“[In the 1930’s] the few Muslim families that were in Edmonton gathered together often. They decided they wanted a place to congregate so they were going to build a community hall, but then my mother-in-law, Hilwie Hamdon said, ‘if we can build a community hall, we can build a mosque.'” Read More
The Ali Family
Burnaby. BC
“Being a Muslim, there is subtle discrimination that is often present. Islamophobia is everywhere and prevalent here… I would like to emphasize on bringing awareness of the issues and providing venues for more open dialogue for our communities to voice themselves.” Read More
The Beydoun / Matar Family
Halifax, NS
“I hope that the next generation can be that actualization of what meaningful reconciliation can be through recognizing the colonial past of this country and how our settlement here has been a part of ongoing colonization against Indigenous peoples, unintentional or not.” Read More
The Ahmed Family
Edmonton, AB
“We have endured and we solidified our roots here. Each generation is pouring into the future of the next. Each sacrifice is seen as a building block for the next generation to go further and reach higher.” Read More
“The value the Badawi family brought to the community doesn’t lie in a single story or event. The entire family has been a pillar of the community in so many ways; from major achievements such as founding schools and community centres to hosting events and bringing people together.” Read More
The Junaid / Ashraf Family
Pointe-Claire, QC
“The very basic aspect of mixing “culture” with “religion” is what I would wish to change. I think (and am hopeful too) that the younger generation will realize these differences and change that. The older generation is very stuck in their idea of “religion.”” Read More
The Bejkosalaj-Kuki Family
Ottawa, ON
“My parents always believed that your life should serve a purpose. Their marriage and partnership symbolized the union of two individuals that cared deeply for their country of origin, their religion, but also their Canadian community at large.” Read More
The Ali Family
Ottawa, ON
“I remind myself it is Indigenous lands and no one but an Indigenous person can tell me I don’t belong here. Anytime I was told I don’t belong here or had racial slurs sent my way, they were by a non-Indigenous person so it never truly affected me.” Read More
The Habib Family
Abbotsford, BC
“It is my duty to give back to Canada by contributing my time and skills to help build my community and respect its values… [but] there are people who still question my loyalties based on my appearance.” Read More
The Aldosky / Albarzanjy Family
Vancouver, BC
“I don’t know if I’ll live to see the day that Kurds are included or highlighted in a database, anywhere. We are born with someone attempting to erase us.” Read More
The Hindy Family
Mississauga, ON
“My hopes are that the next generation feel more comfortable in their own skin. That their heritage and identity is embraced wholly in Canadian culture. That they don’t feel like they have to conform in any way. That they can explore different facets of their identity freely without feeling any internal guilt or external resistance.” Read More
The Faruqui Family
Ottawa, ON
“Our children are not Pakistani, they’re Canadian, but they still have ties to their heritage. I think as they grow up, they’re less interested in assimilation and more in being their own hybrid selves, painful though it is, to be not wholly one or the other.” Read More
“Women’s history is usually passed over in favour of men’s history because they were not seen as public figures, and as we know Canada did not consider women as “persons” until the Person’s Case of 1929... While this was the history of Western women, it wasn’t necessarily the case for all women.” Read More
The Abdi / Elmi Family
Toronto, ON
“We would love to wake up to a world that celebrates and promotes Black joy, Black Art, Black knowledge, Black wisdom and Black brilliance.” Read More
“As immigrants I believe being given better opportunities is a driving force to making something of yourself... My brothers and I always feel that we have to thank our parents with our achievements. Sometimes it places invisible pressure because my parent’s sacrifice [was so great].” Read More
The Farooq Family
Edmonton, AB
“When my mother passed away, I knelt down and touched the soil, and realized that the foundation of my family was now mixed into this very land. Nothing will ever change that, no matter how many political crises, terrorist threats, racist attacks, or white supremacists try to make me doubt that.” Read More
“As a photographer myself, I am always documenting our life through photographs. Growing up, we didn’t have many photos outside the popular family trips and birthdays. I want my kids to have a little sense of their own history and their upbringing…I want my grandkids and my great great grandkids and so on to know who we were and what we did to get here.” Read More
The Dada Family
Toronto, ON
“I remember days when we would be looking for pennies in the sofa so we could go buy milk. Yet somehow, they taught us the importance of charity, the importance of respect, the importance of treating everyone equally.” Read More
The Gilani Family
Guelph, ON
“Me and my sisters have always found it so hard when people ask us “where we are from” because we have lived our whole lives in Canada, regardless of our Pakistani roots.” Read More
The Hussain Family
Ottawa, ON
“I remember vividly in La Ville de Québec… as a 9-10-year-old going to the mall one day, people were looking at us because we outwardly looked like minorities, especially with my mother’s hijab. I remember that young saying, “Oh! We’re the freakshow!” It was interesting to see how we were looked upon and viewed. And even that young, I was aware of us being looked at differently.” Read More
The Khan Family
Montreal, QC
“I see my parents as pioneers, in their business community in Montreal, as drivers of social change, as establishers of a network for women, for Muslims. They were driven to activism, they were driven to establish themselves in every way possible to build for everyone around them, and especially for those that arrived after them.” Read More
The Afsar Family
Edmonton, AB
“We spent over a decade in the prairies in Saskatchewan. I got to see my parents work with other Muslims to build the mosque and community [there]. This was formative to my values of community work and giving back in a positive manner.” Read More
The Hadad / Alzaabi Family
Halifax, NS
“Our family has gone through hard times [so] I know how it feels when you are in need. I try to help people relieve that feeling and make them smile, or I try to do so.” Read More
“People just simply need to look at humans as humans. Judge them for WHO they are, not what faith or community they come from.” Read More
The Ibrahin Family
Halifax, NS
“I’m proud to be a Canadian and although not everyone believes I belong here I know it is my home.” Read More
The Youssef Family
Vancouver, BC
“Time has grown familiarity of land, of people, of buildings, of environment. Each one of those now holds the word, ‘home’” Read More
