Ep 14: Violent Islamophobia is systemic in Canadian settler colonial state and society

Dr. Adnan Husain -Director of MSGP- is joined by co host Amel Bensalim, a Libyan-Canadian SSHRC-funded Master's student at Queen's University and Member of MSGP. Dr. Husain and Amel welcomed two guests: Azeezah Kanji, a legal academic and writer, whose has appeared in the Al Jazeera English, Haaretz, Toronto Star, TruthOut, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, OpenDemocracy, Roar Magazine, iPolitics, Policy Options, Rabble, and various academic anthologies and journals. And Dr. Yasmine Djerbal, a recent PhD graduate from Queen's University whose work revolves around Islamophobia and the French and Canadian states. Her research investigates how radicalization & terrorist narratives are used to erode citizenship rights of Muslims in Canada and France. Specifically, she looks at how the two countries oversee, read, and manage Muslims in relation to secularism and 'war on terror' legislation. 

In this episode, the panelists addressed the implications and impact of the horrific murder of four members of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, which was motivated by white supremacy and hate. Three generations of a Muslim Canadian family killed, leaving a 9-year-old child orphaned. The motive was horrific: Nathaniel Veltman, the pickup driver who mowed into them targeted them because of their faith.  Thus far, Federal and provincial Crown attorneys have laid terror charges against Veltman while Police allege the incident was a planned and premeditated attack targeting Muslims However, Canadian Society continues to address the tragic killing of the Afzaal family as an "isolated incident"; yet Canada simultaneously faces virulent anti-Muslim hate and a brand of exceptionalism that promotes apathy and even denial towards the very existence of islamophobia in the country.

  Find MSGP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MSGPQU  and on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSGPQU Support us here: https://www.queensu.ca/msgp/ Follow our host Dr. Adnan Husain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adnanahusain