443 results for author: Kashif Ahmed

Study reveals Muslim children are routinely ridiculed for their beliefs and attacked verbally

By Megan Stacey London Free Press | December 27, 2017 Racial uglinesss and hatred, like the kind that’s repeatedly thrust London under a harsh spotlight in recent years, takes a toll. Just ask the local Muslim kids who were studied to see how that hostility plays out in their everyday lives. The fallout is so severe, some of the children say they’re even afraid to go to their mosques. That’s just one disturbing finding from a study done by Siham Elkassem, a child and family therapist at Vanier Children’s Centre in London. “A lot of the kids talked about how it’s a really scary time to be Muslim,” said Elkassem. She ...

Study reveals Muslim children are routinely ridiculed for their beliefs and attacked verbally

By Megan Stacey London Free Press | December 27, 2017 Racial uglinesss and hatred, like the kind that’s repeatedly thrust London under a harsh spotlight in recent years, takes a toll. Just ask the local Muslim kids who were studied to see how that hostility plays out in their everyday lives. The fallout is so severe, some of the children say they’re even afraid to go to their mosques. That’s just one disturbing finding from a study done by Siham Elkassem, a child and family therapist at Vanier Children’s Centre in London. “A lot of the kids talked about how it’s a really scary time to be Muslim,” said Elkassem. She ...

Inmate complaints on the rise over access to religious services

By David Burke CBC News | December 23, 2017 In prison, one of the only freedoms inmates have is to practise their religion — but in some cases, even that's getting harder to do. There's been an increase in the number of prisoners filing complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission about religious accommodation. Inmates are concerned about the delivery of spiritual services, the accommodation of spiritual practices and the observance of holy days, said Ivan Zinger, Canada's correctional investigator, the country's prison watchdog. Religious leaders also say there aren't enough chaplains in prisons to meet the spiritual needs of ...

Inmate complaints on the rise over access to religious services

By David Burke CBC News | December 23, 2017 In prison, one of the only freedoms inmates have is to practise their religion — but in some cases, even that's getting harder to do. There's been an increase in the number of prisoners filing complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission about religious accommodation. Inmates are concerned about the delivery of spiritual services, the accommodation of spiritual practices and the observance of holy days, said Ivan Zinger, Canada's correctional investigator, the country's prison watchdog. Religious leaders also say there aren't enough chaplains in prisons to meet the spiritual needs of ...

Board member of anti-racism agency fired amid accusations of Islamophobic commentary

By Jennifer Yang Toronto Star | December 21, 2017 A board member with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, an arms-length federal government agency established to counteract racism, has been fired amid concerns over what Muslim advocacy groups describe as “Islamophobic commentary” and her “public association with purveyors of hateful propaganda.” Christine Douglass-Williams has been a board member since 2012 and her dismissal was confirmed on Wednesday to foundation chairperson Albert Lo. He said he was notified by the Department of Canadian Heritage, which is responsible for the foundation. Lo said he was not provided with an ...

Board member of anti-racism agency fired amid accusations of Islamophobic commentary

By Jennifer Yang Toronto Star | December 21, 2017 A board member with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, an arms-length federal government agency established to counteract racism, has been fired amid concerns over what Muslim advocacy groups describe as “Islamophobic commentary” and her “public association with purveyors of hateful propaganda.” Christine Douglass-Williams has been a board member since 2012 and her dismissal was confirmed on Wednesday to foundation chairperson Albert Lo. He said he was notified by the Department of Canadian Heritage, which is responsible for the foundation. Lo said he was not provided with an ...

TVA apologizes for mosque story, says it will investigate ‘journalistic process’

By René Bruemmer Montreal Gazette | December 15, 2017 The TVA news network apologized Friday for a controversial and since debunked report on mosques banning women from a nearby construction site, but a national Muslim organization says the network needs to go further. At the mosques Friday, worshippers filled the halls and leaders praised the government and other media for their quick work to bring out the truth, but many said the damage wrought by the news report had already been done, once again stirring anti-Muslim sentiment and bringing fear and a sense of exclusion to members of the Muslim community. Outside the mosques, roughly a ...

TVA apologizes for mosque story, says it will investigate ‘journalistic process’

By René Bruemmer Montreal Gazette | December 15, 2017 The TVA news network apologized Friday for a controversial and since debunked report on mosques banning women from a nearby construction site, but a national Muslim organization says the network needs to go further. At the mosques Friday, worshippers filled the halls and leaders praised the government and other media for their quick work to bring out the truth, but many said the damage wrought by the news report had already been done, once again stirring anti-Muslim sentiment and bringing fear and a sense of exclusion to members of the Muslim community. Outside the mosques, roughly a ...

Intelligence reform needed to rebuild confidence, Muslim group tells MPs

By Jim Bronskill Canadian Press | December 12, 2017 OTTAWA — Reform of national security agencies — not just more oversight and review — is needed to rebuild confidence and trust, a national Muslim group says. The National Council of Canadian Muslims told MPs studying the Liberal government’s wide-ranging national security bill Tuesday that new watchdog powers won’t fix the “culture of impunity” and systemic ills within Canadian security agencies. The council’s executive director, Ihsaan Gardee, said the bill strengthens the security establishment, even as the available evidence suggests disarray — bias and top-down ...

Intelligence reform needed to rebuild confidence, Muslim group tells MPs

By Jim Bronskill Canadian Press | December 12, 2017 OTTAWA — Reform of national security agencies — not just more oversight and review — is needed to rebuild confidence and trust, a national Muslim group says. The National Council of Canadian Muslims told MPs studying the Liberal government’s wide-ranging national security bill Tuesday that new watchdog powers won’t fix the “culture of impunity” and systemic ills within Canadian security agencies. The council’s executive director, Ihsaan Gardee, said the bill strengthens the security establishment, even as the available evidence suggests disarray — bias and top-down ...