Over the past few years, there’s been an unsettling increase in hate-related crimes reported to police. More recently, Canadian Muslims have expressed growing concerns about anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Arab crimes and backlash. Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia with the Government of Canada, Amira Elghawaby, says the past several months of this backlash have “already led to loss of income, threats to current or future employment, harassment, violence, vandalism, and exclusion.”

A study from the Angus Ried Insitute found “unfavourable views of Islam prevalent across the country at varying levels and highest in Quebec.” Two in five Canadians outside of Quebec (39 per cent ) hold an unfavourable view of Islam. In Quebec, that number is half (52 percent). However, these views take more concrete forms than the overall sentiment the religion receives. Its followers face the risk of being unwelcome in a number of areas of Canadian society.

Nearly two in five Canadians outside Quebec (39 per cent) hold an unfavourable view of Islam, while in Quebec, this sentiment rises to half the population (52 per cent). These attitudes extend beyond general perceptions, often translating into specific challenges for Muslims in Canadian society. Activists and government officials have voiced growing concerns over increasing attacks against Muslims in recent years, with incidents rising by 71 per cent from 2020 to 2021. This violence reached a tragic peak in 2017 when six people lost their lives in a mosque attack in Quebec City.

In Winnipeg, there are also concerns about Islamophobia. Back in September, a local mosque received phone calls claiming Muslims were “traitors” to Canada.

To address these growing concerns in Manitoba, the provincial government is forming a working group to address Islamophobia in Manitoba’s kindergarten to grade 12 education system. 

“Hate has no place in our province,” said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. “It is important that we come together as Manitobans and stand united against all acts of hatred. We have a role as a government to keep things together here in Manitoba, and we want Manitobans from all walks of life to know that your government is going to show up for you.”

Members of the working group cover various sectors, from the department to faith leaders, community advocacy groups, and educators.

• Sadaf Ahmed, National Council of Canadian Muslims;
• Brahim Ould Baba, Manitoba Teachers’ Society;
• Sarah Gazan, acting director, Indigenous Excellence Directorate, Education and Early Childhood Learning;
• Muhamed Hammad, Faizan-E-Makkah Winnipeg (youth representative);
• Humaira Jaleel, executive director, Healthy Muslim Families;
• Kate McNeil, senior advisor to the deputy minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning;
• Muhiadin Omar, Bilal Community and Family Centre; 
• Rhonda Shaw, executive director, learning and outcomes branch, Education and Early Childhood Learning;
• Eve Sotiriadou, executive director, Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute;
• Youcef Sufi, Manitoba Islamic Association; and
• Ayesha Sultan, president, University of Manitoba Muslim Students Association.

The focus of this working group will be to build awareness of Islamophobia and its impacts on all students and staff. They will also develop training and professional opportunities and resources for educators and provide input to Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning regarding K-12 anti-racism and anti-oppression policy initiatives. This work will build upon the Manitoba Islamic Association’s Embracing Diversity in Manitoba Education K-12 Toolkit.

Eve Sotiriadou, executive director of Winnipeg-based Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute (CMWI), was also involved in developing the toolkit, which was produced and announced a year ago. As a community organization serving the Muslim community in Winnipeg and across Manitoba, CMWI has supported Muslim women clients who have faced and reported experiences of Islamophobia, both in the workplace and within the broader community. Through their work and perspective, CMWI brings a unique perspective to the working group as one of many community partners and experts. 

For Sotiriadou, focusing on the education system is key in combating discrimination and misinformation, providing students and educators with tools to create an inclusive environment, as some Muslim students may feel discouraged from engaging with the education system.

“I’m a teacher myself, a high school teacher. So, I have experience engaging with students who, oftentimes, the challenges they face might not necessarily be violent actions of Islamophobia, but they might be microaggressions. I remember a few years ago, I was teaching here in Winnipeg and had students approaching members of Muslim background for a prayer room as they just wanted to find a room to pray, and they felt that the administration wasn’t welcoming enough to approach them for that conversation.”

The toolkit and new working group will equip school communities across Manitoba with practical skills and resources to address misinformation and, at times, hate directed toward the Muslim community. Sotiriadou expands on this thought, explaining these initiatives extend beyond the Muslim community, providing individuals with tools to combat all intersectional forms of violence experienced by minority communities. 

It’s intersectional forms of violence in my perspective,” explains Sotiriadou. “I myself am a white woman, but I’m an immigrant. So, when I first came, I experienced xenophobia, but I never experienced racism. However, I’m a Muslim, so I have dealt with Islamophobia, especially when I was wearing a headscarf. But, other Muslim women of colour wearing the hijab are experiencing significantly more violence than I am or that I would ever be. So you have to take into perspective all layers of how that interplays and intersects.”

Over the next year, the working group will address misinformation, hate, and inclusivity in schools. By pooling resources and insights from across Canada, the group aims to create a cohesive strategy that empowers educators to confront issues of violence, racism, and oppression more effectively with practical, community-driven solutions for schools across the province.

– Ryan Funk, U Multicultural