3:16 These residential…12:22 Yes, we cannot fix…
Civic engagementFrom the masjid's own video, Oct 4, 2026.

Learning true history is a duty

SNMC · Hesham Alaghbari

“These residential schools existed for over 160 years, and the last one closed in 1996, just 30 years ago.”

The khateeb, at 3:16

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

Muslims must respond to the legacy of Indigenous residential schools and all oppression by learning the true history, listening to affected communities, supporting their needs, and using their voices for justice.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. Opens with taqwa and recounts Phyllis's orange shirt and residential schools.
  2. Explains residential schools' assimilation, abuse, deaths, and lasting trauma.
  3. Grounds concern in Islamic commands to honor humanity, oppose wrongdoing, and reject superiority.
  4. Connects Indigenous injustice to Islamophobia, anti-immigrant rhetoric, Gaza, and the danger of silence.
  5. Calls listeners to learn local history, listen to Indigenous communities, participate, and support their causes.
  6. Closes by urging civic action, praying for the oppressed, and reminding listeners to support the masjid.
Try this week
Learn the real history of the land, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and whether it is treaty or unceded land.
Learn about September 30 and wear an orange shirt to commemorate residential-school survivors and those who died.
Listen to Indigenous communities, including their stories, history, culture, and aspirations.
Participate in Indigenous organizations' educational and cultural activities.
Support Indigenous causes, businesses, organizations, and requests for food, clean water, schools, and safe neighborhoods.
Use your voice and do your part when opportunities arise to challenge injustice.
Donate what you can to the masjid and its activities.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“These residential schools existed for over 160 years, and the last one closed in 1996, just 30 years ago.”
SNMC · Nepean, ON
Play from 3:16
“Yes, we cannot fix history, but we cannot move forward knowing that these things still exist and that people are still devastated by these issues and act like it does not concern us.”
SNMC · Nepean, ON
Play from 12:22
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

Today the imam told us about a little girl named Phyllis. In 1973, when she was six, she wore a new orange shirt from her grandmother to school, and the school took it away. She went to a residential school, one of many schools that took Indigenous children away from their families, languages, and cultures for more than 160 years, and the last one only closed 30 years ago. The imam reminded us that Allah has honored all the children of Adam, that our different colors and languages are gifts from Allah, and that the best of us are the ones most aware of Allah. He asked us to do three things: learn the real history of this land, listen to Indigenous people and their stories, and support their causes. He also reminded us that staying silent when something is wrong is not enough, and that we should care about justice everywhere, both here and overseas.

  1. How do you think Phyllis felt when her grandmother's orange shirt was taken away?
  2. What is something special about your culture or language that you'd never want to lose?
  3. If you saw someone being treated unfairly at school, what could you do about it?
Where it was given

The masjid

South Nepean Muslim Community3020 Woodroffe Ave, Nepean, ON K2J 4G3Jumu'ah 12:00 PM & 1:15 PMKhateebHesham AlaghbariMore khutbahsArchiveAll khutbahs at SNMC58 khutbahs
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