Manitoba Muslims: A History of Resiliance and Growth is both a look back at the history of Muslims in the province of Manitoba, and a look forward into the future. The Muslims of Manitoba have a presence that reaches back beyond a century. They are a fast-growing demographic and continue to make many positive contributions to their community and country. The history of Manitoba Muslims is an integral part of the history of Manitoba and Canada; with a better collective understanding of our history, all Canadians can work together to create a more respectful, tolerant, and welcoming nation. This book opens with a history of the community, beginning in 1900. The second section examines some of the issues and challenges facing the Islamic community in Manitoba. The author examines the challenges faced by specific segments of the community, such as women, youth, and converts. In addition, address affiliations, controversies, social issues, halal alternatives, integration, and Islamophobia. This book will appeal to members of the public interested in learning about Islam and the Muslim community in Manitoba. It will also serve as an informative resource for historians, faith groups, and governing bodies.

For 175 years, women religious have been at the forefront of education, healthcare, and charitable works in Manitoba. These intrepid pioneers determinedly left their homes to meet—and alleviate—the harsh conditions of the Canadian Prairies in order to better the lives of its people in the name of the Catholic faith. This book revisits the history and diversity of these many congregations, which selflessly ventured out west to pave the way for the generations to come.

Today, Muslims are the second largest religious group in much of Europe and North America. The essays in this collection look both at the impact of the growing Muslim population on Western societies, and how Muslims are adapting to life in the West. Part I looks at the Muslim diaspora in Europe, comprising essays on Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands. Part II turns to the Western Hemisphere and Muslims in the U.S. , Canada, and Mexico. Throughout, the authors contend with such questions as: Can Muslims retain their faith and identity and at the same time accept and function within the secular and pluralistic traditions of Europe and America? What are the limits of Western pluralism? Will Muslims come to be fully accepted as fellow citizens with equal rights? An excellent guide to the changing landscape of Islam, this volume is an indispensable introduction to the experiences of Muslims in the West, and the diverse responses of their adopted countries.

Canada’s first mosque, the Al Rashid mosque in Edmonton, was built in 1938. In the years since, as Canada’s Muslim population has grown, close to two hundred mosques, Islamic centres, prayer spaces, and jamatkhanas have been built across the country. Beyond the Divide explores the mosques of Canada in their diversity, beauty, practicality, and versatility. From east to west and to the north, Tammy Gaber visits ninety mosques in more than fifty cities, including Canada’s most northern places of worship in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. For nearly a century Muslims have made mosques in a variety of spaces, from converted shops and vacated churches to large, purpose-built complexes. Drawing on site photographs, architectural drawings, and interviews, Gaber explores the extraordinary diversity in how these spaces have been designed, built, and used – as places not only of worship, but of community gathering, education, charitable work, and civic engagement. Throughout, Beyond the Divide provides a groundbreaking analysis of gendered space in Canadian mosques, how these spaces are designed and reinforced, and how these divides shape community experience. The first comprehensive study of mosque history and architecture in Canada, Beyond the Divide reveals the mosque to be a dynamic building type that adapts to its context, from its climate and physical environment to the community it serves. Above all, mosque designs depend on the people who gather in them, and what those people strive for their mosques to be.

Canada is home to immigrants from many cultures. Unlike times past, when newcomers from a foreign country seemed to want to blend in with their new culture as soon as possible, more recent immigrants want to become a part of their new home but retain some of the elements of their native cultures. This is a task that is often easier to talk about than to accomplish. History of the Muslims of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Their Organizations: Islamic Association, CCMW and MPJ represents the struggle and success of authors and editors Naiyer Habib and Mahlaqa Naushaba Habib. When they immigrated to Canada in 1973, they wanted to preserve their culture and religion for themselves as well as for future Muslim generations. The Culture in their new home was much different than theirs. It was the time when literature on Islam or Islamic culture was hard to find in English, so it was difficult for their new neighbors to learn about them. Through Islamic organizations begun by the Habibs and others in the Muslim community, whose stories are shared in this book, they introduced Islam and Muslims to Regina, while still holding on to their culture, but integrating with society at large. History of the Muslims of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Their Organizations: Islamic Association, CCMW and MPJ demonstrate it is not always easy to incorporate a familiar culture in a new home. But with hard work and willingness of all cultures involved to learn from each other, it can be done successfully.

Milestones in the History of Islam in Eritrea is an attempt to explore the key markers of the Eritrean Islamic history. The book surveys the impacts of the early Muslim migrants, the rise of the Dahlak Sultanate, the aftereffects of the advances of Imam Ahmed Gragn, the Ottoman conquest, the emergence of the semi-autonomous Naib dynasty and the spread of Islam among the Beja tribes. The book also discusses the pivotal roles of the religious families and Sufi orders, the effects of King Yohannes IV forced conversion edict and the colonial occupation. It concludes with a discussion on the rise of Islamic institutions and the adverse impacts of the dissolution of the UN Federal Act.

Grassroots Approaches to Community-Based Peacebuilding Initiatives examines how change is affected in society by studying the experiences of community leaders involved in social activism in Winnipeg, Canada. Documenting the peace-building activities of a host of Community Based Organizations (CBOs), it explores how these activities are used strategically to impact conflict transformation related to issues such as racism, inequality, and extremism in local settings. Due to its combination of a theoretical foundation and first-hand accounts of actual peace-building projects, this book is a highly useful resource for understanding policy and praxis related to peace-building, and a significant contribution to the literature on peace and conflict studies and policy formation.