In the name of Allah
Eid Al-Adha prayer
On November 28, 2009 United Eid-ul-Adha prayer of Shia Muslims was held in GTA under the auspices of Islamic Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada at the newly inaugurated complex of Jaffri Community Centre, Thornhill Ontario.
The prayer was led by Moulana Sheikh Ibrahim Yassine and the Khutba was delivered by Moulana Sayyid Mohammad Rizvi.
IMAM MAHDI (atf) Birthday Celebration
Toronto City Hall , August 15, 209
This was the first time that this event was organized by the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada in partnership with various Shi’a organizations.
The City of Toronto was very co-operative in providing the services. We did not have to pay for any of the City services. However, there were other expenses, listed separately.
The program included three parts:
- Islamic Art Exhibition. This was done indoors in a specific facility created by the City of Toronto. This area is called “Rotunda”. We had to obtain special permission for utilizing this facility. City Councillor, Suzan Hall assisted us in getting the necessary permission. In future, we can now carry out the exhibition without any formalities. There were over 15 exhibition pieces. Almost 5/600 people went to see the exhibition.
- We also had a flag hoisting. Normally, this is done when there are celebrations for different countries independence days. However, the City also allows non-profit organizations to have flag hoisting. The flag hoisting was done at 4.45 pm. Syed Reza Hosseini-Nassab carried out the flag-raising along with Councillor Suzan Hall and various members of the community. This was a proud moment for the community. This was the first time Muslims have raised flag in front of the City Hall.
- This was followed by a program comprising:
- Recitation of the Qur’an and translation of the relevant ayahs.
- Greetings from Jim Karyganis, Member of Federal Parliament: Khalil Ramal, member of the Provincial Parliament; Suzan Hall, Toronto City Councillor.
- There was a lecture by a Christian Speaker, Dr. Michael Desjardins.
- This was followed by a lecture by Dr. Liyakat Takim
- There was nashid by the youth of the Afghan Community.
It is estimated that there were between 550/600 people. This also included some non-Muslims.
There were refreshments served comprising water, juice, snacks and samosas.
For the first attempt, the event was received and was also televised on August 22, 2009.
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Eid-ul-Fitr celebration
On October 19, 2008 Eid-ul-Fitr celebration was organized by Islamic Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada in Toronto at Woodbine Banquet Hall, in conjunction with various Shia Muslim communities (including Canadian Shia Muslims Organizations) in Greater Toronto Area.
Along with people from various Shia Muslim communities, a number of representatives of Federal & Provincial governments also attended the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration and expressed their gratitude towards the Muslims of Canada.
The celebration was commenced with the recitation & translation of Holy Qur'an, which was followed by Canadian National Anthem. The celebration was also addressed by Hon. Michael Chan MPP (Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, Ontario). Awards from IABAC were presented to different personalities for their role and devotion for the betterment and service towards the Shia Muslims in Canada. At the end of the celebration, the participants were served with the dinner.
Following were the recipients of the awards for their services:
1. Hon Michael Chan, MPP (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration)
2. Barbara Hall ( Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission)
3. Armand LaBarge (Chief York Regional Police)
4. Heshmat Shirzad-Far (Community Leader)
5. Aunali Khalfan (Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Publisher)
Following were the recipients of Donor Awards:
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Shia Conference May 18, 2008
On May 18 , 2008, Islamic Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada (ABAC) and Islamic Shia Ithna-asheri Jamaat of Toronto and Nasimco hosted a conference that was held at the Jaffari Islamic Centre, Torono , Ontario.
The objective of the conference was to bring together the community leaders of Canada, to discuss and address common concerns in several key areas, namely: Youth, Tabligh, Matrimonial, Business and Education.
More than 200 persons of presidents and representatives of 57 Islamic
Shia centers participated in this conference.
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Hossein Day
On Saturday March 8, 2008 Imam Hussein Day was commemorated by The Muslim Unity and Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada, at Islamic Afghan Community of Canada, Toronto.
Following were the speakers of the event:
a) Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi ........Jafferi Islamic Centre, Toronto
b) Sr. Karin Brothers ...................United Church of Canada
c) Zafar Bangash ......................... Islamic Society of York Region
d) Nozer Kotwal.......................... Zoroastrian Temple
(His speech was delivered by Br. Siraj Ali)
The speakers highlighted the sacrifices of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions 1400 years ago in the desert of Karbala when they refused to surrender before the tyranny
and oppression of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah. They emphasized that had Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions surrendered before the tyrannical regime of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah on that day, today every tyrant and oppressors of the world would have been using the submission of Imam Hussein (AS) before Yazid, as an excuse and reason for the legitimacy of his own draconian establishment, since Imam Hussein (AS) was the symbol of nobleness and the representative of Islam and the prophet of Islam, Muhammad bin Abdullah (SAWW).
They stressed the need to understand the true message of Imam Hussein (AS) and to implement it in our era, rather than to just listen and weep on the miseries of Imam Hussein (AS).
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Eidul Adha Prayer
The Eid Al Adha prayer organized by the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada was held at the Constellation Hotel, 900 Dixon Road, Toronto on Friday January 21, 2005 at 9.00 am.
There were approximately 1,500 participants. John Tory, Leader of the Conservative Party of Ontario and Mark Persuad, Chair of the Multicularlism of the Federal Liberal Party were among the guest speakers.
EIDUL FITR SELEBRATION IN TORONTO
The Islamic Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada held its first ever Eid-ul-Fitr dinner on Sunday
November 21, 2004 at the Constellation Hotel. The event was a great success.
The number of participants, including 48 invited guests, was close to 600. The invited guests
included politicians from all the three level of governments, representatives from the Muslim
communities included members from the Sunni, Ismaili and Dawoodi Bohra communities.
The program was also attended by the representatives from the Christian, Hindu and
Sikh communities.
Regrets were received from the Buddhist, Jewish and Zoroastrian communities for reasons
of other commitments.
The Shi’a from the various centres in Greater Toronto participated in the dinner.
There were two short lectures on Islam and peace, one poem in each Urdu, Farsi and Arabic.
The highlights of the programs were speeches by Susan Kadis, MP for Thornhill who gave a certificate
wishing us all the very best.
This was followed by presentation of Certificate of appreciation by Yasmin Ratansi, MP for Don Valley East,
to Jamal Jamaal for his dedicated services to the community. Jamal Jamaal was also given an award by
Seyed Hosseini-Nassab on behalf of the Ahlul Bayt Assembly of Canada. We all wish Jamal speedy
recovery from his current illness.
Khalid Usman, Councillor for the Town of Markham wished everyone good Eid and prosperity.
Howard Hampton, MPP, leader of the Provincial NDP (party) also presented his greetings to the community.
The Chief of Police for York Region, Chief Armand La Barge also gave his greetings to the Muslims.
The final speaker was Jim Karygiannis, MP from Scarborough-Agincourt.
His message was not to be intimidated because we are immigrants. Once a Canadian, we have all the
rights that Canadian born Canadians have.
Also present were Lui Temelkoski, MP for Oak Ridges-Markham and Dr. Ruby Dhala for Bramton.
In the vote of thanks, Ahlul Bayt Assembly stated that the organization was there for all – Muslims and
non-Muslims alike.
Everyone was encouraged to be involved with the Assembly.
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