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canadian muslims
They remain thankful to be living in a country where their rights are safeguarded by the courts and by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
It feels as though Canadian society is currently deliberating our case – judging our utility, our sincerity and our belonging. Our identity is at stake.
"No matter our backgrounds, we're in this together."
What needs to be made clear is that most Canadians challenging this motion are not challenging the issues facing the Muslim communities, or that racism does not exist; what they are uncomfortable with in this motion is the fact that it is favouring one community over others.
"Even our loving Canadian society is not immune to what fear can provoke in the hearts of people."
Recent atrocities committed by Islamist radicals have painted all Muslims with a broad brush. The petition condemns these atrocities, but also affirms that the overwhelming majority of Canadian Muslims are not represented by these actions, and as such should not suffer discrimination on their basis.
The month of Ramadan has just begun for over a billion Muslims around the world; thirty days of fasting from sunrise to sunset. While it may sound harsh to some, as Muslims there is so much beauty in Ramadan and what it represents. When Muslims fast (in our case for almost 18 hours) it invigorates your other senses in many ways.
The holy month of Ramadan is upon us. This is a time when Muslims all around the world abstain from all food, drink and sexual pleasure during daylight hours. It is also a time when Muslims remember those less fortunate around the world by giving a portion of their wealth to charitable causes. Every Ramadan, here at Islamic Relief Canada, we pick a global issue that we campaign and fundraise on, and this month we're calling for more action towards ending the global refugee crisis.
In recent years, we've seen terror attacks like the one last Tuesday become the norm. From attacks in Brussels and Paris to Turkey, Jakarta and even here in Canada, the global terror threat affects everyone -- and both Muslims and non-Muslims are not immune to it.
The responsibility of tackling, addressing and finding drastic solutions for violent radicalism is a duty that should be spread over the shoulder of the society's stakeholders as well as decision-makers, community, media, "religious" groups, social experts, families and others.
