October is Islamic Heritage Month, and Hamilton City Hall hosted an event for communities to come together and celebrate.
Just outside the building, several displays were set up, including information booths, artists and Islamic Relief Canada.
Islamic Relief representative Rola Alshaer said it’s nice to see all the communities come together to celebrate.
“We get to celebrate our achievements and talk about the things we have done to progress in society in what I believe makes the world a better place,” Alshaer said.
Islamic Relief provides humanitarian aid and development support in more than 40 countries.
At booth, there were calendars, key chains and information pamphlets so people could learn about the organization’s success stories.
“We are grounded and built off of peace much more than people think we are,” Alshaer said. “’Salam’ really just translates to ‘peace’ so when you really dive into what Islam means and why we are here, it is really to spread that message.”
The event also welcomed several guest speakers to talk about the importance of this month. Mayor Andrea Horwath spoke about the launch of this campaign.
“It’s interesting to see what we are doing in the city as a continuation of work that many of you have been doing for many years,” Horwath said, speaking to the Muslim community. “It’s important that we come together as a community to celebrate and to reflect.”
More than 50 people gathered to listen to the guest speakers and were welcomed to engage in discussions after it was over.
“I’m confident that this month will help all Hamiltonians to learn about the numerous achievements and immense contributions of the Muslim community to the city of Hamilton and take a huge step forward towards eliminating Islamophobia,” Horwath said.
The event runs until 7 p.m. on Tuesday (Oct. 3) and included entertainment in the evening.
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