Canada on Thursday appointed its first anti-Islamophobia adviser, Amira Elghawaby, in a country scarred by a series of attacks on Muslim communities in recent years.
“Islamophobia is a phenomenon that many Muslims know very well. We need to change that,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
Amira Elghawaby, a well-known activist and journalist, will act as a “spokesperson, adviser, expert and representative” for the government in developing policies that reflect the reality of Muslim communities, according to a statement.
“I look forward to meeting with elected officials, legislators and community leaders from across the country to amplify the voice of Muslim Canadians,” the Canadian Foundation for Race Relations director of communications wrote on Twitter.
“Today marks a historic moment for Muslims in Canada,” the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCMC) said in a statement.
Several attacks in recent years
“There are urgent changes to be made, whether it’s improving oversight of our national security agencies or preventing our community organizations from being unfairly scrutinized,” said Stephen Brown, executive director of the CNMC.
In a series of tweets, Amira Elghawaby also recalled the names of members of Muslim communities killed in Islamophobic acts in recent years.
In June 2021, four members of a Muslim family were killed when a man ran over them with his truck in London, Ontario. Four years earlier, six Muslims had been killed and five wounded in an attack on a mosque in Quebec.
The appointment follows recommendations made at a national summit on Islamophobia organized by the federal government in June 2021 in response to these attacks.
Source: BFM TV
