A file photo of a mosque in Toronto

TORONTO, February 14, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Canadian Muslims lack ability to carry out outreach programs to disseminate a better understanding about Islam and Muslims in the country.

"Most Muslim institutions have no outreach or public relations budget or conduct any activity beyond the religious services - this is a serious problem. We cannot continue to live in isolation," Muneeb Nasir, President of the Olive Tree Foundation, told IslamOnline.net on Tuesday, February 14.

The foundation has founded an outreach-training program for Canadian Muslims in seven cities on how to implement community outreach activities.

Participants were trained on how to facilitate the dissemination of accurate information about Canadian Muslims.

They were also trained to use resources in various settings in government and non-government services, libraries, post-secondary institutions, prison chaplaincy services and in Muslim community open houses and information sessions.

But trainers found that the capacity of the Muslim communities to execute outreach programs was very limited.

"This shortcoming begins with the community's inability or lack of desire to accept and coordinate events which are outside the normal scope of their activities such as organizing prayers, facility building and maintenance, and community fundraising," said Michael Milo, a facilitator of the training workshops.

Established in March 2004, the Olive Tree Foundation is Canada's first Muslim granting agency and endowment foundation.

Better Understanding

The foundation has urged Islamic institutions in Canada to embark on an immediate effort to promote a better understanding of Islam.

"The understanding of Islam and perception of Muslims in the society needs to be changed and the only way this can be done is for Muslims to become engaged in outreach activities," Nasir said.

"Based on these findings we would strongly recommend that Islamic institutions and mosques develop outreach programs that cultivate an understanding of Islam and Canadian Muslims."

The foundation recommended that Muslim communities conduct civic education programs on current issues affecting the Muslim minority.

Such programs include Muslim political representation in Canada, media relations, networking and accessing and interfacing with local governmental and non-governmental agencies.

"It is very much a necessity to introduce these 'soft' issues into the slate of concerns of Muslim communities," said Milo.

"In general, during our presentations we felt that these were very new issues and that there is a general lack of comprehension as to their importance," he noted.

In 2005, the foundation funded several projects, including bursaries to students, tutoring for inner-city children, a youth drop-in center for young women, community outreach training of educators and support for newcomer parents to Canada.

The Canadian Association for Muslims with Disabilities (CAMD) was among charities to receive one of the many grants offered.

"We are extremely excited about the possibilities that OTF has opened up for us," said Rabia Khedr of the association.

"We have been planning for this work for years and now with this grant it is going to happen."

The foundation has offered a number of grants to Canadian institutions in 2006 to fund programs promoting education, youth empowerment accessibility for the disabled, and social welfare programs.

The number of Canadian Muslims has increased dramatically over the last decade, according to a national census.

Canadian Muslims make 1.9% of Canada's some 32.8 million people, according to the CIA Factbook.

Islam has become the number one non-Christian faith in Canada.