Attacks against Muslims are a frequent reminder of how some people view them and can have detrimental effects on the mental health of members of the faith.
That’s the view of Andrew MacLean, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioural science at the University of North Dakota in Fargo.
“For many, that’s just news,” he said. But for Muslims, it can “cause angst and concern” on a daily basis, MacLean said.
Mike Thiessen / Winnipeg Free Press Files
Conference organizer Shahina Siddiqui, the association’s executive director, said the event is needed because Islamophobia is an ongoing problem in Canada.
Among other things, it can cause some Muslims to avoid going to mosques in order to avoid being seen as a member of that group, or to stay home to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
“Those of us who are not part of a minority group don’t know what it’s like to be a member of a minority,” MacLean said. “We don’t know what it feels like to experience stigmatization and discrimination.”
Regular reminders of minority status, and of hate directed toward them because of their religion, can have an impact on mental health, he said. It can cause people to internalize the hatred and see themselves “as the world is telling them they are.”
MacLean will be speaking about the mental-health impacts of Islamophobia on Canadian Muslims at a conference titled Human Rights and Islamophobia, on Saturday and Sunday in Winnipeg.
The conference, which takes place at the Hilton Winnipeg Airport Suites hotel and is sponsored by the Islamic Social Services Association, will feature presentations on the colonial roots of Islamophobia, political and legislative promotion of Islamophobia and the role of security agencies and artificial intelligence in promoting Islamophobia.
Also on the agenda are sessions on embedded Islamophobia in public institutions, the role of the media in promoting Islamophobia, and international Islamophobia and Canada’s response, among other topics.
Conference organizer Shahina Siddiqui, the association’s executive director, said the event is needed because Islamophobia is an ongoing problem in Canada.
Canadians usually notice its impact on Muslims only when there is a hate crime “that makes the news,” she said — such as the killing of four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., in 2021.
When that happens, “Everyone pays attention because it’s in the media,” Siddiqui said. “But the day-to-day microaggressions are not noticed, except by the people who experience them. They know it. It impacts them in various ways, including their mental health.”
These include hurtful comments made toward Muslims at school, work or other places, she said, noting some of the comments are subtle, such as snide remarks, while others are more overt — including labeling individuals as terrorists or spitting at Muslim women at a bus stop.
“No one should have to experience that,” Siddiqui said, adding that for every 10 cases she’s aware of, “there are probably 20 more I don’t hear about.”
The current situation is not like after 9/11, when there was an outburst of anger toward Muslims, Siddiqui said.
“When that happened, I understood it. People were afraid. But today, it seems more premeditated and entrenched,” she said. “There is a slow penetration of Islamophobia in Canada that impacts the daily lives of Muslims. Islamophobia has not gone away.”
Siddiqui hopes attendees of the national conference will be empowered by presentations from experts, researchers and activists so they can find ways to deal with and counter Islamophobia in Manitoba and across Canada.
“We want to explore every sector of society, education, justice, policing and other areas,” she said. Siddiqui added she hopes non-Muslims will also attend, or reach out to learn how they can assist in countering Islamophobia.
“We need allies from all walks of life,” she said.
What isn’t helpful is being told not to take it so seriously, or to shrug it off.
“It does hurt, and it isn’t easy to shrug off,” she said. “It has an impact. Islamophobia is internalized. … It’s a difficult time in our community. We are always looking over our shoulders.”
Siddiqui’s hope is that more Canadians will understand “how Islamophobia has penetrated our thinking in Canada,” and that more will join them in making Canada “hate-free.”
For more information about the conference, or to register, go to www.issacanada.com
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John Longhurst
Faith reporter
John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg’s faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.
