MIST is a tournament that brings together about 800 Muslim high school students from the Greater Toronto Area to compete in debating, art, trivia, sports, Islamic knowledge, and more. Organizers hope to help young Muslim develop leadership, communication, and other creative skills. We dropped in on MIST and interviewed some participants. Here are their stories:

Since the advent of the Arab spring, much attention has been focused on the dictators’ lives, and at times, their wives too. In the midst of horrifying news reports of murders and rapes of Syrian citizens, the wife of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad supported her husband and spent her time making lavish purchases online. She is not alone. Deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s wife was a powerful woman who accumulated much wealth and influenced her husband’s decisions for the worst during the Egyptian Revolution. What role should individuals have in correcting their spouses? Is it possible for a wife to influence her husband for the better, especially when in concerns power and money? And what happens when a spouse refuses to listen? How can individuals avoid being swept into wrongful actions — and perhaps even benefiting from them? Watch our show to find out:

We speak with Besma Soltan, co-founder of SPEAKout Poetry, about how spoken word can create social change and foster commonality amongst communities.

US President Obama expressed regret over the burning of copies of the Quran on a US military base in Afghanistan. There were days of rioting in Afghanistan, and some members of parliament declared jihad against America. Was the Afghan reaction to the burning of the Quran overblown, especially when Muslims themselves burn it as a means of discarding of old or damaged copies? What does this incident say about the relationship between the US military and the Afghans? Should US military forces engage in cultural and religious sensitivity?

The trial of three individuals accused of murdering their family members has come to an end. Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya and their son Hamed were found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of the Shafias’ three daughters and the Shafia’s first wife. In police wiretaps, Mohammad Shafia is reported to have said that the girls dishonoured and betrayed the family and Islam.

I recently wrote an article on the subject entitled, “Parental Lessons in Guidance, Not Compulsion, in Religion.” I explain that parental control is not the ideal way to raise children with faith in this part of the world. Much of one’s faith is internal; being controlled by others leads to belief that is devoid of meaning and action that is adhered to with resentment or hatred. In a society in which religion is denigrated and freedom is deemed paramount, it is easy to abandon faith that is not sustained with deep personal conviction:

From a young age, parents need to help their children develop a love of God, such that their life is oriented towards wanting to please God. They have to appeal to their children’s minds in order to help them appreciate the wisdom behind God’s commands. When young people become aware of why they have chosen to believe and act in a specific manner, they develop a sense of responsibility for their actions and an understanding of the consequences of violating personal principles such that they desire to walk the path imbued with Islamic principles.

We tackle the Shafia murders for a final time on our show:

Writer Jeanne Safer writes that conflicts among siblings are as old as time — and even written into the Bible, in the Book of Genesis. Safer concludes that toxic sibling relations are natural. She says siblings are not required by God, therapists or society to get along just because they are related. What do religions, and particularly Islam, teach in their stories about siblings? Are relationships generally bad? How can one overcome wrongs — perceived or real — done to them by another sibling?

Maxwell Beech, a Toronto man, recently got a chance to thank the judge whose lenient sentence he says helped him turn his life around. With serious criminal charges against him, Beech found God and focused on building a better future for himself and his child. We often harshly condemn those who do wrong, but Beech’s story shows that sometimes showing compassion and offering another chance can help a person more. Does God, the highest judge, offer human beings the same sort of mercy?

Read a transcript of the exchange between Maxwell Beech and the judge, and then watch our discussion about second chances:

This 30-page e-book written by Shabir Ally presents facts about the Quran that every educated Canadian must know. Covering such issues such as the history of the Quran, major themes of the Quran, and how to make the most of your reading of the Quran, we’re sure you’ll find it to be both an informative and enjoyable read.

To get your copy immediately, simply provide your first name and email address in the box on the right, and we’ll deliver it to your email right away.