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We want to identify and collect data on the special need concerns, interests, talents, successes and frustrations of Canadian Muslim women; we intend to sensitize Canadian Muslim men and women, young and old, so that they may understand each other better and relate to one another more meaningfully and effectively. We want to inform and educate fellow Canadians about our Islamic heritage. We also plan to reach out to, and build coalitions with, other women's groups who share and respect our ideals and concerns. Beyond Canada, we shall join hands with sister organizations in promoting human dignity and world peace. In these endeavors, we seek your cooperation and support. The Canadian Muslim Woman is your voice. Help us make it a voice of reason and moderation.1
Thus were articulated the mandate and objectives of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), established in 1982 by Muslim women for Muslim women, in the inaugural issue of its journal entitled The Canadian Muslim Woman. The goals of the organization were to: (1)assist incoming immigrant women in bonding with the larger Muslim community in Canada; (2) help such women integrate into Canadian society; (3) sensitize the non-Muslim majority Canadians about Islam and Islamic culture; (4) build bridges between CCMW and other Canadian women's organizations; (5) develop connections with international women's organizations to promote peace and awareness of human rights; and (6) speak with the voice of reason and moderation.
The CCMW's statement of objectives shows that the Muslim community in general, and Muslim women in particular, have come a long way in integrating into the larger society since the first known Muslim family of European descent arrived in Canada before 1854, and the first Middle Eastern Muslim family in the Ottawa region arrived in 1903 from Kfarmishky, a village in Lebanon. Muslims living in Canada today represent the vibrant and rich cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity of countries from Morocco to the Bay of Bengal, from Algeria to the Archipelago of Indonesia, and from Mongolia to Somalia.
The Pioneer Muslim Settlers
The history of Muslim arrival in Canada begins in the middle of the 19`x' century with the immigration of a Scottish Muslim couple, James and Agnes Love, whose first child was born in Canada in 1854....