daud ismail - thebcmaibrahim (pbuh) and bring change in our lives and make a difference in the lives...

August 2016 The BC Muslim Association | Serving for 50 years |www.thebcma.com 1

Contents

Foreword ...................................... 1

Message from Hon Shirley Bond .. 2

Halal Certification......................... 3

BCMA FoodBank .......................... 4

Looking Back in History ................ 4

BCMA & Refugees Q & A .............. 4

Soccer Tournament ...................... 5

Muslim Baseball Tournament ...... 5

Community Appeal ...................... 6

Photo Gallery ............................... 6

Open House at Surrey Jamea

Masjid ........................................... 6

..................................................... 7

Kelowna Islamic center .............. 11

Foreword

The BC Muslim Association has

great pleasure in presenting its

newsletter, The BCMA Gazette to

keep its members properly

informed on current matters.

Please contact

[email protected]

if you have any BCMA news item

to share.

On behalf The BC Muslim Association, its officials, staff and members, it is my pleasure to extend a very warm and joyous Eid Mubarak to you and your loved ones. It’s again that time of the year when Muslims yearn to be in the best focal point on earth – Ka’bah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj or Pilgrimage. The word Hajj means to make a resolve to visit a holy place. Hajj draws a cross-section of Muslims from different parts of the world making it the largest Muslim gathering. It is here that they become closer to their Lord and apologize for their sins. This obligation is set upon every Muslim who is financially and physically capable. These days skyrocketing airfares, expensive hotels and other expenses deprive many ordinary Muslims from making this journey. Alhamdulillah, it’s pleasing that Allah swt made provision for the less fortunate to fulfill and attain the same reward thru other means. Eid al-Adha also called ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ is the second of the two Muslim festivals and considered holier of the two. It falls on the 10

th day of Dhul Hijjah

and the origin is rooted in Prophet Ibrahim’s (pbuh) life. The story is very educational and illuminating of the true meaning and significance of Hajj. One has to know the story to fully understand the benefits Hajj can bring to you. I encouraged everyone to know the story of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and his unwavering determination to please Allah swt. There is lesson for us all and let us implement it in our lives. The pilgrimage concludes by slaughtering an animal like sheep, goat, cow or camel in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s (pbuh) readiness to sacrifice his most precious son to show obedience to Allah swt. I know, locally members of the community do animal sacrifice (Qurbani) and share the meat with family, friends and the needy. I would like to remind that there are newcomers in our community from Syria and Iraq who need our help. Please invite them into your homes, share the meat and assist them in settling in new culture and environment. They have been through a lot and still facing challenges locally. Your act of kindness, generosity and sacrifice will go a long way in making a difference in their lives. I hope and pray that you and your families have a wonderful Eid. On this

auspicious occasion, let’s renew lessons learned from our beloved Prophet

Ibrahim (pbuh) and bring change in our lives and make a difference in the lives

of other people. May Allah swt bring us all closer to Islam and enable us to

fulfill our responsibilities and make us a better Muslim. May He bless and

reward all the volunteers and hardworking officials of BC Muslim Association

and their families for their dedication, loyalty and sacrifice….Ameen!

Again, Eid Mubarak to all !

Daud Ismail

President


Message from Hon

Shirley Bond

Since November 2015, British Columbia (BC) has welcomed over 2,300 refugees as part of the federal government’s historic achievement of resettling over 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada. As a province, we are immensely proud of the collective effort British Columbian organizations and individuals have made to support these newcomers.

When refugees are resettled to Canada, they arrive to BC as permanent residents, able to legally work and access a range of employment services in our province. They may have travelled with few belongings, but they bring important knowledge, skills, and experience to their new communities.

Recognizing that good jobs help create better futures for these

newcomers and their families, BC is promoting new and strengthened initiatives to connect employers with resettled refugees and to ensure that they receive the training and supports they need to successfully rebuild their lives. These initiatives are just a few of the widespread provincial resources designed to support employers in building more diverse and inclusive workplaces (visit the WorkBC website for more details at: www.workbc.ca/Employer-Resources/Your-Workforce/The-Diversity-Advantage.aspx).

Specific supports for employers looking to hire immigrants and refugees are outlined below.

1. The Canada-BC Job Grant (CJG)

- The CJG assists eligible employers to offset the cost of training current and future employees up to a maximum of $10,000 per employee per fiscal year. The employer contributes at least one-third to the cost of training. More details are available at: www.workbc.ca/canadajobgrant.

- Up to $1M in provincial funding has been made available through a Refugee Fund, designed to provide an opportunity for employers to meet their labour market needs while helping

refugees gain skills and employment in BC. The Refugee Fund supports two types of training: job readiness (including skill assessment, English language training, and workplace orientation) and job-specific skills training.

- Additional funding is available for employers delivering skills training to new Canadians who have arrived within the past five years, including refugees landed in Canada.

- The new Unemployed Stream provides up to $2M in additional support for employers who wish to hire currently unemployed individuals, including refugees, by providing up to 100 percent of the cost of training to a maximum of $15,000 per person per fiscal year for skills training.

- Up to $5M is also available for job training within the following priority sectors: Agrifoods, construction, forestry, manufacturing, mining and energy, natural gas, small business, technology and green economy, tourism, transportation.

2. The Refugee Readiness Hub

- A new resources page for BC’s Refugee Readiness Hub is now available online, and is continually updated with

https://www.workbc.ca/Employer-Resources/Your-Workforce/The-Diversity-Advantage.aspx



http://www.workbc.ca/canadajobgrant

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&source=imgres&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiw8YvLj8nOAhVCPCYKHRn_CBYQjRwIBw&url=http://shirleybondmla.bc.ca/&psig=AFQjCNGufv-MykW6PDFW-gzqbZ0fes9j2g&ust=1471546376723960


employment-related materials: refugeehub.issbc.org/resource-centre/.

- The page includes materials such as WorkSafeBC information in both Arabic and English that can easily be printed and shared with employees.

- We strongly encourage you to share any of your resources and/or employment success stories with the Hub at: [email protected].

3. WorkBC Employment Services Centres

- There are 84 WorkBC Employment Services Centres across BC that provides a range of services. The centres are positioned to help employers with their recruiting needs and to help resettled refugees make connections with employers and find jobs. Many of these centres also have Arabic-speaking capacity and can better serve clients with lower English language levels.

- We encourage you to connect with your local centre to find out how they can customize their services to align with your business. Contact Information for your local Centre is available at: www.workbc.ca/WorkBCCentres.

4. WelcomeBC.ca

- The WelcomeBC website provides employers with beneficial resources to share with employees who are new to BC. This information includes resources for daily living, newcomers’ guides, training and more. Through these supports, employers can help retain and develop talent. Please find further information at: www.WelcomeBC.ca/employers.

BC recognizes that we all have a role to play in assisting newcomers to access appropriate training and employment. We would like to thank you in advance for helping us disseminate this letter to employers and partners in your communities.

Sincerely,

Shirley Bond

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour

Halal Certification Notice to all purveyors: Please be advised that effectively April 4, 2016, it is a requirement by the Government of Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency that all Halal Food must be approved by a certified body to label and sell the products as Halal. The Halal Inspection Certification Committee of the BC Muslim Association (HICC) comprises of representatives from some major Islamic organizations of British Columbia. The committee obtains its guidance from the Board of Religious Services. HICC is also affiliated with Halal Monitoring Authority of Ontario In order to help you carry on the Halal business, please call us and we will guide and assist you to follow the criteria set by HICC, actions required by the vendors and how to obtain approval to use Halal sign on your product. For a nominal fee, you will be allowed to display HICC logo to identify your Halal product. Since we have a limited staff to visit Halal establishment on short notices, please call and book for

http://refugeehub.issbc.org/resource-centre/

http://refugeehub.issbc.org/resource-centre/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.workbc.ca/WorkBCCentres

http://www.workbc.ca/WorkBCCentres

http://www.welcomebc.ca/employers

http://www.welcomebc.ca/employers


an inspection time. We will try our best to help you out. We are hoping to be of service to

your establishment.

BCMA FoodBank

Please deliver non-perishable food

items into the bins provided at

various BCMA centers. Cash

donations are also accepted on

site or through PayPal on our

website.

Looking Back in History

1988- Established first Islamic

school in Western Canada.

BCMA & Refugees Q & A

Q – Since the fund raising

event for the Syrian refugees

last December, almost six

months ago, the community

is wondering why no single

refugee family has been

sponsored by BCMA?

A – This is true and our

people have the right to

know what BCMA has done

with the donation money for

the sponsorship program.

They have learned that some

church groups have already

sponsored Syrian families but

not BCMA. The reason

behind this delay is due to

BCMA being the newest

Settlement Agreement

Holder (SAH) member in the

province. We were told that

as a new member we can

sponsor only six people to

start with. We challenged

this decision and were

invited to attend all SAH

members in Canada to a

conference in Saskatoon

from May 30 –June 1, 2016 in

order to learn about the

sponsorship process. We

learned about the new

government instructions on

private sponsorship. Being

well informed of our duties

and obligations, BCMA is

working closely with MOSAIC

to sponsor the first Syrian

family who fall in the

humanitarian category. The

process is that once we

submit our sponsorship

application and obtain the

visa approval of the our first

family, we can then apply for

another 10 people once

every 21 days (three weeks)

whenever the previous

application is successful.

Q – What happened to the

money donated for the

refugee sponsorship

programme?

A – All the money donated

for the sponsorship program

for the new families is in a

special BCMA restricted

account and cannot be used

for any other purpose. We

will only use this money for

the purpose it was collected.

Q – Would BCMA sponsor

refugees other than the

Syrians?

A - According to the SAH

agreement with the

government BCMA is open to

sponsor refugees from

anywhere but for now all the

attention is focused on Syrian


refugees and that is our

focus.

Q - What other services does

BCMA provide to the

refugees?

A – Since the government

announced the intention to

help with the Syrian refugees

crises, BCMA took the

initiative and applied to

become a Settlement

Agreement Holder (SAH) to

sponsor as many Syrian

families as possible and bring

them over to Canada. While

we were waiting for the

approval of our application

from IRCC Ministry, BCMA

took the initiative and

became one of the main

Organizations in the Lower

Mainland to offer welcome

help and assist ISS with the

settlement of many families.

BCMA has been providing

social services in the form of

Zakat and Sadaqa

distribution as well as

counselling for many years

and shall continue in the

future. BCMA has branches

in all major cities across the

Province and are therefore

able to help the refugees

everywhere they have

chosen to settle. This is in

addition to our newly

established donation

distribution centre in

Richmond where Syrian

families find whatever they

need with full delivery and

transportation services.

Q - From which account will

BCMA use to serve the

refugees for settlement?

A - All the expenses will come

from the Zakat account.

Q - How long does it takes

before a BCMA sponsored

family arrives in Vancouver?

A – We have no control on

this but to wait for the

Canadian authority to

process the application. We

have learned from those

other SAH that the process

now is a little slow due to the

government working on the

new 10,000 Syrian refugees

and that the government

brought back many

temporary short contract visa

officers from the Middle East

area.

On behalf of the Project

team, I am requesting

everyone to be patient while

we work through all the

government regulations and

maintain our ability to

sponsor by being a

Settlement Agreement

Holder. We plan to call a

meeting of the project team

soon after Ramadan to

formulate a long term plan

which we hope to publish

through our local

newspapers and our

Website.

Please help us welcome all

the new Syrian and other

immigrant brothers and

sisters along with their

families to our local

communities.

These questions answered by

BCMA VP Social Services Br.

Shawkat Hasan. He can be

reached at

[email protected]

Soccer Tournament Aug 20 & 21, 2016 - Soccer Tournament: Youth Nations Cup at the Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, BC.

Muslim Baseball

Tournament To be scheduled in Mid-

September: Venue: Whaley

Athletic Park in Surrey, BC


For more info: Please contact Br.

Irshad Siddeeq at 604 505-7179

Community Appeal The BCMA management is making

an urgent appeal to the

community to help alleviate the

$3.7 million consolidated debt

against the Surrey Muslim School.

Out of this $1.95 million is owed

to Royal Bank of Canada that is

coming up for renewal next

month. We are hopeful that with

large generous donations we will

be able to reduce the principal at

the time of renewal thus saving

the Association loan costs.

The SMS was purchased a few

years ago to serve the ever-

growing population in Surrey.

Today there are 250 boys and girls

who obtain Islamic and secular

education at this institution. There

is also a large number on wait list.

For several decades we have been

successfully building Islamic

centers and Masajid in BC to serve

the community irrespective of

location. Our brothers and sisters

were in the forefront whether we

needed a center in Prince George,

Victoria or Burnaby. We hope the

same fervor and attention is paid

towards our schools too as these

institutions will help mold our

future leaders and generations.

Please visit our website for details.

Photo Gallery

Winners at Soccer Tournament

Ball hockey tournament

Topgun2016 winners

More hardware

Open House at Surrey

Jamea Masjid Surrey Jamea Masjid opened its door to the community on Aug 28, 2016, to show the fellow citizens that a Masjid is the House of God and Muslims come here five times a day to pray to Him. It was a great opportunity for building bridges of peace and harmony among the people of all faiths and religions living in cohesive multicultural Canadian Society. What is better than inviting

tel:604%20505-7179


your neighbors, giving them a warm welcome, and clearing any misconceptions?

Qari Abdul Wahab and Sheikh Abu Abdis-Salaam were present to answer any questions. Many intriguing posters based on Quran and Hadith were on display for the curious minds. Separate arrangements for women were made. Delectable and dainty cultural and traditional snacks were served to the guests. Various pamphlets, booklets, and copies of Quran were, on display, and offered to the visitors. Surrey Jamea Masjid is located on 72 Ave and 124 St. in Surrey. It is one of the biggest Masajid in North America based on regular attendance. Special thanks to Honorable MLAs, Mr. Harry Bains and Mr. Bruce Ralston, & Honorable MP Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal for their participation and patronage.


Kelowna Islamic center

Kelowna Islamic Center


Contact:

[email protected]


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daud ismail - thebcmaibrahim (pbuh) and bring change in our lives and make a difference in the lives...

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