The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) is a Canadian charitable organization and a grassroots social movement. MAC focuses on serving Canadians by educating and motivating Muslims in Canada to put their faith into action for the benefit of everyone.

MAC provides spaces, services and programs for holistic education and personal development for Canadian Muslims. MAC focuses on building communities and strengthening neighbourhoods through enabling, and providing the required services for individuals to build strong families and building effective and sustainable institutions that provide the wide range of services needed within our community.

MAC is a positive force for change in our society by promoting engagement of Muslims within the wider society, building bridges and cooperating with other communities and organizations that share our goals and values. MAC also works towards communicating our understanding of Islam as a moderate, balanced, and constructive way of life, within our community and beyond.

As an Islamic organization we understand Islam as outlined in the Quran, the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah) and mainstream ‘Sunni’ Islamic scholarship. MAC’s understanding of Islam is one of balance and moderation, constructive engagement in society, focus on personal and communal empowerment, and establishing value-based organizations, as articulated in the writings of the renowned reformist, Imam Hasan Al-Banna.

Our Understanding of Islam

Based on mainstream scholarship we understand Islam to encompass the following:

Comprehensiveness – we believe that our faith informs and inspires every aspect of our lives, and is relevant to people’s lived realities 

Personal Development – we believe that spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and character development is the first duty of every Muslim upon which the rest of his/her activism and civic engagement is built.

Grassroots Reform – we believe that our mission is to better ourselves and our world through meaningful, gradual, peaceful, sustained, grassroots action that brings about real change and development.

Pluralism – we believe that Muslims thrive in open societies that protect the dignity of all members of society and guarantee freedom of thought, belief, association, and expression. 

Openness – we believe that the work to better our society must not be limited to people of one school of thought or one set of interpretations. We believe that authentic Islamic scholarship has always embraced a diversity of opinions and interpretations and that our work can and should reflect that diversity.

Belonging – we believe that Muslims should be integrated, yet distinct, within a ‘mosaic’ society, engaged as citizens, and focused on the real issues that collectively affect society.

Balance – we believe that competent, authentic scholarship is required for the interpretation of scripture. We embrace and value the wealth of scholarly heritage developed throughout Islamic history but we believe that religious scholarship is not bound by specific terminology or by positions that developed in a particular historical context. In this we strike a middle course between conservatives, literalists, traditionalists, and progressives.

Our Characteristics

Our organization is a grassroots movement. It operates at the local level in communities and cities, and is sensitive to the needs and characteristics of the local community.

Our organization is multigenerational. We value the contributions of each generation, the learning that happens when communities are close-knit across generations, the need to serve every segment within our community, and the strength that comes from bringing them together. In particular, we empower youth and help them find their place in the service and leadership of the community, valuing their own dignity as well as the dignity of others.

Our organization is welcoming. We call upon all Canadian Muslims to get involved in service and activism and recognize that every individual contributes different perspectives, talents, and skills.

Our organization is structured. This means that even as we emphasize the local grassroots presence, we build a strong national structure to organize, integrate resources, and share experiences.

Our organization is reformist. We emphasize a sense of belonging to society, engagement as citizens, participating in the institutions of our country, and promoting our message with respectful dialog and activism. We abhor violence, reject extremism, promote inclusion not isolation, work for a sense of belonging not alienation, emphasize cooperation not confrontation, and stand against injustice wherever it is found.

Mission and Vision

Our Mission is to establish an Islamic presence in Canada that is balanced, constructive, an​d integrated, though distinct, in the social fabric and culture of Canada.

Our Vision is to contribute to:

Making the prevalent understanding of Islam, one of balance, constructive engagement, and relevance to life.

Integrating the understanding of Islam and Islamic values in Canadian society so that Islam and Muslims are not perceived as alien;

Helping Muslims become well represented in various aspects of Canadian society including the social, legal, and political circles, as well as the media; and

Positioning MAC at the forefront in articulating this vision, developing leadership, mobilizing grassroots, and offering institutional services in the community.

Where We Are

Over the past two decades MAC has grown to be the largest grass-roots Muslim organization with a national reach rooted in strong local chapters in 13 cities across Canada. With 18 community centers, 9 full-time schools, 20 weekend schools, 4 child care centers, MAC serves over 55,000 community members weekly across Canada

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Muslim Association of Canada Website