Yesterday in the House of Commons, Jack Harris, Opposition Defence critic (NDP) said, "Last Friday was International Press Freedom Day and on that day, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence described journalist, Terry Milewski, as 'an old Trotskyite'."

In reply, Leon Alexander, the Parliamentary Secretary, did...

Martin Richard was eight years old. He was in the third grade. He was killed on Monday at the Boston Marathon, waiting at the finish line. Recently, his teacher, Lucia Brawley, released a photo of Martin holding up a sign he made in school. It said:...

I won't bare my breasts in public, but no one should be stoned to death if she does.

In countries and states where public nudity is unacceptable a fine, at maximum, should suffice.

But a fine, we worried, was not what a 19-year-old woman, named Amina...

Within the last year tragedies of violence against women and girls have made headlines.

They included the attempted murder of 15-year-old, Malalai Yousafzai, last October, shot in the head, on her way home from school in Pakistan; the gang rape and torture, last December, that led to...

Muslim prayer services are offered all over the world, every Friday. Prayers are led by the Imam, while the Khateeb is the person who delivers the sermon, which is called the Khutbah.

Traditionally, the form of the Khutbah is set. Content, on the other hand, may vary.

Having heard...

There are as many interpretations of Islam as there are Muslims.

At Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) Ummah Canada we are open about our interpretation of Islam and we are not afraid to say who we are. We uphold freedom of expression and human rights for...

Monday, December 10 is International Human Rights Day. And on this day three Canadians remain in prison in Iran. All three have been charged with computer-related crimes. The reason? Measures against "illegal" computer use are ruthlessly enforced by the Iranian government in an effort to wipe out online...

In Toronto, this past June, Faith McGregor, walked into the Terminal Barber shop owned by Omar Mahrouk and asked for a haircut. Mahrouk said his barber shop did not serve women.

McGregor filed a complaint against Mahrouk with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Marhouk's defense? To touch...

The American Presidential election between Republican Candidate, Mitt Romney and incumbent Democratic Candidate President Barack Obama, takes place in only a two days on November 6, 2012. Its outcome may result in a remarkably different future for many. What happens in the U.S. affects us all -- both here in...

Once again we Muslims take centre stage in the arena of world politics, our "anger" dominating the headlines over a poorly made YouTube video, called "Innocence of Muslims." And though the video is poor, both in content and production quality, the title alone is excellent.

As a Muslim, resident...

Last week, an 11-year-old girl, with Downs Syndrome, named Rimsha Masih, from Mehraabad, a poor neighbourhood near Pakistan's capital Islamabad, was beaten by her neighbours.

Police attended the scene upon receiving a call from the local Imam who reportedly said the neighbours had beat Rimsha...

Yesterday a Norwegian public enquiry commission released a report and found that the attack that left 77 people dead and 240 wounded last summer, could have been avoided if police and other authorities had not been so slow to react.

Anders Behring Breivik is now...

Yesterday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, seven people were killed and a number injured, including a police officer, when a gunman, named Wade Michael Page stormed a congregation of five hundred people at an American Sikh gurdwara. He was aged 40, and a former U.S. army soldier.

Shortly after the...

The Lady Gaga concert was cancelled in Indonesia on Sunday when extremists threatened a bomb blast if it took place.

It came as a shock to some -- but not to all.

Indonesia's reputation as a pillar of human rights and free expression in...

When I was 23 years old, I drew a hooded white figure on posters that advertised a special lecture at my university. It was to be delivered by an up and coming leader, starting a new federal political party. I had read the leader had ties to racist groups in...

They were in the news everyday. They were my daughters. Their mother was my sister.

Their names were Zainab, Sahar, Geeti, and Rona. One of the men convicted for their murder is their father and husband, Mohammad Shafia.

I did not know them.

But if like me, you...

In the news, we Muslims litter the landscape. It seems we want it all.

We want to keep our daughters hidden at home, at all costs, to guard the family honour. We want to be able to wear the niqab anytime, anywhere. We want democracy in the Muslim world...

I'm a mom -- an Ontario Muslim mom with three kids in the public school system. I know kids are bullied in school. I know kids use the word "gay" as an insult to harass other kids -- queer and straight. I know kids can be mean without using any...