Anti-Muslim Racism

Anti-Muslim racism is the manifestation and expression of systemic discrimination against Muslims and those racialized as Muslims. It is exhibited in Canadian society through education, policing, immigration, health, politics, and other areas.
Anti-Muslim racism is defined as “fear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims or non-Muslim individuals that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims, both in the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional, ideological, political and religious hostility that transcends into structural and cultural racism which targets the symbols and markers of a being a Muslim.” (Kanji, 2017).
The term “Islamophobia” is often used to describe anti-Muslim racism, but can be considered problematic and offensive due to its connotations of a psychological disorder. The word “phobia” refers to an “uncontrollable, persistent, excessive, irrational fear.” Characterizing individuals as Islamophobes implies that they are "insane or irrational” which hinders constructive discussions and displays anti-Muslim hate as a minority condition.

Different perspectives on anti-Muslim racism

“To call discrimination against Muslims a ‘phobia’ obscures what needs to be highlighted: discrimination and violence against Muslims. Systemic, pervasive and ideologically rooted discrimination of Muslims can be traced back to the colonization of the Middle East and North Africa region, and are now reproduced in the contemporary era and most definitely do not constitute a ‘phobia’.”

Dr. Anver Saloojee (Interim Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion)

Dr. Jasmin Zine (Professor of Sociology and Muslim studies at Wilfrid Laurier University)

“I am going to expand it [definition of Islamophobia] to include the way that that fear and hatred translates into individual, ideological or systemic practices, and those practices are taking place within power relations in society and work to shore up the logic of those relations of power… If we envision a framework, like an iceberg, what we see at the tip are the kinds of individual actions that most people would associate with Islamophobia… What’s below the water in that iceberg are the ideologies that are supporting and rationalizing those actions.”

Listen to the TMU Today podcast part 1 and part 2 (external link) .

“Islamophobia is an unfounded or disproportionate fear or hatred of Islam or Muslims or people perceived as Muslims that leads to violence or systemic discrimination… Islamophobia is often gendered, reinforcing views of patriarchy and men as violent terrorists and women as subjugated victims. It is also intersected with other forms of racism. Black Muslims have many more dimensions they must face than Asian Muslims, for example.”

Watch the Generous Futures: Combating Islamophobia video.

Nabeela Ixtabalan, EVP, Chief People & Corporate Affairs Officer, Walmart Canada

Nabeela Ixtabalan (EVP, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer, Walmart Canada)

What is Islam?

Islam is a monotheistic religion, meaning that Muslims believe in only one god (ALLAH).
Islam is one of the three major monotheistic religions, alongside Judaism and Christianity, all of which are regarded as Abrahamic religions due to their shared worship of the God and acknowledgment of God’s prophets.
Islam’s holy book, the Qur’ān, is considered by Muslims to be divine revelation. Additionally, Islam has a body of sacred literature known as Hadīth. Hadīth could be translated as “report,” “account,” or “narrative” which preserve in writing the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), whose behaviour all Muslims are encouraged to emulate.

Five pillars of Islam

Declaration of faith (Shahada): To declare one’s faith in God (ALLAH) and belief in Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Prayer (Salat): To pray five times a day (at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening).
Charity (Zakat): To give poor dues and those in need.
Fasting (Sawm): To fast during the month of Ramadan (the ninth month in the Islamic or Hijri calendar).
Pilgrimage (Hajj): To make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during a person’s lifetime if the person is both financially and physically able.

Muslims in Canada

Muslims have lived in Canada since 1871.
In 2019, Muslims in Canada made up 3.7% of the total population.
In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), 7.7% of the population is Muslim, and in Greater Montreal, 6% of the population is Muslim.
The first mosque in Canada was the Al Rashid Mosque (external link) , established in 1938 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Canadian context

(PDF file) Media (external link) : Analyses of Canadian and US media have concluded that Islam and Muslims receive disproportionately negative coverage, quantitively (the amount of coverage) and qualitatively (Muslim perpetrators are more likely to be defined as “terrorists,” represented as having more violent motives, linked in media reports to larger terror networks and broader patterns of ideological violence, and labelled by their religious and ethno-racial identities).
(PDF file) Counter-Radicalization Programs (external link) : Counter-radicalization programs attempting to prevent “radicalization” to violence have been operating at a municipal level in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and at the Federal Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence since 2017. Experiences from counter-radicalization in other countries produce serious cause for concern about the formulations founded on anti-Muslim racism and impacts of such programs. Muslim organizations in Canada are regularly approached by security agencies about cooperating in counter-radicalization programs, although neither the empirical bases for these programs nor data tracking their targets and effects have been disclosed, leaving room for concern as similar programs have been based on problematic and partial studies.
(PDF file) Law targeting Muslim women: In Québec during 2019, the Laicity Act (Bill 21) was passed which precludes public sector employees from wearing visible religious symbols. In turn, this prohibits Muslim women’s coverings such as hijabs and niqabs.
(PDF file) Anti-Muslim incidents reported across Canada: (external link) There were 349 police report hate crimes against Muslims in 2017 and 173 in 2018. The number of anti-Muslim hate crimes more than tripled between 2012 to 2015, although overall hate crimes declined. These statistics are incomplete, as only a small portion (approximately one-third) of hate acts are reported and hateful incidents that are not deemed as hate crimes are not systematically recorded and tracked.
Anti-Muslim terror attack in London, Ontario: (external link) On June 6, 2021, a Muslim Pakistani-Canadian family was rammed by a pickup truck at an intersection. The targeted attack resulted in the murder of three adults and a teenage girl and in the hospitalization of a nine-year-old boy, who was left orphaned. This horrific tragedy resulted in a call for a National Summit on Islamophobia (external link) where Muslim communities were able to identify concrete ways to combat anti-Muslim racism across the country.

National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia

This day of remembrance and action is observed to honour the victims of the act of terror that took place at the Islamic Cultural Centre of the City of Québec. On January 29, 2017, a gunman entered the Islamic Cultural Centre at the end of evening prayers and opened fire, killing six persons and injuring 19. This day is also an opportunity to recognize those who selflessly and courageously put themselves in harm’s way to protect others and to express solidarity with the survivors of this tragedy.
Whereas anti-Muslim racism,violent extremism, and the denial of these realities are at the root of the Quebec City Mosque Attack, it is important that Canadians use this day as an opportunity to denounce and take action against anti-Muslim racism, hate and religious discrimination.

Facts and figures

Islam is the second largest religion in the world and in Canada after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.
46% of Canadians have an unfavourable view of Islam–more than for any other religious tradition.
52% of Canadians feel that Muslims can only be trusted “a little” or “not at all.”
42% of Canadians think discrimination against Muslims is “mainly their fault.”
47% of Canadians support banning headscarves in public (compared with 30% of Americans).
51% of Canadians support government surveillance of mosques.
55% of Canadians think the problem of anti-Muslim racism is “overblown” by politicians and media, and only 29% supported a non-binding parliamentary motion (M-103) to condemn and study anti-Muslim racism.
Fewer than half of Canadians would find it “acceptable” for one of their children to marry a Muslim–lower than for any other religious group.

Self-educate to learn more

References

Islam. (2018, January 5). History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/religion/islam
Kanji, A. (2017, November 10). Islamophobia in Canada . Noor Cultural Centre. Retrieved from https://noorculturalcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Islamophobia-in-Canada-2017.pdf
National Day of remembrance and action against Islamophobia. UFCW Canada - Canada's Private Sector Union. Retrieved from https://www.ufcw.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32884&Itemid=2497&lang=en
Souissi, T. (2021, September 9). Islamophobia in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/Islamophobia
2018 survey: Islamophobia in Canada, still a grave problem. CJPME. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cjpme.org/islamophobia