Canada’s Scourge: Understanding and Confronting Islamophobia

In January 2017, forty-six people were attacked in the Great Mosque of Quebec during evening prayer killing six people, seriously injuring five and leaving many others traumatized. Unfortunately, this attack was neither first nor the last. In the years that followed, a series of other violent attacks against Muslim communities have targeted communities in Edmonton, Saskatoon, London, Mississauga, Toronto, and other locations across the country.

The alarming increase in harassment, threats, and attacks against Muslims (who comprise approximately 5% of Canada’s population) has galvanized communities to raise awareness about Islamophobia and its proliferation in media, politics and society. This month, following extensive site visits, interviews, public meetings, and solicited accounts and testimonies, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights issued its report Combatting Hate: Islamophobia and Its Impact on Muslims in Canada. The damning conclusion is that rampant “Islamophobia is costing Canadian Muslims their peace of mind, their physical well-being, and even their lives.”

This reception and moderated discussion with our esteemed speakers will delve into the characteristics of this toxic phenomenon, the various ways it can be confronted, and how the communities most impacted can be supported.

Featured Speakers:

Hasan Alam is a labour and human rights lawyer. He co-founded the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline, which provides free and confidential legal support to those impacted by Islamophobia in British Columbia. Additionally, Hasan serves as the Vice President of the BC Civil Liberties Association. He is one of many members of the Muslim Community who made submissions on Islamophobia at the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights.

Itrath Syed is a member of the local Muslim community and an Instructor of Women’s Studies at Langara College. Her MA in Gender Studies from UBC explored the gendered and racialized construction of the Muslim community in the media discourse surrounding the Islamic Arbitration or “Shariah” debate in Ontario.

Dr. Tammara Soma MCIP RPP is an Assistant Professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Management (Planning program) at Simon Fraser University and Research Director of the Food Systems Lab. Originally hailing from Indonesia, she conducts research on food system planning, food security, and the circular food economy. Dr. Soma is routinely featured in international and local media (The Guardian, BBC, CBC, TVO, CTV, National Observer, Chatelaine and more) and is the co-director of the CBC documentary “Food is My Teacher.” In 2021, the Food Systems Lab was recognized as one of the four women-run projects that are redefining agriculture by the Canadian Organic Grower. Tammara was a 2021 YWCA-Scotiabank finalist for the “Women of Distinction Award” in the sustainability category, she was also named in Chatelaine magazine as one of the 10 inspiring Canadian women saving the environment. Dr. Soma is a member of the SFU Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies (CCMS) and is passionate about interfaith and intra-faith work. Her recent sold-out event at CCMS explored Islamic Eschatology and the role of the Mahdi and Messiah from Sunni, Twelver Shii, Ismaili, and Ahmadi perspectives.

Moderated by Dr. Davina Bhandar. Dr. Bhandar is an Associate Professor in Political Science at Athabasca University and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Communication SFU, where she focuses her teaching and research in anti-racism, anti-imperialism, and settler-colonial politics.