As the prime victim of Islamophobic attacks, Muslim women usually have many sad stories about facing hate on the streets, on public transports, and even at work.
Giving Muslim women a chance to speak out and share their experiences, a Calgary Muslim group hosted an event on January 6 to educate the community and make a change.
“If these hate crimes are happening because of false perceptions of our religion, then maybe we need to talk about what our religion is,” Duaa-Azeem Choudhary, a Quebec Muslim woman born to Pakistani immigrants, told CBC.
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The event, organized by Canadian Pakistani Support Group (CPSG), centered on sharing concerns and recommendations about combating hate crimes and racism.
Both Muslims and non-Muslims came together to recount their experiences and come up with ways to attempt to eradicate hate.
Learn about Islam
The event also offered attendants an opportunity to learn about “racism”, “anti-racism”, and ways to report racism.
Zainab Khan, the project manager, believes the solution to end Islamophobia is to educate people about Islam and highlight the religion’s messages of peace, tolerance, and equality.
“It takes all of us to build an inclusive and diverse Alberta. And for us it’s important that we learn about different cultures and religions,” said Khan.
“It’s all about connecting with each other and spreading the message of peace.”
Islamophobic attacks across Canada have risen at alarming levels. The attacks have increased in frequency, many are targeting visibly Muslim women and girls.
Hate crimes targeting Muslims have significantly increased last year according to a report released by Statistics Canada in August 2022.
The report said police reported 3,360 hate crimes last year, an increase from 2,646 in 2020.