What happened: On Jan 21, a masters student from McGill university, Sarah Abou-Bakr, won the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (CCIQ) Memorial Award for her efforts to raise awareness and understanding of the Muslim experience in Quebec and Canada, overall. Details: The CCIQ Memorial Award is given each year to a McGill University student who demonstrates a dedication to promote Muslim inclusion in greater Quebecois and Canadian cultures. While growing up in Montreal, Abou-Bakr says she immediately learned about anti-Muslim prejudice, and she’s been intimately involved in attempts to increase awareness about Muslim issues and speak out against Islamophobia, which is also the topic of her thesis. Her efforts: Abou-Bakr worked at Concordia University’s legal information clinic during her undergraduate years. She also oversaw the preparation and execution of community consultations, events, and seminars throughout Quebec focused on current Muslim problems. She was the director of MAC Give Montreal from 2016 to 2021, a community group that encourages young Muslims to volunteer and “become leaders of society via social involvement.” She has also given seminars to children about the negative impacts of Islamophobia in society, in collaboration with the English Montreal School Board.