From the Archives: Muslims in Mutual Aid

Family portraits, passports, letters, event programs, menus, colouring book pages, newspaper clippings, and much more. At first glance, many of the items donated to the Muslims in Canada Archives may appear to be disparate and disconnected. Through the lens of community care, these records point to the importance of mutual aid in everyday Muslim life.

Embedded as a pillar of the faith, zakaāt has long fueled a culture of mutual aid among Muslim communities. Looking to the past, present, and future of everyday Muslim life, we invite you to consider the archive as a depository of strategies to better care for one another.The Message (Canada), September 1997, courtesy of Naseer (Irfan) Syed fonds.

Muslims in Prison Project
In 1964, Thomas Cooper, a Muslim prisoner in Illinois advocated for his right to access the Quran in prison - a right to religious freedom he had previously been denied by prison officials. This advocacy led to “Cooper v Pate”, a monumental Supreme Court case that finally determined the Bill of Rights also applied to people in prisons.

In Canada, the Muslims in Prison Project report is a window into local prisoner justice organizing efforts of the 1980s. Funded by the Council of Muslim Communities of Canada (CMCC), the Muslims in Prison Project Muslim was a nationwide network that worked to arrange iftaār meals and request that halal dietary restrictions and prayer observances be included in prison guidelines. As incarcerated Muslims continue to fight for their rights inside the prison, the Muslims in Prison Project report suggests Muslims outside have long been joining in their struggle and amplifying the demands for justice.The Message (Canada), September 1997, courtesy of Naseer (Irfan) Syed fonds.

Towards Disability Justice
Based in Ottawa, the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities works to ensure people with disabilities have access to spiritual and social activities, events and programs in their places of worship. The Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities documents highlight the importance of cultural sensitivity within disability justice work. Guided by the belief that all human beings are created perfect by Allah, the organization considers our abilities and disabilities as a natural part of life. Led for and by Muslims, the archival documents trace the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities work to expand the right for disabled people to be valued, respected and included both in society and within the Muslim community.

From public health to women's inclusion to senior’s support, the Muslims in Canada Archives excerpts and pamphlets highlight some of the many ways Muslim people have built social safety nets, especially in the face of structural exclusions faced by marginalized Muslims.Images courtesy of Katherine Bullock fonds.