Peel school board approval of anti-Islamophobia strategy draws support from community groups

Community groups are welcominga Peel District School Board decision to develop an anti-Islamophobia strategy because they say the plan will helpmake schools safer for Muslim staff and students.

At its Sept. 30 meeting, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) passed a motion by trustee Nokha Dakroub that called for the adoption of the strategy. The planincludes mandatory anti-Islamophobia training for all board staff members.

The board is the first in the Greater Toronto Area to commit to creating such astrategy, and Dakroub is scheduled to announce it at PDSB headquarters on Thursday.

Aasiyah Khan, manager of education programs atthe National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), said the strategy is a step in the right direction, but if the planis to be robust, it will require involvement from community members andthe board to takespecific actions.

"We're hoping that this strategy is a first step in ongoing work that is necessary to ensurethat all students feel included," Khan said on Wednesday.

"We recognize that this is a systemic issue," she added.

"And so, itwould require a systemic commitment and response that does include centring student voice, reviewing curricular content that is problematic, affirming student identities,staff identities, creating spaces where, if folksare experiencing Islamophobia or any form of hate, they feel comfortable enough to report it.

As for mandatory anti-Islamophobiatraining for staff, such educationis a wayto eradicatemisunderstanding around Islam,to bring in "diverse narratives" about Muslim communities, and to make sure educators have the tools they need to ensure that classrooms are inclusive,Khan added.

If Islamophobia is left unchecked, it can lead to acts of violence, she said. "Our schools aren't immune to these realities."

The creation of the policy comes after the killing of four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont. earlier this year and the slaying of a caretaker at a Toronto mosque in 2020.

According tothe NCCM, the word "Islamophobia" is used in Canada is to describe the irrational fear or hatred of Muslims that leads to discrimination or acts of harassment or violence.

Board mustraise awareness, trustee says

In a video posted to Twitter, Dakroub said: "The strategy will focus on education, building understanding, centring student voice and valuing lived experiences. It is meant to include the delivery of mandatory anti-Islamophobia training to all staff, accountability measures and regular communication with the broader community."

Dakroub said the board has a responsibility to raise awareness, build understanding, ensure that schools are welcoming to all students and all staff, including those of Muslim faith, and deliver public education in a "culturally sensitive" manner. Peel Region is home to a vibrant Muslim community, she added.

She said the board will create a committee, made up of boardstaff and community members, that will have the responsibility ofoverseeingthe strategy's rollout. Community input has been "front and centre," she said.

Einas Habib, a Grade 7French immersion teacher at Sir William Gage Middle School in Brampton, said she is thrilled the board is tackling Islamophobia in this way. Muslimand non-Muslim teachers will benefitfrom themandatory training, she said.

"I'll behonest, I was waiting for this for a very long time," she said.

"Even as a student, I always wonderedwhen Muslims would be given more attention. Prior to even becoming a teacher, I knewthere was an issue, where students feltuncomfortable,the Muslim community feltextremely uncomfortable. Theydidn't really feel welcomein a way, or they were afraid of beingthemselves. Now, as a teacher, I'm super happy about this."

Habib said she hopes the strategywill enable staff and students to have conversations about Islamophobia in class. She saidshe hasheard from Muslim students about the struggles theyface.

"They have to try really hard and they have to be really careful with their words in order to be welcomed."

Combat hate through education, group says

The Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), for its part, said in a statement of support on Twitter that the strategyis in keeping with work it has been doing since 2017, which is to bring attention to hate crimes and create programs and policies to combat hate.

"One of the most effective ways to combat hate in all of its forms is through education and education begins with ensuring our school boards are held accountable in conducting the appropriate training necessary to address the rise in Islamophobia," CASSA said in the statement.

CASSA noted that the board has a "significant" number of Muslim students, staff members and teachers.

"Schools must be places of safety and should not perpetuate any hate or harm in any form," CASSA continued. "A positive learning and safe working environment needs to be cultivated and mandated to mitigate the harm both mental and physical caused by discrimination, xenophobia and Islamophobia."

A June 2020 report on the board found its administratorswere ill-preparedto make changes to deal with racism, specifically anti-Black racism,and that Islamophobia was a concern.

The approval of the motion cameafter four members of the Afzaal familywere run over by a man who police say was motivated by anti-Muslim hate in London last June.

It also followedthe fatal stabbing ofMohamed-Aslim Zafis, 58, a volunteer caretaker at an Etobicoke mosque,while he was sitting outside thefront doors ofthe International Muslim Organization.

Khan, for her part, said shehopes other school boards willfollow Peel's lead.

"It's a long road ahead and we need all school boards to be adopting a strategy like this."