The high school Friday prayers (Jumuahs) is the main service that the Muslim Youth of Ottawa help facilitate. Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), there are 17 schools across the city that hold Friday prayers. The Friday prayer is mandatory for all Muslim men of age to complete. Many high school students, however, don't have the luxury of being able to leave school to offer Friday prayers at the local Mosque and still be able to return to school on time for class. It is for this reason that for the past 14 years MYO has been facilitating this service.

The way the MYO helps with the Friday Prayers is by sending trained volunteers from the community to the schools to deliver the sermon. Every volunteer must complete a half-day workshop before they can go to the schools. This workshop includes understanding one's role as a guest in a public school, exploring appropriate topics to discuss, as well as learning the religious legalities of delivering a Friday sermon. Community organizations also take part in the workshop. A member from Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) and from the Council of American-Islamic Relations Canada (CAIR-Canada) have delivered modules in past workshops. OCISO is an active member in the school board, providing Multicultural Liaison Officers to many schools. CAIR-Canada is a strong advocate for Human and Civil Rights, specializing in the rights of Muslims in Canada. As part of Ottawa-Carleton District School Board policy, all volunteers must complete a police records check for the vulnerable sector.

Religious freedoms are protected within the Ontario Human Rights Code. The school administration is required to accomodate your right to hold Friday prayers (and even the regular salat) to the point of 'undue hardship.' "Your employer must "accommodate" you, that is, provide you with special measures to help you observe your religious requirements, up to the point of undue hardship. Undue hardship is a standard that takes into account costs and health and safety concerns. These must be shown to be "undue" or excessive in order to justify a refusal. Simply stating that it is too hard or expensive to meet your needs, without giving details, is not enough." - Ontario Human Rights Commission (http://ohrc.on.ca/english/publications/creed-religion-guide.shtml) If you are facing difficulty in establishing the Friday Prayers at your school, please contact myoadmin@gmail.com.

As part of our commitment to the students and the schools, we understand that we and the volunteers need to uphold a standard of conduct and expectations. Our volunteers are to follow school guidelines by reporting to the office upon entry and exit of the school. We also remind our volunteers to start and end the prayers on time so as not to interfere with classes. At all times, we expect our volunteers to display the dignity and respect that a Muslim is to uphold at all times. Likewise, we encourage students not to abuse their right to the Friday prayers. They, too, are expected to arrive and leave on time in order to attend classes.

Although we are greatful that 17 schools in the city have Friday prayers, there are still several that don't. At our peak, we had nearly 18 schools serviced. Why the decrease? Simply put, a shortage of volunteers. At the moment, of the 17 schools that have Friday prayers, several of them receive speakers irregularly. In order to sustain and grow our level of service, we need to expand our volunteer base. If you are interested in helping establish this mandatory component of worship, please visit fill out the volunteer form on our website.