National Islamic Understanding Conference to be Held for Canada's Service Industries

 A national conference is being held designed for all service sectors in Canada, including: social services, mental health, health, education, law enforcement, government and public agencies, multi-cultural and settlement agencies.

Canada's service sector is vast and multifaceted, employing some three quarters of Canadians and accounting for over two thirds of the country's GDP.

This unique conference aims to foster mutual respect, improve understanding and to inform service sector stakeholders constructively and professionally about Islam and to educate participants into the cultural and spiritual diversity of Canadian Muslims.

This conference is critical in the light of increasing Islamaphobia. According to current polls 56% of Canadians hold anti Muslim views.

Close to 56 per cent of Canadians have a negative impression of the Muslim faith, said conference organizer Shahina Siddiqui, citing a recent Maclean's magazine survey.

That impression often affects the way lawyers, social workers, teachers and other service providers deal with Muslim clients, said Siddiqui, executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association.

"It's obvious there is need for information and... understanding for service providers whether they're dealing with the established community or newcomers."

Day 1 - 24 November 2010 - is a day-long seminar that seeks educate participants in the basics of the Islamic faith, its nuances, the diversity of the Muslim community, the effects of trauma on refugees, and challenges facing Muslim families, as well as an overview of cultural practices. This seminar will allow service providers the insight and the skills to ensure best practice and offer a spiritually and culturally compatible service to their Muslim clients.

This introduction will deal with various aspects of Islam and will encourage dialogue and discussion on some of the most misrepresented facts about the religion of Islam. Also covered will be the unique history and experiences of Canadian Muslims, their cultural diversity, their most crucial challenges and their many contributions to Canada.

There will be specific workshops on Day 2 designed for various service sub-sectors and will address their particular needs. People registering for these workshops must also register for the first day.

A primer for legal professionals about Shariah, or Islamic law, is also being unveiled at the conference. It aims to help them better understand where some of their clients are coming from, legally.

The organization has also prepared a booklet for people who foster Muslim children. It will make people more aware of a child's sensitivity to things like pets in the home and kinds of feminine protection. "There are so many little things," said Siddiqui, such as hygiene. "If a child is used to a certain routine, you need to maintain that or cause a lot of mental or spiritual anguish."

At the conference, the organization is launching an anti-domestic violence campaign with posters going to Muslim communities across Canada. The first posters will be in English, followed by other languages prominent among Canadian Muslims. The posters will refer people to a national help line with access to interpreters, Siddiqui said.

Sources:
Carol Sanders, "National conference in Winnipeg aims to change negative attitudes, assumptions about Muslims" Winnipeg Free Press November 22, 2010
"Conference: Understanding Islam and Muslims" ISSA