Message of the Executive Director
Asalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,
I pray you and your families and the communities around you are well, Insha’Allah. This year’s month of October marks the 19th annual Islamic Heritage Month celebrated in Canada, alhamdulillah. This month allows us to celebrate the contributions of Canadian Muslims across the nation and is an opportunity for our neighbors, friends, and colleagues to learn more about Islam and its history.
The Islamic Heritage Month Canada board announced the theme for 2021 to be Anti-Indigenous Racism and Islamophobia: coming together for a month of healing. While we heal from the attack on the Afzaal family in London, we should not forget the pain and suffering our Indigenous brothers and sisters are trying to heal from as well. This year’s focus for Islamic Heritage Month should be about reconciliation and coming together to heal our wounds. We encourage everyone to learn more about the Indigenous history of our land and ways we can connect and reconcile with the past and the various Indigenous nations living in Canada.
Alhamdulillah, this past month we have opened all of our schools across Canada safely for in person learning, and we will continue to monitor closely so schools will remain open, inshallah. While we monitor, we must not forget the effort required to make Canada safer for us Muslims, in particular our students. As the Islamophobia mandate becomes enforced, we must do all we can to ensure the mandate is being upheld by the government. It is most important all school staffs are trained properly and aware of what Muslim students require.
The Muslim Association of Canada is committed to working closely with the government to ensure this mandate stays in place and Muslims students can continue to thrive safely in educational environments. We will continue to stay committed to providing safe learning options for our students through these precarious times, Insha’Allah.
Jazakum Allahu Khairan,
Sharaf Sharafeldin
Executive Director
Muslim Association of Canada
