First Of Its Kind: Somali Sisters Set Up Qurtuba Publishing House In Canada

Three Somali sisters based in Ottawa, Canada have defeated all odds to set up a publishing house in Canada. Ilhan Ibrahim, 20 and her two sisters: Hodan Ibrahim, 25 and Ayan Ibrahim aged 23 have co-founded Qurtuba Publishing House.


They granted Muslim link an interview and spoke in depth of how they were inspired to establish a publishing house that would have an accessible resource for Muslims that are focused on discussing relevant issues that Western Muslims are facing. Although there are many resources for Muslims out there, we felt there was a void between the acquisition of knowledge and implementation of knowledge in Muslim communities.

On the concept behind the publishing house:

Ilhan Ibrahimattended an event run by two wonderful ladies called “Owning Our History”. This event was a panel discussion dedicated to inspire young Muslim woman to pursue positive changes in themselves and their communities. At the end of the event, they gave everyone a piece of paper, and asked us to write one goal that we promise to accomplish within one month’s time. 

I remember writing “Start changing our narrative”-and by ‘our’ I meant the Muslim narrative. The reason I mention this event is to acknowledge that such initiatives can have a lasting impact on its attendees, especially its younger audience. I cannot say what it was exactly that sparked a passion to work in media that night, however this goes to show that the power and influence of such events should not be underestimated.

On the inspiration behind the book - A guide to overcoming conflicts with immigrant parents:

Hodan Ibrahim spoke, My sisters and I are first generation immigrant children. Our parents migrated to Canada in 1990 in hopes of starting a new life. Like many first generation immigrant children, it was a daily struggle balancing our traditional upbringing and our Western values. Coming from a Somali background, I can say that Somalis from the Diaspora have faced immense social, financial and spiritual challenges. Many of us were expected to pursue careers in engineering or medicine. Undoubtedly, our parents came from a life of struggle and sacrificed everything to provide us with a better life than they had. To them we should show our utmost gratitude and respect, and we ask Allah (swt) to preserve them. 

However, there is a struggle that often goes unnoticed in our communities. This struggle is an inter-generational conflict between parents and their children that is rooted in misunderstanding and differences in cultural mindsets. This book, “A Guide to Overcoming Conflicts with Immigrant Parents”, provides a simple and practical solution to ending inter-generational conflict. The solution provided may come to surprise many readers. We hope that this book will encourage young first generation immigrant Muslims to aspire to forge a path in life that does not compromise their relationship with their parents, rather strengthen their relationship and create a foundation of mutual understanding and love.

For the interview. read here