MESSAGE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – November 2020

Asalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah,

InshaAllah you and your family and community are well, and healthy and in a state of strong faith.  While I am pleased to share with you the achievements and main areas of work of the organization in the past month, it is also a time of difficulty and sadness.  We as a community in Canada and across the world are suffering many sad realities.  Our faith grounds us and we continue to strive to act collectively to create a positive impact around us, and MAC is driven by this principle, Alhamdulillah.

Over this past month, we were blessed to celebrate Islamic History month.  We hosted several events locally within our chapters as well as the national event ‘A Brief History of Black Muslims in Canada.’  This dynamic 3-person panel discussion featured a history of Black Muslims, a history of Black Muslims in Canada, and a discussion on the contemporary challenges of Black Muslims in Canada today.  A celebration of history is a reminder and an opportunity to learn from our past, which enables us to move forward with strength and resilience.  This event was a strong testament to the spirit of Islamic History month.

This past month MAC also organized and hosted a fruitful conversation with Erin O’Toole, the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.  In this discussion, MAC leadership across the country engaged in a discussion where Erin was able to hear and comment on some of the issues of primary concern for our community.  

October has also been the peak of the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic.  MAC employees and volunteers continue to work alongside all local health guidelines to ensure the safety of our community.  Our schools, mosques and centers continue to follow strict protocols and are communicating updates regularly with their respective community members to ensure safe participation opportunities.  We continue to provide online programming for our community and are committed to being connected to and serving the needs of communities across Canada as we all try to navigate the second wave of the pandemic. May Allah(swt) protect us all.

Finally, I want to share that the recent wave of Emmanuel Macron’s attack on Islam, the Prophet(saw) and Muslims in France has been difficult for Muslims around the world in many different ways.  I want to remind myself first and encourage all of us to really empathize with the struggles and oppressive challenges that French Muslims are facing right now.  I also want to encourage all of us to make a strong commitment to stand up to this injustice and not be passive to such forms of state-sponsored Islamophobia.  Freedom of speech is a mutually valued right, and one group cannot be scapegoated in this way.  This can become a dangerous norm which can lead other communities to be oppressed easily in the future.  Let our love for the Prophet Muhammad(saw) and his sunnah inspire us to stand up and protect his(saw) honour and dignity.  We need to see our leaders take a strong stance against state-sponsored Islamophobia and oppression.

May Allah(swt) guide us all towards what is right and may our work be accepted by Allah(swt).

Wa Salamu Alaikum,

Sharaf Sharafeldin
Executive Director
Muslim Association of Canada