Quran. The man recites from the Bible. Upon hearing the Arabic, the guard says “Yallah” and motions them through. The man’

CAM-D

The Intersection of Race and Mental Health

By Rabia Khedr Instead of don’t shoot, we have to now also say, “don’t beat me.” What a difficult week it was for us, law-abiding Canadians who respect our women and men in uniform. As we watch the events unfold south of the border, we say confidently, “this