Prominent Muslim Canadian business leaders have launched a $1M fund at a downtown Toronto mosque to support veteran families in partnership with the charity, True Patriot Love Foundation.
“There has been a gap between immigrant communities and mainstream Canadian causes,” said Mohamad Fakih, CEO of Paramount Fine Foods.
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“With the launch of the Salaam-TPL Fund, we plan to raise awareness and participation among these immigrant communities, starting with the Muslim community, on a national level to bridge this gap.”
The fund was launched on Monday, November 10, by two prominent Canadian business leaders, namely, Mohamad Fakih, CEO of Paramount Fine Foods and Kashif Khan, CEO of The K. Khan Group.
Making a $100,000 donation to launch the Salaam-TPL Fund, the Muslim leaders challenged others in the Muslim community to help reach the goal of raising $1M.
The Salaam-TPL Fund was created in the wake of the tragic events that shook the nation last month.
Muslims make around 2.8 percent of Canada's 32.8 million population, and Islam is the number one non-Christian faith in the country.
A recent survey showed that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are proud to be Canadian, and that they are more educated than the general population.
Several Canadian Muslim groups have condemned the two attacks against soldiers a few weeks ago, including the hit-and-run murder of a soldier in Quebec and the killing of an honor guard at the National War Memorial by a gunman who then stormed the Parliament buildings.
The attacks came as Canada sent warplanes to take part in air strikes against the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIL) in Iraq.
Supporting Veterans
The funds raised will support the needs of veterans and military families.
“Mohamad and I recognized the need for a catalyst to engage our community,” said Kashif Khan, CEO of The K. Khan Group.
“We challenge fellow Muslims across Canada to show their support for Canadian military families, who dedicate their lives to the service of our country, by giving to this fund in the months ahead.”
True Patriot Love Foundation (TPL) is a national charity that honors the sacrifices of members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans and their families in both times of peace and conflict.
“TPL is extremely proud to have the opportunity to partner with Paramount Fine Foods and The K. Khan Group,” said Michael Burns, Co-Founder and Vice Chair of the True Patriot Love Foundation.
“This demonstrates that all Canadians can and will rally together to show their support for our military families.”
TPL funds programs and innovative research in the areas of mental health, physical rehabilitation, family support and veteran transition.
Since 2009, True Patriot Love has raised more than $18-million to support military charities across Canada.
