MAC National Newsletter - Eid Al-Adha 2019 Special Edition

Assalamu Alaykum wa rahmtu Allah (Peace be with you)

Dear Community Members,

On behalf of the Muslim Association of Canada, I wish you and your family a New Islamic Hijri Year full of health, happiness, prosperity, peace, and abundance. May Allah SWT bless you upon the right path and keep you amongst the rightly guided.

While we mark the occasion of this New Year, let us similarly remember Ashura, a time when Prophet Musa (AS) and the believers were saved by God’s grace and how our beloved Prophet Mohamad (PBUH) commemorated that day by fasting and asking his followers to fast it along with another day. Let us remember to always put our trust in Allah SWT alone and to have sincere patience. He will take care of our affairs through His infinite wisdom. Let us take this time to reflect and send our greetings to Allah’s Messenger and his family.

Dear brothers and sisters, I also want to remind you that the 43rd Canadian Federal Elections are upon us and MAC’s Civic Engagement Team is working hard to engage our local representatives from all major parties to create space and a voice for Canadian Muslims. The team has organized different events in Mississauga, Ottawa, Windsor, Edmonton and Montreal with potential candidates from the different parties coming out to hear and understand concerns and inquiries directly from their constituents. It is vital for the Canadian Muslim community to become active participants in their local ridings to help their candidates during the campaign, whether it be telephone canvassing, door-knocking, distributing literature or helping neighbours get to the polls on election day.

Our goal is to create a platform for everyone and encourage our community members to become active participants and contribute to a healthy democratic culture during the elections and after.

May Allah SWT bless you all,

About MAC

MAC is a Canadian, independent, faith-based, registered charity that operates only in Canada with no connections with any organization outside Canada. MAC is a nonpartisan Charity with no political ties to any political organization. MAC welcomes the opportunities to engage new hearts and minds and to form new partnerships and alliances to help make Canada a better place for all Canadians.

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MAC's Civic Engagement Team hosted dignitaries and candidates from across party lines to MAC's Eid Al-Adha Prayer and Festivals. This marked a critical and needed civic engagement opportunity for our elected and hopeful candidates leading to the coming Federal Elections. At MAC we are open to constructive dialogue so our community members feel they have a voice and are engaging with their officials are the local level. Below are moments captured at MAC Eid Festivals where over 70,000 attendees came together to celebrate Eid Al-Adha together.

On August 22nd MAC HO held a round table discussion and ceremony recognizing and commemorating the servicemen and servicewomen of the Ontario Provincial police at MAC Head Office with Muslim leaders from across Peel. We thank OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique for making the time to speak with the Muslim community in Peel and we appreciate his earnest willingness to create bridges between law enforcement and the Canadian Muslim community. We look forward to working together in the future.

During this meeting, we held a constructive dialogue with the OPP Commissioner around community engagement, public safety, Islamophobia and building trust. A Plaque of Appreciation was presented to the dedicated and selfless OPP servicemen and women for protecting the diverse houses of worship in Ontario. At MAC we truly value the selfless work our law enforcement community delivers to all community members and to the many houses of worship established throughout our communities.

The Muslim community in Canada is one of the most diverse communities in the country, which is continuing to grow at rapid rates. Effective integration of any people entails meaningful and purposeful engagement. In a functioning democracy, this means civic engagement, where individuals participate in public discourse, community betterment and decision-making processes.

MAC Civic Engagement team is working with local political leaders and also serves to encourage local opinion holders and citizens to take part in civic life and motivate their communities members to work in the democratic process. One such example is the Town Hall held at Olive Grove Middle School on August, 24. The team was delighted to hold a Community Town Hall to provide citizens with a platform to express their views on public issues. The constituents of the GTA and Oakville shared their concerns, present their ideas, ask questions to political candidates ahead of Canada 43rd Federal Elections. The goal is to give a platform to all citizens and contribute to and uphold a healthy democratic culture.

The team pays thanks to the following candidates who made time to engage with their electorate and community:

Iqra Khaled - Liberal (Mississauga-Erin Mills), Omar Alghabra- Liberal (Mississauga-Center),
Nikki Clarke - NDP (Mississauga-Malton), Jerome Adamo for Oakville - NDP (Oakville)
Terence Young - Conservative (Oakville), Nadirah Nazeer - Conservative (Beaches- East York)

MAC National's Youth Camp Educational Retreat

MAC Youth National successfully ran its annual Tarbeya and Ilm Camp at Kettleby Valley Camp & Outdoor Centre. Active youth participated from Montreal, Ottawa, The Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Waterloo, and London. The camp took the participants on a transformative journey helping them on their path of God-centered self-development and community service. They attended a series of lectures, participated in outdoor camp activities, and contributed to an uplifting spiritual program.

Donate Towards Comunity and Individual Growth

When you give to MAC, you are funding life-changing programs that help thousands of children, youth and families across Canada. MAC relies on the generosity of Canadians to support our work.

There are many ways you can help in our fundraising efforts. MAC welcomes donations both for general funding or to support specific projects. You can donate on the website through a secure connection by credit card. In addition to financial donations, MAC accepts gifts of securities and property. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes at the beginning of the next calendar year.

To invest in the future leaders of tomorrow please donate here.

A heartfelt thank you to our generous Donors!

Asma Ahmadi is a certified teacher and a certified principal in Ontario with over 15 years of experience working in classrooms. Asma has a PhD in Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies. Her research, in the past eight years, has been looking into Muslim students both in public and private Islamic schools. She also has worked as an instructor at Western University at the pre service Teacher Education Program. Asma’s work has been featured in numerous media outlets such as the National Post, Ontario Principal Council Magazine and Canadian Association of Principals’ Journal. In the past five years she has been working as an Education Consultant in Islamic Schools. She is currently a senior instructional designer for MAC-iRISE, a top-notch character education program offered to MAC private Islamic schools. Asma is a mother of four and she lives in Mississauga. Her newfound interest is dabbling into an ethical and minimalist lifestyle.

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