AMIR SYAFIQ BIN NORRDIN

TEAM LEADER’S INTRODUCTION

Ever since I started traveling I promised myself to write a diary and put all my impressions on paper to read about them in years to come, but I have never done that. I have always regretted not keeping my promise. The thought that my pages might be interesting to other people convinced me to start building them. This one, it took some time for my friends and I to finish them. We do hope you will enjoy them as much as my friends and I enjoyed travelling. By way of an introduction, I am Amir Syafiq bin Noordin, a student in Kuliyyah of Economics and person in charge for the IIUM students throughout our stay there.

Anyway, I would like to congratulate the Islamic Institute of Toronto for their effort in organising the Student Exchange Programme between Islamic Institute of Toronto (IIT) and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM. It commenced on Thursday, October 18 when 9 students studying at various kulliyyah (faculties) at IIUM arrived at IIT. The Annual Student Exchange Programme seeks to broaden the experiences of students by allowing them to explore how Muslims live, learn and interact with others in various cultures.

An exchange, as the word suggests is a matter of give and take. It would only be successful if the exchange is mutual and we all work together. The first step already took place in this direction by pairing us up with foster parents. They have volunteered their time to help us out. All the great civilisations of the past have been built and thrived on the basis of exchanges – exchanges of art, of information, of culture, of cuisines and goods. I’m not saying we need to build a new civilisation here, but just to use this opportunity to its fullest to ensure that both side get the most out of it.

In Canada, we did engage in a series of intensive sessions and activities aimed at providing us with an understanding of the Muslim presence within the wider Canadian Community. There are also some places that really inspired us in a way. Please go through our pages and find out why.

WEDNESDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2012

- Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

We departed from IIUM to the airport in the evening. It was the first time we travelled to North America. It was the first time travelling where the total flight to the end destination took one full day. There was an air of excited anticipation in the air so tangible you can feel it creeping along your skin. We prayed to the Almighty God to bless our journey. We want to gain as much, learn as much, see the world and have fun.

We were here to learn.We were here to be amazed.We were here to experience.

THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2012

- Abu Dhabi International Aiport

- Centro Yas Island- Arrived Toronto- Dinner at IIT- Transport to Host Families

The plane touched down the Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminal 3 at 11.30 pm. The airport is the gateway to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven Emirates that make up the UAE. The heart of this vibrant city lies just 32km east of Abu Dhabi

International Airport on an island that sticks out into the bath-warm waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Our flight to Toronto will be departed tomorrow morning. So, we took taxis and stayed at Centro Yas Island for one night. It took roughly 15 minutes. The check-in was a bit slow but we guessed that was to be expected since the hotel was so busy. The staffs were very friendly, and asked how our flight was. Once checked in, we made our way to our room and found that it was a decent sized room, very clean and with a nice, comfy bed. The hotel is in a cluster of about 5 other hotels and this allows many choices for dining in the area which is a nice thing if you don't want to just eat at the hotel's restaurants. We ended up having late supper at the hotel’s lobby café itself! The hotel is in walking distance to Abu Dhabi Formula 1. The breakfast buffet the following morning was enjoyable. After breakfast we packed our things and went to check out.

On flights to Toronto from Abu Dhabi, we arrived in the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. The airport ie Toronto Pearson International Airport, also known as Lester B. Pearson International Airport, or simply Toronto Pearson. Toronto Airport is 22.5km northwest of Downtown Toronto in Mississauga. The airport is named in honour of the late Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lester Bowles Pearson.

Upon arriving at IIT, we were introduced to Mr Farhad Khadim, the President and Director of IIT. He introduced to us his brother in law, Mr Fareed Amin (the former

President of IIT), his sister, and Mr Asyraf Khan. The Islamic Institute of Toronto takes up 8 acres at 1630 Neilson Road, north of Finch Avenue East, making this the city’s most north-eastern located Masjid.

We had our dinner at IIT before we went to our host families’ homes.

FRIDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2012

-Pick up from Host Families-Solat Jumaat at IIT – Khateeb Sh. Abdullah Hakim-Quick -Visit and Meeting with MSA-UTSC-(coincide with Friday Night Family Programme) – Shaikh Ahmad Kutty, Presentation, dinner

On Friday, we performed solat Jumaat at the IIT and listened to Shaikh Abdullah Hakim Quick's khutbah on the celebration of festivals and events that are not rooted in Islamic tradition.

Lunch with Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick after performing solat Jumaat

We later visited the University of Toronto at Scarborough and had a discussion session with a group of students from the Muslim Students Association (MSA). Our meeting was chaired by Sr Manaal Hussain who is doing double major in Mathematics and Physical Sciences. She is serving as the Academic Advisor as well as writing for ‘The Message’: MSA’s official magazine. We were also joined by the other Main Boards of the Association. In breaking the ice, we played ‘Know your Name’ in which we need to mention the meaning our each of our names and how our parents named us after the meaning. The President, Br name is Azzam Abu Rayash was doing his Hajj. May Allah bless him for undertaking this important pilgrimage and also give all of us the ability to do the same insyaAllah. Ameen.

We were briefed about Islam Awareness Week (IAW), an annual event held by them. It is organised by the dedicated UTSC student volunteers to plan week-long events for students from University and local high schools, scholars, artists and people from all walks of life to be a united community learning about the Islamic faith. We came out of this discussion with an appreciation of the university environment in Canada.

On Friday evening, over 100 people from the IIT's Friday night class as well as public enjoyed the opening session. We had the pleasure to meet one of the listed persons of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World which is Syakh Ahmad Kutty. He was educated in the traditional Islamic Sciences at Islamiyya College, Kerala, and at the Islamic University of Madina Munawwarah. He received his ijazahs (licences/designations) as an ‘a’lim and faqih from both India and Saudi Arabia. He earned his M.A from the University of Toronto and pursued doctoral studies at McGill University, Montreal.

Over the past 30 years, he has been Director of the Islamic Center of Toronto, Director of the Islamic Foundation, Toronto, Canada, and has served on the Fiqh Council of North America. Currently, Syakh Ahmad Kutty is resident scholar and senior lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto. His courses include Quran & Hadith Sciences, Islamic Theology & Jurisprudence and Islamic Ethics & Spirituality among others. His fatwas (Islamic rulings) have been translated into several languages and appear on various international sites including www.onislam.net, islamicity.com, islamophile.org, infad.usim.edu.my, and islam.ca. He actively participates in interfaith seminars, symposia and serves as an expert/resource in cases involving Islamic Law and Theology.

Afterwards, we made some presentations on IIUM's mission and vision, as well as some of the challenges and controversies IIUM has to deal with. We also briefed the community on

Malaysian Culture and modelled the Malaysian traditional clothes; baju kurung and baju Melayu.

SATURDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2012

-Trip to Ottawa – visit Parliament Buildings; visit Museums and other attractions-Visit South Nepean Muslim Community, Session with Imam Zijad Delic

It was a wonderful night. Went to bed from 12 till 5.00 am in the morning. It was the coldest morning ever. Around 8.00am Mr Farhad with his colleagues, Mr Omar and Mr Asyraf arrived at the station. Sisters group were with Mr Asyraf while we were with Mr Omar and Mr Farhad. We started our journey to Ottawa at 8.10 am. We were going to take advantage of being on the road during fall foliage season to try to see some lovely sights.

After a long trip of around 5 hour’s journey, we arrived in Ottawa city around 1.30pm. In 1857, Queen Victoria named Ottawa the capital of Canada. Naturally, the Canadian Parliament Buildings are one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Canada’s parliamentary system is referred to as a ‘Westminster Model’. This model was first developed by the British and is named after the Palace of Westminster, which houses the British Parliament. Many former colonies of Great Britain, such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, adopted this British parliamentary model once they became independent nations. In Canada’s Parliament, the national sovereign is the Canadian Monarch, which the country shares with the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations. Most of the monarch’s day-to-day parliamentary responsibilities, however, are performed by the Governor General, the Monarch’s representative in Canada. The Parliament of Canada is composed of 3 parts: the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons.

A collection of Canada’s federal administrative buildings, the Parliament Hill consists of three edifices arranged around three sides of the Hill’s central lawn. The Centre Block contains the Senate and House of Commons, and is fronted by the Peace Tower on the south facade, with the Library of Parliament at the building’s rear. The East and West Blocks each contain ministers’ and senators’ offices, as well as meeting rooms and other administrative spaces.

Our tour began in the Visitor Welcome Centre (VWC), located on the ground floor under the Peace Tower. The VWC offers a small exhibit describing the history, roles and functions of Canada’s parliamentarians. Visiting the Peace Tower and Memorial Chamber were self-guided. But – as we’ve seen throughout man’s history – great struggles often lead to great architecture, and Ottawa’s Parliament Buildings are no exception. We strongly recommend taking an elevator up the Peace Tower for gorgeous views of Ottawa and Gatineau. Overlooking the Ottawa River from the limestone Parliament Hill, Ottawa’s 18th century Gothic style architecture Parliament Buildings feature some of Canada’s finest architecture.

the Sisters at the Peace Tower

The Peace Tower rises from the center of the building, and honours Canadians who fought in World War I. Then, we went to the Memorial chamber, where all Canadian warrior who died in the past war. More than 66000 thousands name listed for Canadian warriors who died in the past First World War in 1914-1918. The chamber has several books listing every Canadian soldier, navy personnel, merchant seaman, etc lost in battle starting with the First world war. The pages of the books are turned each day to display another set of names. A very touching and solemn dispaly worth seeing. A boutique located downstairs is a popular stop for tourists and parliamentarians alike. It offers a selection of mementoes and informative products unique to Parliament and of high quality, value and function while providing a source of revenue.

Us in front of the Parliament House of Canada

Parliament Hill is the perfect place for this exuberant display of patriotism, for it is far more than just a hill and three large sandstone buildings. This spot is where the Canadians’ history has been written. ‘The Hill’ is indeed the heart and soul of Canada. The resplendent Gothic architecture is almost overwhelming — these buildings have been described as the ‘finest pile of stones in Canada.”

The Hill is also a fascinating venue for art. There are hundreds of stone carvings in the form of gargoyles, animals, grimacing grotesques; and the sculpted likenesses of well-known Canadian politicians. It is an impressive building that every tourists should visit when they happen to be in Ottawa. The guide was enthusiastic and informative. Peace tower, chambers and library are the core of the visit, the view of Ottawa and Gatineau from top of peace tower is so nice. Ottawa is a very walkable city so often the simplest way to get to major tourist attractions like the National Art Gallery or Parliament Buildings is on foot. Our next stop, located on the shores of the Ottawa River directly across from Parliament Hill, it is the Canadian Museum of Civilization-a stunning landmark building that celebrates the achievements and histories of Canadian and world cultures. It includes an IMAX® theatre, Canadian Children's Museum, and Canadian Postal Museum.

Because of limitation of time, we decided to visit the Museum Gallery tomorrow. For today, we just went for the IMAX 3D theatre for one hour session. The ‘Flight of the Butterflies’ short movie features not at the entire rainbow of butterfly varieties but at a single species, the Monarch. The film immersed us in the astounding migration experience as two generations of the butterflies migrate north and then a Super Generation finds its way from Canada to a few isolated mountaintops in Mexico. It tells the story of Toronto scientist Fred Urquhart. Fascinated with the winged beauties since his youth, Urquhart spent years working on ways to tag them, then spent decades developing a team of ‘citizen scientists; across North America, all in hopes of tracking where, exactly, hundreds of millions of them were going every year.

It was nearly 4.30pm when we finished it and we need to pray, but there was certainly no musolla at the museum. Something that was very unexpected and interesting had happened to us. We wanted to find a place to pray. We asked the counter staff for permission to pray around the museum and was given. We were searching for an appropriate place to find to pray, one of the staff came and said “we had opened a conference room for you to be used for your prayers”. We were really SHOCKED. We could not believe that such thing can happen in Canada. How Muslims and non-Muslims respect each other very much and the unity and respect among them is fantastic. Thank You Canada for your generous hospitality. Thank You So Much! Subhanallah, they really respect us as Muslims.

At night, we had the pleasure of meeting Imam Dr Zijad Delic from the South Nepean Muslim community.

It may look like an old schoolhouse from the outside, but for the past five years or so, the South Nepean Muslim Community has called the Jockvale Heritage Building at 3131 Jockvale Road its home. It's a temporary home while the SNMC builds its brand new mosque and community centre on Woodroffe Avenue.

As a scholar, Imam Dr Zijad Delic shared many aspects of his belief system and it is an honour to meet him. He was born in Bosnia. He is a formally trained Imam and holds a Doctorate from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His Doctoral thesis focused on tasks and activities relevant to building bridges between the Canadian Muslim community and mainstream Canadian society, in hopes creating more cohesive cooperation among all Canadians. Imam Delic has much of his career energy in researching how Muslims can integrate more successfully into the Canadian context. His energy and versatility on behalf of Canada’s Muslims has earned Imam Delic the compliment of being called “The People’s Imam” - a compliment well-earned through his

passionate energy as a motivational speaker and fund-raiser who has been known to spontaneously break into song to raise people’s spirits. He envisions building a new Canadian Muslim identity – one that truly reflects both the formative principles of Islam and the richness of our multicultural society. He believes that Canadian Muslims and their fellow citizens possess the collective spirit and potential to make enduring positive social, cultural and professional contributions to Canada’s national fabric. In 2008, Imam Delic was honored for a decade of continuous volunteer service by the Province of Ontario and in both 2009 and 2010 he was included in the prestigious publication, ‘The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World,’ edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, Islamic Studies scholars at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He currently works with South Nepean Muslim Community and serves as their resident Imam. He resides in Ottawa ON with beloved wife Senada and daughters Lejla and Emina.

After the discussion with Imam Delic, we were served with delicious pizza made by Muslim restaurant in Canada. After that, we went to Southway Inn for a rest.

Sharing moment with Imam Dr Zijad Delic

SUNDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2012

-Visit to Malaysian High Commission-Canadian Museum of Civilisation-Return to Toronto – dinner with host families

It’s a second day of the trip in Ottawa. We checked out from our hotel at 8.30 in the morning. The gentlemen team were with brother Omar and brother Farhad and ladies team were with Asyraf. Our first destination was to Malaysian High Commission in Ottawa. We need to be there at 10am. Alhamdulillah we made it and safely arrive at Malaysian High Commission.

In front of Malaysian High Commission, Canada

The High Commission of Malaysia in Ottawa is Malaysia's primary diplomatic mission in Canada. It is located at 60 Boteler Street in Ottawa We were warmly welcomed by the staff there and the high commissioner, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Canada is Her Excellency Dato’ Hayati Ismai and Deputy High Commissioner Mr. Umardin Mutalib. At last, we were served with Malaysian food, nasi lemak, teh tarik and kuih-muih. We were craving the night before for a plate of nasi lemak.

Malaysian dishes for breakfast

While having our breakfast, we manage to discuss some topic with the Commissioner. She told us about Canada, where Canada is an immigrant country. A lot of people from all part of the world come here and be Canadian. Canada is an open country where it accepts all religion and allows them to practice it there. Muslims, therefore, do not have problem if they want to practice Islam in Canada. Dato’ also shared her story and background on how she can be a high commissioner. She manages to be a high commissioner even though she was a bachelor student of agriculture. It was a really wonderful story of her.

Apart from that, we also had the opportunity to meet brother Irwan, a Ph.D student in Carleton University, Ottawa. The best part is that he was sent by International Islamic University of Malaysia to Carleton University because of his excellence academic performance during his study in IIUM. He shared with us about the challenges that he faced during his study in Ottawa. When he first time came to Carlton University, there were not many Malaysian students. The worst part was when he wanted to find Halal foods. The toughest part is when he needs to score for his study and in the meantime he needs to take care of his wife and his children. It was a very motivational story of him. After a long sharing moment we asked to excuse ourselves and went to Rideau hall.

As a member of the Commonwealth and a subject territory of the British Monarchy, Canada's Head of State is still the reigning monarch of Great Britain. Given that the Queen cannot spend all of her time in Canada is represented by the Governor-General. The GG, as commonly known in Ottawa, is largely a figurehead, although he or she does have the power to prerogate Parliament on the PM's request and can refuse to grant Royal Assent to Bills. The GG's spectacular residence, known as Rideau Hall, is located not far from the Prime Minister's House and the British and French Embassies on Sussex Drive.

This heritage site is a national gathering place, where the governor general lives, honours Canadians for their excellence, hosts foreign dignitaries and performs the functions of Canada’s Head of State, as the representative of the Crown in Canada. Rideau Hall is the largest official residence in Canada’s Capital Region and the only one open to the public. Heads of State and royalty stay at Rideau Hall during visits to Ottawa. As a working residence, Rideau Hall serves many official functions. Canadians from across the country are honoured with various awards celebrating excellence and achievement.

Rideau Hall is open year-round for tours of the residence, and the art collection.

Rideau Hall is also National Historic Site of Canada. The grounds cover more than 32 hectares (79 acres) and feature a magnificent greenhouse and ornamental gardens. The trees in Rideau Hall´s gardens are planted by head of states and well known leaders. Some of them were planted by the Her Majesty Queen.

Next, we dropped by the Rideau Centre, Ottawa's largest and most popular shopping mall. It's right in the heart of downtown, in between the University of Ottawa, government buildings, and ByWard Market. There is a wide variety of stores at this mall with the anchor store being Sears.

Then, we visited the Canadian Museum of Civilisation is located in Quebec City - Canada’s oldest city and exhibits a strong French heritage. The Canada Hall tells us 1000 years of Canadian history, including townscapes and environments from across the country, from pre-European settlement to the present day. Canadian Personalities Hall brings us face-to-face with fascinating people whose decisions, actions and accomplishments have shaped Canada.

The Magnificent Totem Poles in Grand Hall, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

The highlight was the 3rd floor walking thru several hundred years of Canada history from early native times to more recent. There are also very interesting sections where you feel like you're walking thru an early village with the ‘sky’ceiling.

Finally, after 2 days spent in Ottawa, we headed back to Toronto, to our respective family’s house.

MONDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2012

-Morning class with Shaikh Ahmad Kutty -Trip to the Toronto City

Our first class session with Shaikh Ahmad Kutty started at 10 am. The class was conducted in one of the classrooms at the Islamic Institute of Toronto. The topic was on Understanding the Islamic Worldview: Myths and Realities. The main content was almost the same as what we learnt in UNGS 2030 back then in IIUM but with more explanation and wider view. The session went on for about one hour and thirty minutes.

Next, we went to CN Tower and Yonge Street. Yonge Street is famously known for being the longest street in the world. Our train journey: Scarborough Central-Kennedy-Yonge Station-Union Station Rail .

At the CN Tower they have this Glass Floor where we can stand on the glass and be able to see things under us. They weather was also nice; neither too cold nor too hot.

Next we went to

Brookfield Plaza and get to do some shopping at Spirit of Hockey. Spirit of Hockey is the perfect shop to go for the hockey fans who want to shop for hockey stuff as there are many things related to hockey such as the jersey, keychain and many more. In Canada, the hockey sport is quite famous.

Later we perform prayer at the downtown mosque, Masjid Toronto.

We really had a great time at Yonge Street. It was awesome and crowded with people. There were several street performances and some of us did join the dancing crew. We also did some shopping at the nearby We the Hard Rock Café and Eaton Centre. We left Yonge Street about 8.00p.m.

CELEBRATING EIDUL ADHA

It has never crossed our minds before that we will experienced our Eidul Adha not only far from our families, but also being far from this beloved country, Malaysia. Celebrating Eidul Adha here is one of the miracles.

Upon arriving at the IIT at about 8.30 in the morning, we gathered inside the centre to prepare ourselves before performing Eid prayer. We had been informed earlier that usually the place will be flooded with Muslims all around Canada because of the fact that Toronto is a place where majority of Canadian Muslims live. They also informed us that there were some instances that we will have the possibility of performing prayers on the field due to the large number of Muslims coming.

Mr Ferhad led the Takbir recitation

Celebrating aid in Toronto

The food that were being served to us were shockingly almost the same as what we have in Malaysia! The Ketchup beef, Briyani and lots of other familiar dishes have been served to us, which made us miss Malaysia more at that time.

Scrumptious food!

While we are having our meals, one of us sang a wedding song which ‘unfortunately’ being heard by them. As consequence of that, we are somehow forced by them to sing it again because they were really in love with the song. It was a great feeling to get them to listen to Malay songs. The sense of patriotism and proudness surrounded us at that time.

We were then invited to play “castle” by the kids. It was a kind of balloon castle which we can play inside. For once we felt like

children again!

Katrina and Nusaibah made the effort to cook and serve our foster families with Malaysian dishes. Kuah Kacang, Nasi Himpit and Rendang (not to mention, they were all instant made *wink*)

The day late at night and after cleaning up the mess, we went packing our bag for flight back home.

SATURDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2012

Today we are on the move again and when it was about at 11am we went to Pickering. We went to the shop at the Pickering to buy some presents for our lovely families in Malaysia.

About 3.00pm we headed back to our lovely home and we have to rush since our closing program in Institute Islamic Toronto was scheduled at 5 pm.

Closing Ceremony was meant to congratulate us on completing the Student Exchange Programme. The session started with speech by Mr. Mohamed Farhad Khadim as the of the Institute Islamic Toronto (IIT).

Next, Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick, Head of the History Department of Al Maghrib Institute and the Director of Outreach for the Canadian Council of Imams took the opportunity to give a speech for us. The content of the speech motivated us as it was full with words of wisdom.

Malaysian students in Toronto bidding farewell to us. Among them was Brother Muhammad Aiman bin Azlan who is a famous Vlogger.