Mahad Al Mustaqim and Facebook Fighting

Al Mustaqim: As a teenager, the Somali-Montrealer felt excluded by Quebec society, and said he felt he could not overcome the challenges of poverty and discrimination, according to CBC. Why on earth are you so dark ' Colourism and discrimination from within Quebec police forces still overwhelmingly white5 'Real Talk on Race' stories that got you talking on Facebook Fighting the pull of the street Al Mustaqim and his nine siblings were raised by a single mother in Pierrefonds. Mahad Al Mustaqim was 15 when he was arrested for the first time. He applied to multiple jobs to help support his family, but was repeatedly turned down for interviews. "Once there was a gas station I applied to and when I called back he told me 'Some black dudes came and robbed the store' so I felt like I was kind of targeted,"Al Mustaqim told CBC Homerun. "At the moment it really hurt me — I was young." The consequences are hard' Being young and vulnerable, Al Mustaqim said he fell under the spell of street gangs. He now works with youth because of his experiences growing up as an immigrant that was not well integrated or accepted. "People from the outside would never understand, it only when you live inside that you see that," Al Mustaqim said. He spent most of his youth in and out of jail. "My first goal was to help my mother but you know it a dirty game," Al Mustaqim said. "It easy money and the consequences are hard." He was arrested three times and while serving prison time in Ottawa, he realized he had to turn his life around and be a role model to his siblings. "I was talking a lot to my mother and she started talking to me and I started listening to her because I had no nobody." From gangs to youth worker Al Mustaqim said many young people like him have been driven towards illegal activities because they felt excluded by Quebec society. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.