But it is, and it always has been. For far too long we’ve touted Canada as safe, inclusive, multicultural, “blanket of diversity”. For a long time we’ve scoffed at our Southern neighbours for being more explicitly racist. For a long time we weren’t critical because it wasn’t “as bad”. But then we started to know better. Now we know better but we’re not doing better.
8 days ago, the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found at the grounds of what was once a residential school in Kamloops, B.C. On Sunday, a 20-year old man drove his car and killed a family of 4 that were taking a walk on the streets of London, ON. Today, 2 Hamilton, ON paramedics were charged guilty of failing to provide necessaries of life in death of Yosif Al-Hasnawi, a 19-year old who was shot after defending another Muslim man from being accosted at the mosque down the street. He died because they didn’t believe him when they said he was in pain, attributing his reaction to a pellet wound and “psychiatric issues”.
Canada’s history, its past, its present, and its projected future (unless things change) is rooted in colonialism. The ethos of colonialism is in the erasure of existing peoples, traditions and bodies in the pursuit of one group’s people, traditions and way of life.
Today and in your regular life; colonial tendencies show up in ways that aren’t as explicit as driving people out from their land (although this still happens, read: 1492 landback lane). It’s in the microaggressions — the “where are you from” that implies you couldn’t possibly be born and raised in Canada. It’s in the “your English is so good” or that weird look your mama gets when she’s donning an abaya, or a shalwar kamees or dishdasha. Its in the verbal “Go back to where you came from” or the “Towelhead”. It’s in the deliberate murder of a family who were doing what we’ve been all told to do during the pandemic: go for a walk.
The Muslim community is so tired of grieving. We have grieved alongside our Black allies, our Indigenous allies, our Asian allies, and POC who have time and time again been subject to vitriol and targeted attacks. Make no mistake, Canada is racist. It’s in our policies, it’s in our lack of leadership who refuse to condemn islamophobia at the highest levels of government. It’s in the “I stand with X community and grieve with you” while a 2015 election was rampant with “barbaric cultural practice” hotlines and how the niqab were a point of discussion. Its the “I don’t believe them” when Muslim women come forward with incidents of assault – from Edmonton, Toronto to Montreal. It’s the “take Canada back” slogans and “old stock Canadian” and the hiring of staff members who are xenophobic, racist, bigoted but they smile alongside them while they apologize to the rest of us. It’s the condemnation of islamophobia but the acceptance of standing idly by while it permeates. While hate groups and white supremacists gather online and in real life to march against our existence.
This is culmination of decades worth of rhetoric that has been dangerous, that has cost our safety, and has cost lives.
I do not want to hear “this doesn’t happen in Canada” I do not want to hear “this isn’t us”. It is us. It is you. It has been us. And unless you stand up, show up, and speak up, it will always be us. Stop it before it festers. The work always starts with us. It starts with you, and if you’re not doing it then please start to know better. Until then, we will remain resilient.
