The Project on Islamophobia
Launch & Vision
In 2024, the Project on Islamophobia launched in order to challenge Islamophobia occurring on 大象传媒's campus that targeted Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. Systemic racism and prejudice remain persistent problems at 大象传媒 and beyond across the Vancouver Metropolitan Area, and CCMS commits itself to providing programming to educate and highlight the diversity of Muslim societies, histories, and cultures, as well as for non-Muslim populations living in the "Muslim world." CCMS intends to continue to provide resources to our local communities to access services and networks they may need in fighting Islamophobia.
If you would like the support the Project on Islamophobia, get in contact with us at ccms@sfu.ca. We are looking for community partners, funders, and are open to collaborations of all stripes. We look forward to offering these resources to the community.
Components
- Signature Event Series
CCMS programs a yearly event series rooted in the subject of Islamophobia. Such events include faculty lectures, film screenings featuring films related to Islamophobia, graduate student presentations, and other topically-relevant points of interest. These events are aimed to attract a range of audiences -- from faculty and students to the wider community interested in learning more about Islamophobia. CCMS records these events and make them available for watching thereafter in order to reach non-local audiences. Providing Resources
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:
: Call 604-343-3828
Over the past several years, Islamophobia has increased significantly in Canada. In response to the rise of Islamophobia, a group of legal organizations and concerned lawyers in British Columbia established the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline in March 2016. Working in solidarity with Muslim and racialized communities, the Hotline aims to combat Islamophobia by providing free legal advice and representation to individuals and groups affected by Islamophobia. Individuals who have experienced Islamophobic discrimination will be assisted by BC lawyers to access available legal remedies.
The Hotline also opposes Islamophobia by providing public legal education, research, and systemic advocacy by working with diverse communities. This may include distribution of educational material, media engagement, community outreach in collaboration with mosques/faith centres, Muslim organizations, and other organizations interested in dismantling Islamophobia and related discrimination.
For community events and other logistical resources:
The South Asian Legal Clinic of BC was established by a group of South Asian women in BC who witnessed first-hand the gaps in access to justice for South Asian people in the province. Our inaugural board sought feedback from legal service providers, community services providers, and other stakeholders, which confirmed the need for a dedicated South Asian legal clinic in the province.
Muslim Link aims to inform, connect, inspire and celebrate Muslims living in Canada. We build community through storytelling.
Muslims in Canada come from a diversity of ethno-cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Some have newly arrived as refugees, others are third generation Canadians. Some are struggling on social assistance in subsidized housing; others are making three-figure salaries and living in expensive neighbourhoods. Some have recently retired; others are just trying to get that first job while still in high school. Some identify strongly with Islam as a way of life, others are still working out what being Muslim means to them. Muslim Link hopes to create a space where the diversity of these experiences can be captured and explored in order to increase Canada鈥檚 Muslims鈥� understanding of themselves and each other.
Muslim Link is a social enterprise which is independent of and not affiliated with any Muslim organization in Canada or abroad. This independence allows us to be free to explore the diversity of perspectives within Canada鈥檚 Muslim communities. To learn more about the people behind Muslim Link visit Our Team Page.
Muslim Link provides an avenue for Muslim and non-Muslim organizations to advertise and communicate with the Muslim communities of Canada.
stopracialprofiling.ca and stopislamophobia.ca are projects of MARU, a registered British Columbia non-profit society.
Founded in 2005, in the aftermath of the rise in racial profiling and Islamophobia after the events of 9/11 (September 11, 2001), the society has focused on
1. research (The Impact of Racial Profiling - a research project funded by the Law Foundation of BC and in partnership with the Allard School of Law at UBC -2008)
2. education (instigating a BC Civil Liberties conference on racial profiling in 2007);
3. advocacy (working with then Member of Parliament Libby Davies to introduce a private members bill - Bill C-296, An Act to eliminate racial profiling), and;
4. community engagement (various community events related to racial profiling and Islamophobia).