Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) Draws Attention to Gendered Islamophobia at the National Action Summit

Written by Canadian Council of Muslim Women

Published in News

CCMW's Executive Director Nuzhat Jafri participated in the National Summit on Islamophobia earlier today to share the experiences and perspectives of CCMW members and of young women and girls on Islamophobia.

Nuzhat endorsed the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM)’ recommendations and put forward CCMW's own recommendations, which addressed the concerns of Canadian Muslim women and girls with a focus on gendered and Intersectional Islamophobia and gender-based violence (GBV).

The proposals were based on consultations with CCMW chapter members and other stakeholders, particularly young Black, queer, visible and non-visible Canadian Muslim women and young Muslim women with disabilities. These groups were recently invited to share their experiences of Islamophobia through CCMW’s Digital Anti-Racism Education (DARE) project. In addition, CCMW also hosted a Young People’s Roundtable on Islamophobia last week to provide young Muslim women a platform to air their views and discuss issues of concern.

Nuzhat used her time to highlight the urgent need to recognize the diversity of Canadian Muslim women and address the intersectional elements of Islamophobia. She drew attention to how Islamophobia is experienced differentially by each person, and how it intersects with other forms of discrimination such as anti-Black racism, sexism, homophobia and ableism. Likewise, she advocated for these voices to be provided a greater platform and to be included more actively in community consultations and policy discussions.

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Canadian Council of Muslim Women

The story of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) begins in 1982 when a group of dynamic and devoted Muslim women from across the country congregated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Led by the late founder of CCMW, Dr. Lila Fahlman, these women sought to mobilize their passion for social justice and faith in order to enrich their communities and work towards the common good of Canadian society.

This inaugural meeting led to the establishment of CCMW, a not-for-profit organization that works to provide equity, equality and empowerment for all Canadian Muslim women. For the past 30 years, its proud and accomplished roster of members have achieved and continue to achieve great milestones for Muslim women and Canada’s multicultural landscape. As a highly diverse organization, CCMW is firmly committed to the overarching vision of improving the status of Muslim women to remain true to their Islamic heritage and Canadian identity.