As MuslimFest, Canada’s largest Muslim summer festival, gets ready to kick off on July 31st at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, the Muslim Link sat down with Taha Ghayyur, one of the founders and organizers of the two-day art and cultural festival, to get his thoughts on the need for such event and his hopes for the future of Muslim artistes in North America.
What prompted the creation of MuslimFest?
It was in the summer of 2003 that a group of concerned people, including Muslim artists like Dawud Wharnsby Ali, community leaders like Abdul Malik Mujahid the President of Sound Vision, teachers, and other creative individuals from DawaNet gathered to discuss the most effective ways of connecting with our neighbours, communicating the message of Islam in creative fashion, and engaging Muslim youth.
Moreover, a strong need was felt to offer an alternative to the mainstream entertainment industry so Muslim youth and families could enjoy artistic performances and shows that are safe and grounded in Islamic ethics. Continue reading
High-speed communication, personal security, accessibility, and information management are the main reasons users cite for owning cell phones, PDAs, and wireless Internet. We experience our share of the “wireless situation” on a daily basis. These wireless waves have engulfed our social landscape by a storm, revolutionizing our communication in the past decade in ways that baffle a social scientist’s imagination.iPhones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) such as Blackberry and HTC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi hotspots are some of the latest wireless technologies that have gripped the young and old by the throat in the developed and developing countries alike.