Canadian students set up task force to study Islamophobia

The Canadian Federation of Students launched a task force yesterday that will go from school to school across the province to hear from Muslim students who have had good and bad experiences because of their religion.

“I’ve noticed differences in how people treat you,” U of T student Ausma Malik said, adding the treatment can be subtle and come from both students and faculty. Malik will sit on the task force made up of Muslims and non-Muslims from inside and outside the student community.

The task force started as a campaign against “Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism and racism” after Muslim students at Ryerson University were targets of hateful graffiti and posters two years ago, said Jesse Greener, the federation’s Ontario chairman.

Toronto Sun, 21 September 2006