October is Islamic Heritage Month (also known as Islamic History Month) and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Organization is celebrating by bringing more learning opportunities about Islamic culture and values to Bradford, Innisfil, and surrounding communities.
During this commemorating month, Muslim communities highlight and celebrate the many contributions made in Canadian history by Canadian Muslims, emphasizing the importance of learning about one another to foster greater social cohesion while sharing the culture’s diversity.
“When a community is united and strong, it sends a message to its roots and branches of security, peace, understanding, equality, and most of all, respect,” shares Riffat Jahan, member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Organization in Innisfil. “Therefore, I say let’s strengthen our communities and stand together to learn, celebrate, understand, and respect each other.”
The organization has a display dedicated to Islamic Heritage Month located at the Nantyr Shores Secondary School in Innisfil for students to explore.
There will be an exhibit on display this Friday, Oct. 26 from 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Library in the Zima Room, depicting many Islamic inventions and tools used in earlier centuries.
“The Islamic Heritage Month Exhibition will offer a unique perspective into the glorious Islamic civilization and its contributions that have revolutionized the history of human learning and development,” explains Jahan.
Jahan will be one of many volunteers handing out pamphlets on Friday to members of the community who visit the BWG Library to learn more about Islamic traditions and history.
She shares that she and her family have been the victims of ‘hate crime’ simply because of the way they dress.
“I think there’s a general misconception with Muslims, and I don’t blame people,” she said. “It has a lot to do with a lot of what is happening around the world – 9/11, Iraq – people are using religion as a reason to do something bad.”
“We want to inform the public and provide this opportunity to the community we are a part of, we’re here regardless of what information has been put out there by extremists and terrorists; they don’t follow the religion and go on to fulfill their own demonic prophesies.”
Jahan wears a scarf over her face while out in the community and explains that this tradition is HER choice, but still encounters problems simply because "people don’t understand".
“When I am wearing a scarf, it sends a message: this person does not tolerate touching,” she explains. “It’s not just showing my individuality, it’s also a way to protect myself from behaviours that are not welcome or may invade my privacy.”
Jahan recalls shopping in a local Walmart with her six-year-old daughter one day when a female customer walked up to them, spit on them, and told them to "go back to wherever we came from". The customer's saliva had missed Jahan, and landed on her daughter.
“I cleaned her face and explained, some people are just having a bad day,” she said.
The incident was reported to head office as a hate crime nothing ever came of it since there were "no ‘witnesses".
“All this hate is because people don’t understand,” she explains. “They may dress differently or have different skin colour, but unless you talk to them and get to know them, having preconceived notions brings us back to harming others without even knowing the person – mending hearts is what we need to do now.”
Jahan encourages residents to "get to know your neighbours" as a way to start breaking down the walls of miscommunication.
“I know every single one of my neighbours here in Innisfil. Every time someone new moves into the neighborhood, we always put together a welcome basket, doesn’t matter who it is, we’re all humans,” she said.
According to Statistics Canada, as of 2020, police have reported 2,669 criminal incidents in Canada that were motivated by hate, and that stat is projected to rise "relatively quickly over the next two decades" due to the growing multicultural Canadian population.
“Islamophobia is not growing in some shady and dubious corner of our society—it is being fostered in the public eye, for all to see. It is stitched and woven in the very fabric of our everyday living atmosphere,” states Jahan. “It’s the fear and we’re afraid of what’s different or what we don’t understand, so we stay away.”
“I honestly believe that the best preventative measure to avoid violence, hate, and fear, is an open mind,” she adds. “We must sincerely attempt to understand and respect each other, thereby establishing a sense of mutual trust.”
To learn more about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Organization, visit: www.Alislam.org
"May the month of October bring about a positive change in our communities, bestowing greater understanding, joy, peace, and gratitude, and may October be an inspiring Islamic Heritage Month!” she concludes.
