News: Media

Systemic Islamophobia in Canada: A Research Agenda, edited by Anver M. Emon and published by the University of Toronto Press, has been named among the top 100 best books of 2023. This insightful 296-page book delves into the intricate and pressing issue of systemic Islamophobia in Canada. To explore the content of this new book, […]

On September 13, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court ruled against intervening in Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) audit of the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC)*. MAC raised a Charter challenge against the CRA on the grounds of violating religious freedom and non-discrimination. Muslim communities in Canada have long (but quietly) been concerned about CRA’s audit practices. […]

Postdoctoral Fellow Sana Patel was recently featured on The Scope (BritishMuslimTV) alongside Leila Bdeir to discuss Islamophobia in Canada. Sana explained that Canada has a long history of Islamophobia which includes American influence. She also described the ways in which online spaces allow Islamophobia to prevail due to their unregulated characteristics. You can view the full episode at: […]

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) was proud to host a hybrid event in honour of Islamic History Month. “Storytelling is Our Superpower”. Anver Emon and Moska Rokay were part of the panel and discussed the role that the Muslims in Canada Archives project plays in enabling storyrelling. You can now watch the recording from […]

On June 20th, 2022, Professor Anver Emon (Director, Institute of Islamic Studies) gave testimony to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights on the topic if Islamophobia in Canada (link contains meeting minutes, transcript, and video). Professor Emon’s statement (click to read the full statement) shows how Islamophobia takes shape in the Federal Government’s bureaucratic workings across […]

Recently Dr. Anver Emon, (Director of Institute of Islamic Studies ) visited Simon Fraser University to discuss the role of academia in countering the damaging legacy of stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. You can now watch a recording of the discussion between Dr. Emon and Dr. Amyn B. Sajoo as they discussed topics such as: […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto, welcomes the inclusion in the proposed federal budget of the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) project. We thank the Government of Canada for its support, and the strong advocates for MiCA in the Government, such as MP Arif Virani (Parkdale -High Park). We look forward to working closely and […]

Last March, 2021, the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) was pleased to host the online platform for Under Layered Suspicion: A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities. The report was the fruit of a collaborative research and engagement process led by Anver Emon, Director of the IIS, and Nadia Z. Hasan, Chief Operations Officer of the National […]

The third volume of our student run publication, Islam in the City: Crossroads is out! The summer issue tells a myriad of stories, some personal — some borrowed. How does Vampire Weekend and Eid intersect? Where do the ethics of medical racism lie? How does the “modesty myth” impact the way assault and abuse is […]

The IIS is deeply grateful to everyone who held space to process and grieve, in the wake of the tragic murders in London, ON last month. During that time, the Reading Muslims network compiled and posted a series of reflections in solidarity with #OurLondonFamily. The compilation is now made available as a publication below. We […]

On the evening of June 6, 2021, 20-year old Nathanial Veltman decided to maim, murder, and erase from existence, a family of Muslims out on a daily walk, simply because they were Muslim.

One of the many blessings of working as an archivist at MiCA is the chance to connect with a cornucopia of wonderful people that I may not have had the pleasure of meeting otherwise. Although we use different avenues to do our work, the brilliant ribbon that ties us all together is our shared passion, commitment, and drive to amplify the stories and lived experiences of Canadian Muslims […]

On April 19, 2021 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrysta Freeland presented to Parliament the 2021 Federal Budget. Not surprisingly, the budget narrative is framed around the need to respond to COVID19 and overcome the economic recession it has caused across Canada. But while the budget presents a considered impetus to Canada in […]

We at the IIS are proud to launch a new research report, in partnership with National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), called “Under Layered Suspicion: A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities”. The report can be found at: layeredsuspicion.ca The report finds potential biases and prejudicial policies that influence the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) […]

The Muslims in Canada Archive (MiCA) project was recently featured in the Toronto Star. Moska Rokay (Research Fellow and Project Coordinator for MiCA), and Anver Emon (Director, Institute of Islamic Studies) share insights about the origins of the project and how it fits into a broader societal shift in empowering community members to tell their […]

On Oct 16th, a French schoolteacher in the suburbs of Paris named Samuel Paty was murdered by a Muslim man for showing his classroom caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The aftermath has placed Islam and Muslims under scrutiny with the government claiming that “Islamist separatism” is challenging the Republic’s values and unity. In this podcast, […]

MiCA partners Memorial University and Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANAL) have been awarded an SSHRC grant to launch the Muslim Narratives and Lives in Newfoundland and Labrador Community Project (MNL in NL Community Project). Lead by co-PIs Jennifer Selby and Ayse Sule Akinturk, the project will both locate and create archival materials to […]

The IIS is pleased to announce that Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council has awarded a Partnership Development Grant to support the development and growth of the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA). MiCA is a project of the IIS in partnership with a number of national and local archival institutions, such as the University […]

To the IIS community of faculty, staff, students, and community partners I’ve had the pleasure to talk to many of you over the last few days, as we struggle individually and collectively in the wake of horrific police violence against Black Americans such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arberry, as well as the […]

We are all saddened by the tragic terrorist acts in New Zealand directed at Muslims in prayer at their mosques. For Canadians, this heinous act hits especially hard, as we have only just commemorated on January 29th the Quebec City mosque massacre, in which 6 Canadian Muslims were killed while in prayer, by Canadian White-supremacist […]