Support the first phase of the Project to hire a Project Manager by putting down $500 or more; in return

you will receive a Founders Plaque.

To contribute, please write and mail cheques to:

UofT Muslim Students’ Association21 Sussex Ave, Suite 505

Toronto, ON M5S 1J6Memo: Muslim Chaplaincy Project

To help out with project, find out more, and get in touch with us, please email: mcp@uoftmsa.co

Please visit us at: www.uoftmsa.com/mcp

Community building comes at a high price: but it an indis-pensible individual and communal responsibility.

Please donate generously!

Muslim Chaplaincy Elsewhere

Muslim Chaplaincy is a rapidly growing field. Over the span of the last 20 years, almost 31 Muslim Chaplaincy positions have been established in the United States. In fact, in 2010 alone, five positions were set up. Some of these have been alumni and community funded, a prominent example is Uni-versity of Michigan, in which the project was set up within six months.

A number of renowned public and private universities have established positions in the past including Harvard, Yale, New York University, Colombia, Princeton and others. Perhaps the most well known Chaplaincy Office exists at New York University under the leadership of Imam Khalid Latif who wears many hats: social activist, Imam, community organizer, educator, and more. His example speaks to the extraordinary potential and importance of Muslim Chaplaincy.

UofT, situated in the heart of one of the world’s most diverse and relevant cities, is ready to join the list and house Canada’s first, alumni and community funded Muslim Chaplaincy Office.

Help Establish Canada’s

First Muslim Chaplaincy Office

Supported by: the univerSity of toronto Multi-faith Centre &

the CaMpuS ChaplainS aSSoCiation

Become An Early Adopter muslimchaplaincyfoundationS for a Stronger future

theproject

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

The story of Islam on the Univer-sity of Toronto campus is the story of Islam in Toronto. Small groups of students constituted some of the earliest Muslims in Toronto and many of them found them-selves at UofT. In fact, perhaps

the earliest Jummah (Friday prayer) congregations were held at UofT: with a humble attendance of five to ten congregants. That was the early 1960s. In 1967, Canada’s first Muslim Students’ As-sociations was formed at UofT.

The UofT Muslim Students’ Association Today:

Since it’s formation, the MSA has bourgeoned into the largest student club on campus! The MSA stands as an exemplar of stu-dent activism with 16 Committees concentrating on social justice, political activism, religious education, academic guidance, journal-ism, and much else. In fact, MSA’s Orphan Sponsorship Program sponsors 130 orphans worldwide: every year!

The MSA also boasts some preeminent alumni including: Sk. Faraz Rabbani (Founder of Seekers Guidance); Imam Abdul Hai Patel (Commissioner of Ontario Human Rights Commission); Sk. Abdullah Quick (Teacher and Activist); Katherine Bullock (Profes-sor at UofT and Activist), and others.

The MSA is guided by three key virtues: Service. Fellowship. Excellence.

Background & History About The Project & The Need Who Is A Muslim ChaplainUndeniably, while only a select few walk through the doors of a mosque, many more find themselves on a campus. In response to this reality, a new vision has been conceived: to establish Canada’s first full-time Muslim chaplaincy position at UofT, St. George. This project lays the foundations for building a stronger generation of young Muslims by filling the vacuum of trained and culturally relevant mentorship and guidance on a campus setting.

The need is pressing:

• Several full-time chaplains exist for other faith communities on campus, however there is no full-time Muslim campus chaplain in all of Canada.

• Arguably, North American’s largest concentration of Muslim students exists at UofT: 3,500* and growing!

• Students require culturally appropriate religious mentor-ship and guidance.

• The campus setting needs an informed and balanced pre-sentation of Islam, for Muslims and Non-Muslims.

*Based on UofT MSA’s survey

A chaplain is an individual that holds some form of formal or informal religious designation, working within a secular institu-tion, such as a campus. As such, chaplaincy within the Muslim context is a budding and evolv-ing concept. A Muslim chaplain can be called on to play a num-ber of roles, including:

• Offering spiritual and pastoral care.

• Conducting religious activities on campus.

• Proving balanced and relevant Islamic education.

• Offering religiously-based care.

• Supporting student activism.

• Working with other religious communities on campus multi- faith initiatives.

• Being a formal representative of Islam on the campus setting. • Organizing pertinent events and programing.

• Being an advisor to the Muslim Students’ Association.

ISLAMIC EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MSA