
'A step in the good direction': Event held to address rise in Islamophobia in Waterloo Region
CTV
The Coalition of Muslim Women in Kitchener-Waterloo is taking steps to address the rise of Islamophobia seen in the region.
The Coalition of Muslim Women in Kitchener-Waterloo (CMW) is taking steps to address the rise of Islamophobia seen in the region.
The group welcomed local leaders to St. George Banquet Hall in Waterloo on Sunday to explore ways to protect against hate.
“This is a step in the good direction, hopefully in a positive direction because we’re not just whining that things are bad, we’re actually committing to action saying ‘okay, here’s a problem, what do we do about this?’” said Mifrah Abid, coordinator of CMW’s ‘Together Against Islamophobia’ Program. “So we’re actually positioning this as not just remembering the victims but also translating our sorrow into action and so it’s very much like an advocacy day."
The event was held just one day before the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Day of Action Against Islamophobia.
“It’s very important that we start to educate our community members to know what it means to have Anti-Palestinian racism,” said Suhaila Salah, spokesperson for Sporas Scattered, a local Palestinian organization. “We need to start having conversations with less judgment within our communities.”
The CMW is reporting a sharp increase in the number of hate crimes in the region.
“If you compare October to December of 2022 to October to December of 2023, we’ve seen an 83 per cent increase in overall hate incidents,” said Abid.