Islamophobia
What is Islamophobia?
"Islamophobia is any distinction, exclusion or restriction towards, or preference against, Muslims (or those perceived to be Muslims) that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life"
What does Islamophobia look like?
Islamophobia manifests itself in many ways. Islamophobia has included online hate activity and hate crimes, vandalism of mosques as well as physical, sexual, and verbal violence against Muslims, or people who are mistaken to be Muslim.
In schools, Islamophobia can include bullying, targeting and/or excluding Muslim students or those who are perceived to be Muslim. According to research in the U.S., Muslim students in public schools face twice the rates of bullying as compared to their peers (CAIR, 2019).
According to a report by the Tesselate Institute, three major themes emerge from the existing accounts of Muslim students’ experiences in Ontario public schools.
- Feelings of isolation and alienation.
- Lack of awareness about Islam and Muslims among peers and teachers.
- Lack of representation of Muslims in teaching and curriculum.
Muslim students, like Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+ and marginalized students, often experience erasure from the curriculum. Eliminating the experiences, histories and contributions of Muslims from the curriculum is an example of curriculum violence. In order to avoid inflicting curriculum violence on students, it is crucial to adopt an antiracist framework and pedagogy.
Sources:
To learn more about the experiences of Muslim high school students, please click below to see the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) Town Hall Report
Common Myths and Misconceptions About Islam and Muslims
Consider the following questions as you explore the myths and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims:
Have you heard this stereotype before? In what context?
How have these stereotypes informed societal impressions of Muslims?
What socio-political factors have allowed for these stereotypes to proliferate?
Who has the moral imperative to challenge the current narrative?
Within your sphere of influence (ex. Classroom, family, friends, etc.) how can you debunk these stereotypes and change the narrative?
Muslims are a monolithic community.
Muslims in Canada represent an extremely diverse group. Although Muslims are considered a racialized group, Muslims can be of any race and come from all over the world including North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
In Ontario, the majority of Muslims are of South Asian background (Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian), followed by Iranians, Somalis, Afghanis, and Arabs.
Source: Tesselate Institute - Examining Islamophobia in Ontario Schools
Muslims are new immigrants to Canada.
Muslims arrived in North America 400 years ago as part of the slave trade. It is estimated that as many as 30% of the African slaves brought to the U.S. from West and Central African countries were Muslim.
The earliest documented account of Muslims in Canada is of James and Agnes Love, who immigrated from Scotland and settled in Ontario. They gave birth to the first Muslim born in Canada in 1854, named "James" after his father.
John and Martha Simon, another Muslim couple, migrated to Canada from the United States around 1871. The first Canadian Census in 1871 recorded the presence of 13 Muslims.
Muslims are archaic with little value for culture and the arts.
While Europe was in the Dark Ages, Muslim societies were making advancements in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, and literature. In fact, the renaissance happened as a result of the ancient and new knowledge reacquired from Muslims universities.
Source: Encountering Islam - Common Misconceptions About Muslims
Islam oppresses women.
Most of the oppression of women by Islam and Muslims that is highly publicized is due to local customs and traditions. Muslim women have been presidents and prime ministers. Violence towards women is not permitted by Islam. Care for widows, orphans, and the poor is one of Islam’s strongest teachings. Unfortunately, many women all over the world continue to face oppression. This is a global issue and not just Islamic oppression. Prevalence of abuse of women is not higher among Muslims than among non-Muslims.
Source: Encountering Islam - Common Misconceptions About Muslims
Muslims are particularly prone to violence and/or to support terrorism.
According to a recent poll, 41 percent of Americans believe Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its followers. This belief is unsubstantiated by data, as the vast majority of Muslims around the world are peaceful individuals who suffer from violence and terrorism more than non-Muslims.
On the contrary, data in the U.S. confirms that white, right-wing, non-Muslim terrorists pose a greater danger than radical Islamists, both in number of attacks and deadliness of attacks. Muslim scholars have long defined Islam as a religion of peace and the killing of innocent people or civilians is one of the greatest sins an individual can commit under Islam.
