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Basmah Hasan of Ottawa becomes member of Jordan’s royal family

 

Princess Basma (formerly Basma Hasan) is third from left in this handout photo. Photograph by: Canadian Press, Handout

 

Princess Basmah al Hussein, formerly Basmah Hasan of Stratford and Prince Hamzah Al Hussein of Jordan at their wedding ceremony in Amman. BALKIS PRESS…

Daredevil Canadian acrobatic pilot becomes member of Jordan’s royal family
By: Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press 
Posted: 3:02 AM | Comments: 1 (including replies) | Last Modified: 6:39 AM

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OTTAWA – A barnstorming Stratford, Ont. woman with a daredevil streak and a passion for adventure has quietly become a member of Jordan’s royal family.

Aerobatic pilot Basmah Hasan became Princess Basmah in January after she wed Prince Hamzah of Jordan’s Hashemite royal family.

Hamzah is the son of the late King Hussein and his American-born wife, Queen Noor, and a senior officer in Jordan’s armed forces. He is the half-brother of the current King, Abdullah II, and for a short time had been Crown Prince before being replaced by his nephew in 2004.

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Posted by on May 15, 2012 | 0 comments

Halifax: Ummah Mosk and Community Centre gets provincially-funded gymnasium

 

The Ummah Mosk gets provincially-funded gymnasium

Finishing touches on new Halifax Mosque delayed again
Provincially-funded gymnasium will be open to the public when complete
CBC News Posted: May 8, 2012 4:57 PM AT Last Updated: May 8, 2012 6:39 PM AT
The Ummah Mosque should be complete by the fall. (CBC)

The Halifax Ummah Mosque and Community Centre is facing more delays as it tries to finish the final stage of construction.

The building on Chebucto Road is nearly complete except for the basement, which will be the home of a provincially-funded gymnasium.

Worshippers fundraised most of the $6.2 million project, but the province chipped in $700,000 to pay for the gym.

The project is already two years overdue.

The project manager is struggling to find a bricklayer to finish the gym. (CBC)

The project manager is struggling to find a bricklayer to finish the gym. (CBC)

“Most of it is already wired and ready to go,” said Project manager Peter Scott. His biggest hurdle right now is finding a bricklayer to complete the stage. He said he’s desperate to find a contractor to finish the project.

“I think at the moment it’s just the time of year everybody’s busy on housing, all are committed to contracts,” he said.

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The latest deadline for completion was this month, but Scott estimates it will take up to six weeks to finish the work once he finds a contractor.

Scott says he expects the building to have its official opening in the fall.

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Posted by on May 10, 2012 | 0 comments

Toronto: Tory MPP Rob Milligan says the East End Madrasa (EEM) should lose its permit to rent from the TDSB until cleared of hate speech allegations

Tory MPP Rob Milligan said Wednesday that the East End Madrassah (EEM) should lose its permit to rent from the Toronto District School Board until a York Regional police investigation into a lesson allegedly containing hate language is wrapped up.

Yank Islamic school’s permit: Tory MPP
By Terry Davidson, QMI Agency

Tory MPP Rob Milligan

Jewish group says Islamic school needs to do more
Islamic school probed for teachings about Jews

TORONTO – An Islamic school that has been renting space at a Toronto public school to allegedly teach its students to hate Jews should have its permit revoked until a police investigation is finished, says Ontario’s PC education critic.

Tory MPP Rob Milligan said Wednesday that the East End Madrassah (EEM) should lose its permit to rent from the Toronto District School Board until a York Regional police investigation into a lesson allegedly containing hate language is wrapped up.

The Islamic school rents teaching space on Sundays at David and Mary Thompson collegiate in the city’s east end.

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Posted by on May 10, 2012 | 1 comment

The consequences of ethnic enclaves in Canada

What to do about ethnic enclaves in Canada?

By Alex Sangha, May 8, 2012

Are ethnic enclaves a good or bad thing for Canadian cities? Should immigrants assimilate and disperse into mainstream English- and French-speaking communities or cluster together in their own ethnic enclaves? I am most familiar with South Asian settlement in British Columbia, especially the emergence of vibrant Punjabi Market districts in Vancouver and Surrey. Vancouver has a population of approximately 600,000, of which 49 percent have a mother tongue of English and about three percent have a mother tongue of Punjabi. Mother tongue is simply defined as your first language learned and still understood. Surrey has a population approaching 500,000, of which 56 percent have a mother tongue of English and a significant 19 percent have a mother tongue of Punjabi.

When Punjabi Sikh settlers first came to British Columbia in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it could be argued that ethnic enclaves were a necessity. Many Sikh immigrants faced severe racial discrimination due to the local population being concerned that the Sikh immigrants would work for less and take their jobs. The Sikhs were different with their turbans and traditional customs. The Sikhs gathered and lived together for support, to afford a place to live, and to earn a living. The early Chinese and Japanese settlers faced considerable discrimination as well. It is not surprising, therefore, that the historical foundation was laid for the eventual realization of ethnic enclaves like Chinatown and Punjabi Market. These ethnic enclaves were essentially in response to difficulties in integration.

Ethnic enclaves are not the same as ethnic ghettos, which are common in the U.S. especially among some impoverished African American communities in major American cities. Canada has a much stronger social safety net, an official multiculturalism policy, and a much more healthy approach to immigration than the U.S. Nonetheless, the large impoverished and somewhat neglected aboriginal population in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver is perhaps the closest thing to an ethnic ghetto in Canada. It is important to note, however, that the history, settlement patterns, public safety issues, government response, and approach to poverty and social problems in the Downtown Eastside is probably very different than the American experience.

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Posted by on May 9, 2012 | 0 comments

Toronto: East End Islamic school apologizes for hate propaganda published on website

Islamic school apologizes for anti-Semitic material on website
CBC News Posted: May 8, 2012 1:23 PM ET Last Updated: May 8, 2012 4:51 PM ET
A Toronto Islamic school that is under police investigation after anti-Semitic teachings were found on its website is apologizing “unreservedly” for its curriculum material, which is now being reviewed.

The Toronto District School Board is also reviewing a complaint that the East End Madrassah was teaching children that “treacherous” Jews “conspired to kill” the Islamic prophet Mohammed. It also contrasted Islam with “the Jews and the Nazis.”

The complaint came from the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, which found the material on the school’s website.

The East End Madrassah, a Sunday school run that rents space in a Scarborough school, is run by a Thornhill, Ont., mosque. It has since taken the material off the website, but copies are still available online.

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Posted by on May 8, 2012 | 0 comments

Vancouver: The Punjabi Language Education Association (PLEA) website provides information in Punjabi only

Vaisakhi was also celebrated around the Metro Vancouver area by various organizations and schools. Take for example the Queeensborough Middle School (QMS) in New Westminster.

Saturday, April 28th, 2012 | Posted by admin
Vaisakhi Colours Also Shine Bright In Richmond

By Balwant Sanghera

RICHMOND – Vaisakhi has become one of the most popular celebrations in Canada. Nearly in every major Canadian city, this special occasion is celebrated with a great deal of enthusiasm. In a sense, Vaisakhi has become a mainstream event in this country. The two Nagger Kirtans (Khalsa Day Parades) in Metro Vancouver- held in Vancouver on April 14 and in Surrey on April 22- brought out more than 300,000 people between them. It was great to see people from other communities join the South Asian community in celebrating the birth of the Khalsa (the Pure Ones). Free food and drinks made available to the attendees all along the Nagar Kirtan routes(both in Vancouver and Surrey) was a very generous and superb gesture by very dedicated members of our community. This is something that we can all be proud of.

In addition to these two major celebrations, Vaisakhi was also celebrated around the Metro Vancouver area by various organizations and schools. Take for example the Queeensborough Middle School (QMS) in New Westminster.

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Posted by on May 7, 2012 | 0 comments
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