Canadian Muslim Women Celebrate 30 Years of Equality and Empowerment

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Toronto on Sunday, October 14, 2012. The celebrations include CCMW's Women Who Inspire Awards presentation. This year is also the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

A panel of luminaries will address the confluence of CCMW and the Charter and how the two have changed our communities and Canada to be a model of human rights and equality for all. Michael Enright, host of CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition, will moderate the panel. The panellists are:

• Hon. Jean Augustine, P.C., C.M., Ontario's Fairness Commissioner, the first African Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons;
• Salima Ebrahim, Manager, Deloitte Canada, member of CCMW since birth;
• Alia Hogben, Executive Director of CCMW, social worker, columnist, and dedicated advocate and champion of women's equality; and
• El-Farouk Khaki, refugee and immigration lawyer, human rights activist; founder of Salaam: Queer Muslim Community, and co-founder of the Toronto Unity Mosque, a gender equal LGBTI inclusive mosque.

This year CCMW is pleased to present the Women Who Inspire Awards to the following outstanding Canadian Muslim women: 

• Sadia Zaman, award winning journalist and Director, Original Program Development, CBC News and Centres;
• Atiyya Bacchus, a 16-year old community worker and women's rights advocate from Pickering;
• Shano Bejkosalaj, the Co-founder of the Ottawa Muslim Women's Auxiliary and President of Ottawa Muslim Women's Organization;
• Roshan Jamal, a community activist and President of the Canadian Dawn Foundation;
• Samira Kanji, interfaith champion and President and CEO of Noor Cultural Centre; and
• Talat Muinuddin, a retired school teacher who has spent the better part of her life in the service of her community, founding member of CCMW and founder of the Rehma Foundation.

The program includes presentation of scholarships and a short creative presentation by youth involved in CCMW's Common Ground Project, a national interfaith initiative focused on civic engagement.

The event will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Novotel Hotel, 3 Park Home Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6L3

SOURCE: Canadian Council of Muslim Women

visit ccmw.com or contact: Eman Ahmed at 416-225-4322 or by email at [email protected]