Hate crimes against both Jews and Muslims are on the rise in Canada. It is not difficult then to make a comparison between Muslim and Jewish communities in their experience dealing with religious-hatred. The Jewish community has an established history in Canada dating back to the 18th century – a history mired by bias and hatred which the Jewish community has found personal and institutional responses to. What can Muslim advocacy groups learn from the Jewish experience to combat anti-Muslim hatred? In what capacity can Islamic organizations strengthen themselves and their community members after the rise in hate crimes in Canada?
There will be three esteemed panelists who will respond to Nakita Valerio’s research study undertaken for IRSS and TTI titled, “Jewish Responses to Anti-Semitism: Lessons for Anti-Muslim Hatred.” Valerio’s research analyzes the responses of Jewish Canadians in combating anti-Semitism from a community and organizational perspective by analyzing various sources such as newspapers, meta-studies, statistical reports, and in-depth interviews. The author offers Muslim advocacy groups lessons that one can derive from the Jewish experience.
Our panelists for the event will be Bernie Farber, former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress and a social activist; Katherine Bullock, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto and Director of Research at Tessellate Institute; and Jasmin Zine, Professor of Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier with research expertise in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism.
