“Only when Jewish kids think that THE 99 characters are Jewish, and Christian kids think that they’re Christian, and Muslim kids think they’re Muslim, and Hindu kids think they’re Hindu, that I will consider my vision as having been fully executed.” – Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of THE 99

The Western Muslim Initiative is proud to host the creator of the comic book series THE 99, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa on June 1, 2011!

Hosting Dr. Al-Mutawa fits in perfectly with our vision and mission.  In light of growing Islamophibia, Dr. Al-Mutawa’s aim is to express the universal values of Islam through comic characters who wish to bring this world unity and harmony. 

THE 99 follows ordinary teens and adults from all over the Muslim world who come in possession of one of 99 magical stones.  In teams of three or more, these Muslim super heroes aim to overcome adversity over the world.  What is unique about this comic book series is the fact that these characters come from such places as Indonesia, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and more.  One character, Batina the Hidden, also wears a burqa.

The concept even caught the attention of DC Comics’ Justice League of America, including Superman, Batman and Green Lantern who did a comic book crossover with characters from THE 99.

Dr. Al-Mutawa himself has delivered a TED talk on THE 99.  He has also been recognised as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.  Forbes Magazine also recognised THE 99 as “one of the top 20 trends sweeping the globe.”  President Obama also recognized Dr. Al-Mutawa last year at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship citing his comic series as being the most innovative response to the United States’ efforts in reaching out to the Muslim World.

This event is aimed for people of all ages so bring your kids, bring your family, bring everyone!

The Western Muslim Board of Directors have been busy over the last few months trying to solidify who we are and where we want to go.

One day we all woke up and realized that The Western Muslim was eight years old and growing up fast! So, we worked with a local organization to help us develop a road map for the future. Apart from doing some really fun brainstorming exercises, we learnt a great deal about why we joined the organization and continue to invest huge amounts of time in making it run smoothly.

The wonderful thing about having such a diverse group of individuals leading the organization is that you get a variety of opinions. However, one thing we all agree on is that we want The Western Muslim to be an organization that contributes positively towards a diversity of perspectives on Muslims and Islam.

Our individual experiences have led us to strongly believe that just like us, there are many out there who want to celebrate Western Muslims and the unique way we incorporate Islam into our daily lives.

Moving forward we want to be as transparent as possible when it comes to The Western Muslim’s aspirations. We are still a young organization that is eager to learn from your experiences and discuss your ideas. We have a unique history that we want to share and a bright future that we want you to help us shape.

We’re always looking for fresh perspectives on topics affecting Muslims. Send us an article or your ideas for an article or podcast to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch will be doing a sermon on September 17, 2010 at the NW Islamic Centre in Calgary.

Stay tuned for a weekend course on the Sirah of the Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him) by Imam Abdul Latif from the Deen Intensive Foundation.
The course will be from Friday September 17 - Sunday September 19, 2010.

If you would like to be informed when registration for the course commences, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).