Reflections

A collection of 386 posts

Ahmad Kutty

Abraham’s legacy: the openness to accept the other

[Eid Al-Adha Sermon delivered at the Islamic Institute of Toronto by Shaikh Ahmad Kutty on November 06, 2011]. I praise Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; I thank Him for His blessings and favors. I thank Him for the gift of faith; I thank Him for the gift of life and

Canadian Muslims

Muslim weightlifter who never gave up on her dream recognized at Toronto banquet

(November 3, 2011) – Kulsoom Abdullah is a Pakistani-American computer engineer, who has been Olympic Weightlifting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_weightlifting]for three years and Crossfitting [http://www.crossfitatlanta.com/]for two years. Kulsoom started competing in Olympic Weightlifting competitions in March 2010 and obtained the Crossfit Level I

Common Ground News Service

Muslims and Christians: if you don´t communicate, you don´t exist

By Safia Aoude (October 31, 2011) – “We can write anything now!” said an editor of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram to some visiting Danish participants in Cairo as a part of a recent Alexandria-based conference called “Media´s Role for Changing Society and Democracy”. The Egyptian revolution has certainly become a

Canadian Muslims

Gratitude is an attitude

By Muneeb Nasir In a Qur’anic verse (ayat), Allâh says, “Then remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject Me” (Qur’an – al Baqara:152). What does gratitude really mean in our lives? Most of us are thankful for the blessings we have

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Let’s become stewards of the earth

By Muaz Nasir “It is he (Allah) that has appointed you (mankind) as stewards in the Earth…” ( Qu’rán, 35:39) (April 21, 2011) – As Earth Day 2011 [http://www.earthday.ca/pub/] quickly approaches, many of us take this opportunity to reflect and participate in annual community events aimed

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1,000 Christians and 1,000 Muslims

By Arthur L. Smith On 18 September 2011,Northwood Church in Keller, Texas hosted an event where 1,000 Christians and 1,000 Muslims came together to embark on societal change. “The only hope we have to tone down our fear of Muslims and the only thing Jesus commands us

iqra

On the Death Penalty

By Tariq Ramadan Turning his face towards the victim’s relatives, he repeated with calm determination: “May God forgive you because I did not kill him.” Troy Davis had been waiting on death row for more than twenty years, all the while proclaiming his innocence. These were his last words

Canadian Muslims

Fasting strengthens communities

By Irshad Osman (Naleemi) (August 21, 2011) – Ramadan creates “winning moments” for the believers. Every single act in this beautiful month is a victory…it is a step in the journey towards success in both worlds. It could be those early hours when we wake up for a meal, it

Anders Breivik

Canada must not let the likes of Bin Laden and Breivik determine who we are

By Imam Ibrahim Malabari (August 16, 2011) – Anders Breivik, as evident from his philosophy, is against multiculturalism more than anything else – Islam and Muslims are just a part of his anti-multiculturalism rhetoric. In that sense, his beliefs target the very essence of Canada which promotes multiculturalism. This should alarm all

Canadian Muslims

‘I asked you for food and you fed Me not’

By Muneeb Nasir (Excerpt from Friday Khutba (sermon) delivered at Masjid Toronto on Friday, August 13, 2011) Fasting must have meaning in the present moment. In an op-ed piece in the Toronto Star on Sunday August 7, 2011, (Making fasting relevant during famine [http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columns/article/

Canadian Muslims

Lessons from Ramadan

By Tariq Ramadan It is always good to ponder the true meaning of our religious practices. The month of Ramadan has started and almost 1.5 billion Muslims around the globe are fasting, taking part in an individual and spiritual journey as well as a communal religious celebration. Ramadan is

Canadian Muslims

Muslim moms in Canada, more than full-time housewives

By Daood Hamdani (August 7, 2011) – In early July, Canadians engaged in an online conversation with the aim of increasing their understanding of Muslims, the main non-Christian faith community estimated by government demographers at 1.1 million in 2011 or 3.2 per cent of the total population. It was

iqra

A month to change your life

By Muna Ali We live in a world of over a billion dollar self-improvement industry with assortments of best selling books, videos, websites, personal trainers, life coach, diet centers and regimen. We have countless tools to achieve that elusive better self but the task seems impossible. We are often told

Canadian Muslims

Lessons from Norway

ByTariq Ramadan [http://www.tariqramadan.com/Lessons-from-Norway.html] A young Norwegian has killed dozens of innocent people. Many thought at first—quite naturally these days—that we had witnessed a new Muslim terrorist attack. We had not. Muslims everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. But in Norway, the massacre came

common ground news

The attacks in Norway and the price of fear

By Natana J. DeLong-Bas (July 28, 2011) –  There are certain events that are so painful and incomprehensible that they stop us in our tracks and make us wonder what kind of world we live in. The horrific mass murder of teens and young adults at a summer camp in Norway

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Muslim students praying on Fridays in their school cafeteria

Published On:  Monday, July 11, 2011 source: http://hindufederation.ca/news/muslim-students-praying-fridays-their-school-cafeteria Based on the information that we have reviewed we see no issues with students praying in their school cafeteria as long as such activities are sanctioned by the school authorities. We of the HINDU FEDERATION extend compliment to

Alimamy Bangura

Working together for the common good of students in the TDSB

By Alimamy Bangura (July 9, 2011) – In 2005, the Toronto District School Board invited faith groups to work with the Board to develop guidelines for accommodating students who wish to pray in school in accordance with their religious beliefs and practices. The Ontario Multi-Faith council was also involved in this

Canadian Muslims

Western Muslims - a success story

By Tariq Ramadan (July 6, 2011) – Nowadays, Islam is presented as one of the major problems in, and for, the West. There is no Western country, from Canada to Australia, by way of the United States and Europe, where “the question of Islam” is not intensely debated. Not only populists

Canadian Muslims

The women of the Arab spring: from protesters to parliamentarians?

By Natana J. DeLong-Bas (June 17, 2011) – What do Asmaa Mahfouz, Munira Fakhro and Tawakul Karman all have in common? They are all strong, capable women defying the popular Western image of the oppressed, repressed, suppressed Muslim woman hidden behind a black chador or blue burqa, helplessly waiting for Western

7/11 1995

The Balkans and European memory

By Tariq Ramadan (June 14, 2011) – While visiting the Balkans over the last few days I had ample occasion to meditate on recent European history, the Muslim presence, current tensions and our future. Returning to Sarajevo for a sixth visit was both moving and enjoyable. Sixteen years after the end

Canadian Muslims

The right of others to disagree

By Sheikh Ibrahim Ramadan (June 7, 2011) – Among the things I remember from my mother, may she rest in peace, is a meaningful story attributed to the Prophet Abraham. The story goes as follows: Abraham never liked to eat except with guests, to the extent that he would frequent popular

Canadian Muslims

A new narrative of empathy for the West and the Arab world?

By Rahim Kanani (May 28, 2010) – As people in the West continue to read about, listen to and watch the stories of ordinary citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen, they are realising more and more that human desires, needs and wants – of people in North America, North

Abubakar N. Kasim

Mosques should be welcoming places

By Abubakar N. Kasim (May 24, 2011) – Two teenagers traveled miles to the city of Toronto to attend a Friday sermon at a local mosque. It was the first time they were attending a Muslim gathering and were hoping for a memorable experience which they would cherish for a long

Canadian Muslims

Youth of Canada - be inspired by Canada’s youngest MP

By Nida Shamsi (May 20, 2011) – Growing up, you’ve probably heard of the quote: “Leader’s aren’t born, they are made”, and how like everything else in this life that we want to achieve, we must have the will and work, and be energetic and demonstrate dedication. I

Aisha Sherazi

Belief in God frees us

By Aisha Sherazi (May 17, 2011) – My hope that Dutch MP Geert Wilders’ visit to Canada would come and go quietly was wishful thinking. His speeches have been widely covered, and the articles I’ve seen have been painful to read. Wilders appears to insult the intelligence of 1.6