Seeking a young, moderate Muslim audience

A new quarterly magazine aimed at "middle of the road" Muslim youth in Canada has just been launched. Aver was profiled Saturday in a Globe and Mail article by Deirdre Kelly. Aver bills itself as the first "cross-Canada Muslim youth magazine." The first issue has a young woman in hijab and an article inside with one guy's views of hijab. It also has a piece reflecting on "what if" the Dawson College shooter had been Arab or Muslim. As the Globe article says:

The premiere issue features a cover shot of a woman in a hijab in a pose of earnest contemplation. Inside are such articles that question conservative views on music and lip gloss and examine human rights and Islam. In between are practical tips on saving the planet and a miscellany of opinions delving into the thorny issue of Muslim style -- to veil or not to veil?

The leader of the magazine's editorial team is Tahmina Reza, 23, and she says the magazine steers clear of heavy-duty theological issues in favour of language and content "open to all". She is a first-generation Canadian (her parents herald from Bangladesh) who is at univeristy at the University of Toronto's Mississauga campus.

"We want our magazine to be accessible to everyone and so articles that are heavily representative of theological issues we just won't do. We want the language and the content to be open to all. Aver is making the statement that Muslims are willing contributors to Canadian society."

Aver subs are $20 (4 issues).