Funny Pics Funny Racist Muslim Joke
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Racist jokes, fear of my hijab being ripped: As a young Muslim, I know Islamophobia in Canada is nothing new
This attack, just like the Quebec mosque shooting that killed six worshippers and the Peterborough mosque arson which left the holy building ablaze was premeditated and coaxed to fruition by decades of Islamophobic politics, media coverage, and ignorance, Abeer Khan writes.
Before I knew how to do long division, I knew about 9/11. I dreaded that one day every September, knowing all eyes would be cast suspiciously on me, the visible Muslim in the classroom. I was privy to the terrorist jokes, the bomb jokes and the name-calling. Throughout middle school, high school and even now in university, I've always chosen to sit in the last row of seats in fearful watch of someone would pulling my hijab off.
That's what it's like to grow up in a climate where our peers are groomed from a young age to believe Muslims were lesser than, and this is the norm for countless other Muslim youth who become victims of Islamophobia before they can even fully grasp what it is.
This week, Yumna Salman, a 15-year-old girl, was killed in London, Ont. in an Islamophobic attack that also took the lives of three other family members: her father Salman Afzaal, her mother Madiha Salman and her grandmother were also killed, leaving behind a 9-year-old son. The person who killed them was only 20-years-old — my age — yet they were so full of hate for people they didn't even know.
While many will say "This is not Canada," and "We're better than this," I'll counter: This is Canada. This is the reality I have grown up in and this is the reality my children will most likely grow up in. It's foolish to believe that this attack was isolated, not a representation of "true Canada" and that thoughts and prayers will fix things. This attack, just like the Quebec mosque shooting that killed six worshippers and the Peterborough mosque arson which left the holy building ablaze was premeditated and coaxed to fruition by decades of Islamophobic politics, media coverage, and ignorance.
This is nothing new.
Just a few days ago, it was found that a former Hamilton paramedic was guilty of failing to provide Muslim youth Yosif Al-Hasnawi with life-saving treatment, resulting in his death. He was only 19-years-old.
In 2011, a Muslim woman wearing the niqab was attacked in Mississauga, my hometown. Her assailant screamed at her and pulled off her veil in front of her children. In 2013, six Muslim students at Queen's University were assaulted by four white men because they were Muslim. Quebec today has a law that bans individuals from wearing religious symbols like the hijab in public servant roles such as police and teachers.
These are just some of the many attacks connected by a thinly veiled line of Islamophobic hatred spewed for decades against Muslims, the countries we come from and toward Muslim-passing people manifested in prejudice and discrimination that we experience all our lives. In Canada, many like to think multiculturalism is a shield from racism and xenophobia. In reality, it's a distraction from the adamant denial of white supremacy and a product of willful ignorance.
Islamophobia is rampant in our communities and I've seen it since I was a child. While I'm immensely saddened by what happened this week in London, Ont., I'm numb to the fact that something like this will likely happen again unless non-Muslims start to realize the problem and unlearn what they've been taught from a young age. As Muslims, we are taught to be peaceful. We are kind. We are your friends. We are your neighbours and we are your family. Our lives are important just like everyone else's.
In grade six, two of my classmates told me how their families uprooted their lives and moved from New York to Toronto after 9/11 due to rampant Islamophobia in their previous communities. At the time, I was so happy for them and glad thinking they were now safe in Canada. 11-year-old me was naive though because now, 9 years later, I know this sense of safety is entirely fabricated.
I want to one day live in a country where I will truly know a sense of safety, belonging, respect and dignity for my life. Until then, I invite you all to reflect and unlearn any hatred you may hold in your heart. Talk to your Muslim neighbours and friends, hold space for heavy conversations and most importantly, pass your new knowledge onto your kids. Build a generation of youth resilient to xenophobic rhetoric, a generation that will be better than today.
Source: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/06/09/racist-jokes-fear-of-my-hijab-being-ripped-as-a-young-muslim-i-know-islamophobia-in-canada-is-nothing-new.html
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