When Ottawa hears about Somali Muslim youth, it is usually in terms of gunshots and gangs.
So it was good to see another side of the community this weekend: boys trying to figure out their suits and ties while the girls set their graduation mortarboards over their glittering hijabs. Underneath their graduation robes, their full-length gowns glittered. More than a few gold and silver high heels peeked out from under the sober black folds.
Parents and teachers literally rolled out the red carpet for this year's graduating class of the Ottawa Islamic School on Coral Avenue, between Fisher and Merivale.
All 32 Grade 12s are heading for university. Since the school began offering high school classes in 2004, 129 of 130 students have passed and gone on to higher education.
Ahmed Hassan, chairman of the school board, reminded the students to know their rights as well as their responsibilities as Muslim Canadians.
One of their teachers, Ismail Albatnuni, made no bones about the hard reality that "everyone (in the non-Muslim community) is waiting for any mistake."
The ceremony was distinctly Muslim, with men on one side, and women on the other. A call to prayer rang through the Villa Marconi on Baseline Road, where the ceremony was held, and the group all called out, Allah Akbar, or God is Great.
John Baird, Conservative MP for Ottawa West, told the parents, teachers and student that he wholehearted supports government funding for religious schools like this one. (Of course, education is a provincial matter, so he can venture any opinion he likes without fear of being called to account on it.)
Police chief Vern White attended as well, building some good will among the Somali community. "I am humbled and honoured to be here," he said. "This country is built on differences. I hope you become the transformational leaders the city needs."
Source: Canada.com
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