Meet a Muslim Family Raises Cultural Awareness

By Alison Lesley --
05 Mar 2015 --

Muslims of Edmonton start the Meet a Muslim Family program to promote cultural awareness of Islam and dispel misconceptions and fears.

After the warm reception they received from their open house, the Muslims of Edmonton will be hosting an event for two weeks. The open house was held at Hadi Mosque, and encouraged members of their community, regardless of faith, to come and ask whatever questions they had about the Muslim faith. The open house was meant to “promote the idea we are all living in your community, come and see us, you won’t see any violence,” according to Mohyuddin Mirza, the outreach director for the Ahmadiyaa Muslim Community. Carol Donahue, a woman who’s lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years, says she thinks the Meet a Muslim Family campaign is “fantastic… I just think that they are our neighbors and why shouldn’t we learn something about their culture.”

Meet a Muslim Family to Forge Stronger ties with fellow Canadians

Muslim families throughout Edmonton, and further, are dissatisfied with the image portrayed by the media concerning the Muslim faith. It is frequently misunderstood and feared by many, something members of their community want to change. To encourage others to better understand and accept their faith, the Ahmadiyaa Muslim Community is hosting a two week long Meet a Muslim Family event.

Those participating in the event don’t “want their religion to be misunderstood in light of recent violent attacks by extremists.” Imam Balal Khokhor said that “Canadians have a fear of Muslim. They don’t know them. They don’t know their culture, their religion and we want to showcase that, in fact, we are Canadian and just like any other Canadians.”

Visit the Meet a Muslim Family website to read more about the campaign, and to set up a meeting with a Muslim Family.