大象传媒

In Canada, the beginning of October inaugurates Islamic History Month. Here in Vancouver and beyond, people gather to learn about, reflect on, and celebrate the rich, diverse histories of Muslim communities, both as they have developed here among Muslim-Canadians and across the world.

CCMS is committed to uplifting Muslim voices, stories, and communities, in all their plurality and diversity. We have engaged in building initiatives in order to support the community. For example, in 2024, CCMS was part of an effort at 大象传媒 that launched the Islamophobia Council, which is meant to address and combat instances and structures on campus that continue to enable a climate of Islamophobia. CCMS also hosts the Project on Islamophobia, which houses all our programming, including our events, on the subject of Muslim communities and discrimination. Additionally, in 2021, CCMS was one of the organizations that petitioned the City of Vancouver to officially recognize October as Islamic History Month, which was successfully passed that year. CCMS is proud to be partnering with many Muslim groups at 大象传媒 and diverse communities throughout the BC Lower Mainland.

CCMS also continues to call attention to humanitarian crises and war crimes in the Muslim world that have been caused or exacerbated by ongoing European, US, and Canadian colonialism. As a university within the so-called 鈥淕lobal North,鈥� we have a duty to advocate for the predominantly Muslim communities in Palestine, Sudan, Kashmir, as well as the plights of communities like the Rohingya, Uyghurs, and beyond. We support their struggles for liberation and express our solidarity.

CCMS is showcasing robust programming in the month of October. Each event below explores an aspect of Muslim society, cultures, subjects, or non-Muslim subjects who live within the cultural sphere of the Muslim World.

• On October 8, we are hosting a conversation between Dr. Renisa Mawani and CCMS RA Parsa Alirezaei for a discussion, entitled 鈥淕aza from the Sea,鈥� considering processes of settler colonial domination and racial violence from the sea in Gaza and beyond.

• On October 17, we are delighted to showcase In this discussion, Dr. Koyagi will examine a geographical imaginary that conceptualized Asia as a contiguous civilizational space that stretched from Japan to the Middle East. In their attempt to identify Asia鈥檚 civilizational essence, Japanese proponents of this imaginary mobilized globally circulating ideas of race, religion, and civilization. These ideas shaped how they imagined Prophet Muhammad and ancient Mesopotamian civilization as key pieces of evidence that demonstrated Japan鈥檚 spiritual and racial sameness with the Middle East.

• On October 20, we are hosting a talk by local scholar Waleed Kadray on the subject of 鈥�  

• On October 23, Canada鈥檚 Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, will be joined by CCMS scholar-in-residence Dr. Amyn Sajoo to discuss the question of what the role of civil society is in holding to account Canada鈥檚 claim to take seriously human rights & the rule of law.

• On October 27, we have invited Dr. Mahdi Ganjavi to deliver a talk on his new book, The talk will delve into how show how Western notions of scientific and technical rigor combined in unexpected ways with Iranian and Islamic values at AMUT in the years directly preceding the 1979 Iranian revolution.

• Finally, on October 28, the ongoing CCMS Film Club will be screening the award-winning movie The Message. To attend the screening, one must become part of the Film Club. Email ccms@sfu.ca to let us know if you are interested.

• We are still rolling out the month鈥檚 programming, so keep apprised of future events by joining our listserv. Email ccms@sfu.ca to enroll.

Finally, if you are a Muslim reflecting on your experiences here in the 鈥淰ancouver鈥� metropolitan area and are needing to access resources, please visit the below websites.

For legal help:

For community events and other logistical resources:

Stay tuned for future plans! For more information please contact: ccms@sfu.ca