HAMILTON – Leaders of the Canadian Muslim community are urging support to help youth address trauma caused by recent Islamophobic attacks, which culminated in Quebec mosque shooting.

“Young children are finding it difficult in these kinds of instances,” Affaf Ahtisham, secretary of the Muslim Association of Hamilton, told CBC Hamilton on Sunday, March 12.

“They’re questioning, ‘Can this happen to me? Why is this happening to us?’ for example.”

A recent spate of attacks against Muslims and rising incidents of Islamophobia has left many Muslim children, under the age of 10, traumatized.

“The elementary school kids are the ones who are most affected,” said Kamran Bhatti, a Muslim community activist.

“The older kids kind of understand. They’re like, ‘you know we’ve been around her awhile, we’ve been victims of racism, we’ve been victims of this type of xenophobia,’ but they don’t feel like anyone is going to come and shoot them.

“Some of these kids are internalizing it and they’re saying, well it this is happening to ordinary Muslims then what about me,” he added.

Parents are the first to notice such change.

“Overall on the surface they might find if you spend just a few hours with them, they’re fine, but I think it’s those people that are interacting with these kids at a much more significant time period, who are definitely seeing a difference,” he explained.

“When you see a normal kid playing and being very friendly with their classmates, you see this event happen and all of a sudden that same kid after a little while becomes a bit agitated and is starting to pick fights — lashing out, yelling, screaming some times.”

This trauma takes its toll on children, “leaving effects that last into adulhood.”

“It’s very important for all of us to help support young people when they’re in their pre-teenage years because that’s when these grievances get planted then and they grow and blossom,” he said.

Imam Sayed Tora says news about the Quebec City mosque shooting startled his daughter. (Adam Carter/CBC)

Taboo Mental Health

Imam Ayman Al-Taher, from Ibrahim Jame Mosque, said tried to form a support network to help youth deal with their fear and anxiety.

His initiative was met with resistance because of stigma surrounding mental health, he said.

“Mental health is normally a taboo issue and we don’t like to talk about it,” he explained.

“There is the perception that I don’t want my children, especially when it comes to dealing with mental health issues, to be looked after by someone from outside the faith and the culture because this might be affecting their understanding of the culture and the faith.”

Batti also encountered similar opposition.

“Parents don’t want their kids to be considered as having a mental health issue,” he told CBC News.

“If the parents aren’t bringing those kids to these sessions or bringing them out to participate it becomes quite difficult.”

Seeking a solution, Batti said more work is needed in civic engagement opportunities and service within the community, in order to “strengthen the spirit and strengthen the spirit amongst young Muslims.”

“When we interact with Hamiltonians and Canadians, our Muslim youth are going to feel more secure in their neighborhoods and it’s going to give them a sense of citizenship,” he stated.

“We want to have our young people be active and contributing members of society.”