Ajax endorses National Council of Canadian Muslims’ recommandations to fight Islamophobia
Published March 2, 2022 at 11:57 am
Ajax Town Council unanimously endorsed recommendations from the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) in an effort to combat Islamophobia in all its forms at a town council meeting on February 28.
The NCCM is a non-profit dedicated to defending the human rights and civil liberties of Canadians, with a particular focus on challenging discrimination and Islamophobia.
Rizwan Mohammad, an NCCM advocacy officer from Ajax who had previously spoken to Regional Council to advocate for a donation to the legal fight against Quebec’s religious symbols ban Bill 21, spoke to Ajax council Monday.
“I’ve been fortunate to have grown up in Ajax and Pickering and to have lived in Ajax for about 17 years. I’ve been happy to witness demographic change in our populations so that it’s now comprised of a racialized majority of 56 per cent,” Mohammad said.
To Mohammad’s point, the 2016 census found nearly 67,000 people in Ajax were from a visible minority group, well above runner-up Pickering with 39,000.
“I’ve also watched with pride as Ajax has taken steps to create more positive spaces, policies and programming to help promote inclusion and equality,” he added. “We see this motion passing as an opportunity to build on that commitment to action that Ajax has already shown.”
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“This is important now because of the ongoing need to for such action. Islamophobia, Anti-semitism and Anti-Black Racism and other forms of hate and racism are on the rise. Hate crime and hate-motivated incidents continue to rise with only a small fraction of them being reported to police.”
Mohammad shared a personal story in the meeting describing a his walk to the Downtown Ajax Mosque for evening prayers during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.
Wearing a regular shirt and pants – “an outfit I might wear to work on any given day” – with a topi (a white skull cap worn by Muslim men for prayer), Mohammad made his way to the mosque, when a beer bottle was thrown at him.
“Walking down Bayly Street that night, as a pickup truck passed by me, I heard loud voices shouting and I just heard people laughing as the truck sped off. I took off my cap, put it in my pocket and from that day I have to admit I’ve avoided wearing my cap in public while walking in Ajax.”
Mohammad says he didn’t report the incident to anyone, not to the police, elected officials or even his mosque leaders. “I felt like there was no point,” he said. “I felt like nothing could be done.”
He also related other stories he’s heard from Muslim Ajacians from a panel discussion in October. Two other panelist shared stories of bottles being thrown at them while in Ajax. These incidents were also not reported as, like Mohammad, the victims felt it futile. Mohammad stressed passing this motion would be Ajax’s chance to change those feelings of futility
“I’m maybe naive, but I feel a bit shocked that that would happen here in Ajax because that’s not what we’re about,” said Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier. “On behalf of all of us I can say I’m a bit shocked, and sorry that happened.”
Collier then moved to bump the motion, forwarded by Councillor Sterling Lee, a vocal proponent of anti-racist policy and council representative of the Regional Anti-Racism task force, up in the agenda to be discussed directly after Mohammad’s delegation.
The motion, seconded by Councillor Ashmeed Khan, resolves to have Ajax endorse the seven recommendations for municipalities National Council of Canadian Muslims.
The first recommendation is the implementation of street harassment bylaws to address hateful verbal assaults, giving police the ability to ticket if necessary.
Secondly, it seeks funding for anti-Islamophobia community initiatives and public awareness campaigns. Another recommendation is the creation of Advisory Councils with representation for Muslim communities.
The NCCM advises events to celebrate the history of local Muslims as well. “Municipalities should fund events and spaces where their accomplishments are celebrated in a way that clearly shows that Muslims have made real contributions to Canadian society,” reads the motion.
Two other recommendations call for funding for alternative police methods, and the development of training models for young Muslim leaders, such as those seen in Toronto’s Youth Fellowship.
Lee and Khan’s motion also called for Ajax to join endorse a motion from Brampton to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board condemning all forms of hate, including Islamophobia, supporting the NCCM recommendations and calling on the federal government to create an Office of the Special Representative to address Islamophobia.
“This shouldn’t come as a surprise, this coming from Ajax” Lee said, We’ve talked about this ad nauseum and it’s just an extension of what I truly think is the Ajax identity which is…the idea of Ajax for all. That we’re a sanctuary city. The fact that we pride ourselves on being one of the most racialized municipalities.”
After initiatives to address anti-black racism, anti-asian hate, and antisemitism, “anti-Islamophobia is the next logical step,” Lee said, stressing that Ajax is pursuing most of the recommendations already.
“This is just a way to finally formalize this and provide protection,” said Lee, “It’s like the mayor said, I hate to hear that this is happening in our town. People often just say ‘not in Canada. I expect this in the United States, but not in Canada,’ but not only is it in Canada, it’s in Ajax, Ontario.”
Khan said reading the report left him experiencing anger, disappointment and sadness. “When Muslims come to this country… they are not the scum of the Earth. They come here qualified with their resources. They have left their homes and their families, their villages to not be mediocre in Canada, in Ajax.”
“We create employment. We pay taxes,” he added. “We’ve built out community with the heights of integrity. When I see this, when I stand in the elevator with my family wearing the hijab and the topi, and someone looks at us and says ‘Uh, no. We’ll get the next one,’ That stings.”
“What century are we living in where we have to bring motions like this to the table? My kids wear the hijab and the topi. I am scared everyday when they go to university or walk to the mosque.”
Ajax Council passed the motion unanimously, joining Brampton, Kingston, London, St. Catharines, Toronto to endorse the NCCM recommendations.
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