Western�e

M n a r e tVolume 1 Issue 1September 2016

Mental Health in the Muslim Community

Muslim & Non-Muslim Interaction

Decreasing discrimination

Muqarnas Press

Islamaphobia: A Closer look

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The Western Minaret

Founder & Publisher Dr. Mukarram Ali Zaidi

Editor in Chief Ayesha Imran

Editorial Board Dr. Mukarram Ali Zaidi Dr. Sakina Raj

Dr. Saad Yasin Dr. Inayat Thaver

Dr. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed Dr. Moazzam Ali Zaidi

Dr. Supriya M. Goyal Dr. Agata Nowak

Dr. Derek Blair Dr. Abdallahi Hamdy

Mohammad Yaseen Dr. Katherine H Bullock

Dr. Yasmin Majeed Dr. Aamir Daud

Dr. Abdul Qadir Kamran Dr. Omid Pour-Ahmadi

Dr. Sameena Ashraf Bajwa Dr. Anwar Haq

Research team Tyler Adams Esam Al-Ghabari

Sana Kaleem Dr. Javaria Saeed

Randall Sole- Kahler Naela Farage

Kohawar Khan Hamzah Naeem

Kinza Arshad Carly Giles

Abdul Ahad Ali Rahmatullah

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Scope of Research & Methodology ............................................................................................................... 4

Physical & Mental Health by Carly Giles .................................................................................................. 4

Muslim & Non-Muslim interaction by Esam Al- Ghabari ......................................................................... 6

Discrimination & Islamophobia by Hamzah Naeem ................................................................................ 8

Media depiction of Muslims and Muslim Criminals by Kinza Arshad ................................................... 10

The Islamization of Terrorism by Kohawar Khan ................................................................................. 12

Female Leadership in the Muslim Community by Naela Farage ............................................................ 14

Intercultural Communication between Muslims & Non-Muslims by Randall Sole- Kahler ..................... 15

Attitudes on Mental Health in the Muslim Community

by Sana Kaleem & Dr. Javaria Saeed ....................................................................................................... 16

Islamic knowledge & reflecting a true image of Islam by Abdulahad Farooq .......................................... 19

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Introduction

The Western Minaret is an undergraduate social sciences journal which aims to explore

the issues facing the North American Muslim community. With the rise of Islamophobia and the

constant depiction of Islam and Muslims in the news, this publications aim is to dispel myths and

misconceptions which have arisen as a result of current events.

The journal articles will investigate a scope of topics relating to the Muslim community,

such as the effects of Islamophobia, the media depiction of Muslims, the involvement of

Muslims in the non-Muslim and Muslim community, as well as integration in North American

society. Data from the Researchers, Intellectuals & Scholars Conference (RISC) survey targeting

Muslim residents conducted in the Calgary region, will be used to further highlight the

experiences and opinions of North American Muslims in the community. The RISC survey

gathered data on community involvement, political activity, opinions on Muslim leadership, and

what Muslims think about the representation of them in the media.

Research will also be compiled through one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and online

surveys. The articles will range from systematic reviews to quantitative, qualitative and mixed-

method analysis. Scholarly articles from varying sources will also be compiled to support

theories presented in the journal articles. The research will provide broader insights into the

Muslim community which media outlets have yet to cover.

Building a greater understanding of the North American Muslim community is the goal

of the research and concepts presented in The Western Minaret. The non-Muslim community as

well as the Muslim community can benefit from the insights compiled relating to North

American Muslims. Our research would like to bridge the gap between non-Muslims and

Muslims and the miscommunication that stems as a result of stereotypes and misinformation in

the media.

The Western Minaret’s scope of research would like to extend nationwide in Canada and

The United States in the near future, with the launch of the RISC survey in both countries. In this

way a broader range of data can help create a better understanding of how differing Islamic

communities view their surroundings. Compiling data from everyday Muslims will assist in

dispelling myths created by the media and the constant misrepresentation as a result of the lack

of knowledge about Islam in the non-Muslim community can be addressed. Through publishing

academic research and highlighting the factors that affect the Muslim community, The Western

Minaret’s goal is to make the public aware of how Islam and the Muslim population is

misrepresented in the twenty first century.

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Scope of Research & Methodology Below are the Research questions and methodology our researchers will be examining in their

journal articles. This journal will consist of systemic reviews, mixed method analysis, as well as

quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Physical & Mental Health by Carly Giles

The research question that I am exploring is “Is discrimination and/or the fear of discrimination

having an adverse effect on the physical and mental health of Calgarian Muslims? If so, what

sort of initiatives could address these problems?” I chose this topic because there is a well-

established correlation between discrimination and adverse mental and physical health. However,

there are not many sources that specifically explore this phenomenon with Canadian Muslims, so

I wished to fill this scholarly gap with my research project.

Discrimination is a social stressor (Anderson, 58), that in some severe cases, can lead to Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in both Muslim and non-Muslim populations (Helms,

Nicolas, and Green, 55). For example, in a post 9/11 sample of American Muslim men and

women, it was discovered that feeling less safe after the September 11th

attacks was positively

associated with PTSD (Abu-Ras and Suarez, 59). Other negative mental effects that have been

associated with discrimination include psychological distress, loneliness, paranoia, anxiety,

reduced self-esteem and substance abuse. Many Muslims find it very challenging to access

mental health services due to the mental disease stigma that is prevalent in many Islamic and/or

Arabic cultures (Ciftci, Jones, and Corrigan, 24). In my survey, I am looking to test if this stigma

may be stopping some Calgarian Muslims from accessing the mental health services that could

help them to deal with the negative effects of discrimination.

Discrimination can also lead to adverse physical health effects. This is primarily because

discrimination can cause significant stress, and stress can in turn impact the body (Pascoe and

Richman, 344) through a variety of brain-body pathways (Gianaros and Wager, 313). Within

many minority populations, discrimination has been associated with hypertension, as a result of

the strain that discrimination-related stress weighs on the cardiovascular system (Doleszar et al.,

28). In some American and English Muslim populations, discrimination has been correlated with

a variety of serious physical disorders (Kira et al., 59). As well, Western Muslims generally have

a lower health status than Western non-Muslims (Laird et al., 922). Additionally, discrimination

can lead individuals to avoid seeking medical assistance; for fear that they will face

discrimination within a medical environment or will not be able to adhere to the regulations of

their religion while receiving care (Laird et al., 925).

Reducing discrimination as a whole will of course also reduce the negative mental and physical

health effects of discrimination. In the article “Discrimination experienced by Muslims in

Ontario”, Dr. Uzma Jamil proposed that addressing discrimination through legal avenues,

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emphasizing multiculturalism and diversity within Canadian public schools, and arranging

interfaith and intercultural events are all initiatives that could potentially reduce discrimination

against Muslims. On an individual level, religious practice (Chaeyoon, 684), healthy sleeping

habits (Yang and Park, 1024), a sense of personal control (Moradi and Hasan, 425), and

disclosing experiences of trauma (Petrie et al., 787) have all been shown to promote overall

health and well-being. Sleep quality, religiosity (Salagado, et al., 340) and personal control in

particular are protective against the negative impacts of discrimination.

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Muslim & Non-Muslim interaction by Esam Al- Ghabari

Subject Overview: Muslim and Non-Muslim interaction in North America

Issue under consideration:

How can Muslims bridge the intercultural religious gap of religion and culture in the non-

Muslim community?

In the RISC Survey Muslim involvement in the community was mentioned, so the next step is to

speak to the non-Muslim community about Muslim involvement and how they feel about us

bridging the gap. I created a list of interview questions that will be put forward to Muslims and

non-Muslims.

The religious integration in several other western countries such as France, UK, USA and

Canada will be reviewed in the research. In the review I will reference the affect that the

religious gap has on adults in the workplace to youth in school. Through the literature review I

found that discrimination against Muslims has significantly increased post 9/11 and as a result

North American Muslims have struggled to integrate with society. The problem is a lack of

interaction and communication between the two communities, some Muslim’s prefer to hang out

and work with Muslim’s only, and non-Muslim’s are the same way. The Muslim community is

partly at fault for this as it tends to lack the open door policy, and the non-Muslim community is

just as guilty as they tend to generalize and paint the whole Muslim community with the same

brush.

Muslim involvement in the community will also be looked at from a non-Muslim perspective

after the interviews are complete, and Muslim involvement will also be referenced from the

RISC survey. The goal is to figure out how to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between Islam

and North American culture.

Sources being used: There will be a mix of journals, News Articles and Ted Talks as a

reference. Below I have listed 9 of the 34 journals that I will be using for my research.

- Identifying barriers to Muslim integration in France

http://www.pnas.org/content/107/52/22384.full.pdf

The research shows that “a Muslim is 2.5 times less likely to receive a job interview callback

than his or her Christian counterpart, not to mention to lower income of second generation

Muslims”. The research analyzes the discrimination based on religion, race and country of

origin. While things may seem a lot different in Canada there are some similarities that can be

paralleled, the fact that some one’s religion or name puts them at a disadvantage for work which

is against the employment equity act. “The Employment Equity Act is a federal law that requires

you to provide equal employment opportunities within your organization to four designated

groups: women; Aboriginal peoples; persons with disabilities; and members of visible

minorities.”

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-Muslims in Canada: An Illustrative and Demographic Profile

This article reviewed the socio-economic characteristics and growth of Muslim communities in

Canada.

-Muslim Youth in Canadian Schools: Education and the Politics of Religious Identity

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3195968?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

This article reviewed the experiences of Muslim youth in Canada who continue to practice Islam

while trying to integrate into the culture.

-Canadian Muslims, Islamophobia and national security

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756061608000499

This article reviewed the response of Canadian security and Law enforcement to the concerns of

Muslims post 9/11.

-Muslim Canadians, the Internet, and the War in Iraq

http://jci.sagepub.com/content/30/2/125.abstract

This article reviews the role that the internet played in creating an identity for Canadian Muslims

during the invasion of Iraq. It describes the relationship between the media and diasporic

communities which in this case was the Canadian Muslim community.

-The political participation and engagement of Muslim Americans

https://www.princeton.edu/~ajamal/APR.Jamal.pdf

This article reviewed the role that mosques play in the civic participation of Muslim Americans.

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Discrimination & Islamophobia by Hamzah Naeem

I will research in the area of: Discrimination and Islamophobia

My research Question(s) will be:

Has discrimination against Muslims increased, if so how can it be addressed?

What has contributed to the rise of Islamophobia and why?

What type of discrimination are Muslims facing in their day-to-day life?

How can politicians and other leadership fight stereotyping and Islamophobia?

How can local religious leaders and non-Muslim leaders and officials make efforts to

reduce discrimination against Muslims?

What can be done to address the negative portrayal of Muslims?

Methodology:

-Literature review, use results from RISC survey section C instead of making own questionnaire.

-Document incidents of discrimination against Muslims (news articles)

-Meta-analysis of literature to find recommendations/ suggestions

Structure and Themes:

-Discuss statistics about the increase of hate crimes, etc.

-Present survey data/ results from section C of RISC survey

-Found similar questionnaire conducted in other parts of western world, use it to validate

-Factors contributing to rise of Islamophobia (supported through journal articles) –media,

politicians, terrorist attacks

-How the increase of Islamophobia and discrimination affects Muslims (employment, service,

education, spiritual – vandalism of mosque or places of worship, healthcare, etc.)

-Recommendations from other articles on what can be done to combat Islamophobia. Discrimination and marginalization has increased in the last 5 years (RISC)

51% Muslims in the last 5 years have personally experienced discrimination due to their

race, ethnicity or religion

o 23% were verbally abused or attacked

76% think in the last 5 years discrimination against Canadian Muslims have increased

Many American Muslims have subsequently experienced religious harassment and racial

profiling. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports a 1,600% volume increase since

2000 in the number of hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting

Program)

More than 25% of Muslims in study reported workplace discrimination and unprovoked

interrogations and verbal assaults (Abu-Ras, 2009). Additionally, not only are the adults in the

workplace being discriminated, the larger concern reaches out to the 84% of youths between the

ages 12 to 18 who have faced discrimination (Sirin, 2007).

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According to the police, hate crimes targeting Muslim-Canadians doubled in the last 3 years

even though the total number of hate crimes dropped. (Statistics Canada, 2014)

2014: 99 religiously motivated hate crimes against Muslims

2012: 45 religiously motivated hate crimes against Muslims

This is not to say that the media are the cause of Islamophobia. However, it is fair to state that it

is the most accessible and indiscriminate disseminator of such ideas in our global environment.

Stated that the receptive audiences of news reporting generally regarded their output as being

authoritative, immediate, realistic and authentic irrespective of its diversity of forms. In this

context where ALL Muslims become indistinguishably one, the threat from Muslims can no

longer be underestimated. Not only those outside Britain are the enemy, but those born within it

are too. (Allen, 2001)

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Media depiction of Muslims and Muslim Criminals by Kinza Arshad

Subject Overview:

Media depiction of Muslims and Muslim Criminals

Issue under Consideration:

How does the media’s use of terminology in depicting Muslims and Muslim Criminals

contribute to marginalization of Muslims?

In the RISC survey, 58% of participants reported that average word(s) they think the average

Canadian uses to describe Islam are Terrorist, ISIS, Violent, extremist, barbaric, oppressive. I

will be conducting a meta-analysis of more than thirty-five studies in order to understand how

the media has influenced this image of Islam and whether this perception of Muslims is actually

the case. The view of Muslims in how they are perceived by the general public is negative. This

self-perception creates stereotype threat. A situation in which a population of people feel they are

at risk of conforming to their assigned stereotypes. In the case of Muslims, it is “terrorist,”

“violent,” “barbaric,” and “oppressive.” From this analysis I will look into possible media

reforms that suggest less threatening portrayal of Muslims and other minorities.

Sources being used:

Majority of my research is from academic journal articles, some academic publications, and

news articles.

Sample studies:

Bonansinga, D. (2015). The role of public discourse in threat framing: The case of islamophobia

in Czech Republic.

- The fundamental question driving the research: why a country with a numerically

negligible Muslim minority is experiencing growing public hostility, manifested through

the raising mobilization of citizens against Islam.

- By means of a discursive analysis, this paper aims at exploring the dynamics of threat

construction as related to the framing of Islam as an issue of security concern, by

focusing on the role of public discourse and by providing some insights from Czech

Republic (CZ).

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Brown, L., Brown, J., & Richards, B. (2014;2015;). Media representations of Islam and

international Muslim student well-being.

- Looking at the representation of Islam in British Media

- International Muslim students perceived Muslim countries to be portrayed by the media

as: (1) sympathetic to terrorism; (2) economically backward; (3) conservative.

- In order to correct misrepresentations portrayed by the media, some students took on the

role of ambassador to promote the true face of Islam.

Desmarais, F., & Bruce, T. (2010). The power of stereotypes: Anchoring images through

language in live sports broadcasts.

- Television commentary draws heavily on stereotyping of teams based on their country of

origin

- Sports commentary create and reinscribe symbolic differences between nations

- The way commentators represent teams and players is heavily influenced by stereotypes

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The Islamization of Terrorism by Kohawar Khan

Research Question: How has the Islamization of terrorism formed?

Research Method: Literature review/ Brief interviews with Shaikh Navaid and a representative

from the Police

Overall my research has shown how the Islamization of terrorism has been formed. I have had an

in depth look at different sting operations along with different massacres that have happened that

would classify as terrorism but have not be classified as a terrorist attack.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or

violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian

population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” Sep 13, 2011

Furthermore, the CIA defines terrorism as “According to the agency, the CIA definition of

“terrorism” is “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant

targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.” Apr 27, 2013

Current Issues:

An entire faith has been given a portrayal of being a violent religion. The faith of Islam has been

depicted as a faith that entails a high level of terrorism. This has resulted in an increase in

Islamophobia which has marginalized an entire group of individuals and has also increased the

level of hate crimes that are taking placed around the world. As per The National Council Of

Canadian Muslims “Hate crimes are defined as any criminal offence in which there was a bias

against: race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sec, age, mental or physical

disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor. Another category of hate crimes

includes hate propaganda: advocating genocide and/or public incitement of hatred and willful

promotion of hatred.”

The most recent piece of evidence that back up my research is the John Nutall and Amanda

Korody case where the defense lawyer was successful in proving that the so called attack was

planned by the government and how much money the officers made working overtime. This has

been a vital part of my research to see how sting operations are manufactured to depict a

particular faith as violent.

Furthermore, looking at different massacres such as the Chapel Hill Shooting and Andrew

Breivik brings light to the subject of terrorism and how someone of the majority is treated when

they commit an attack of terror. Both situations have created a sense of fear in a group of people

however; they are not given the same treatment as those who are in Guantanamo Bay. The idea

that this is okay is once again marginalizing an entire group of individuals and pushing the

platform of the upper class majority.

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I had the chance to look over many sting operations and now will be analyzing each one to show

how they were set up. Different Ted Talks show how the FBI are creating terrorists and

Islamizing the word without following the criteria of what terrorism is. Below are articles that

support this idea.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/10/central-african-republic-christian-militias-

revenge

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chapel-hill-shooting-three-young-muslims-

gunned-down-in-north-carolina-at-their-family-home-10037734.html

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-toronto-18-terrorism-case/

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-toronto-18-terrorism-case/

10 Abdus Sattar Ghazali, Islam & Muslims in the post-9/11 America (Modesto: Eagle

Enterprises, 2008), 19.

5 Margaret Scanlan, "Migrating from Terror: The Postcolonial Novel after September 11,"

Journal of Postcolonial Writing , 46: 3 (2010), 266-278.

http://www.kusi.com/story/26058350/survivors-recount-san-ysidro-mcdonalds-massacre-after-

30-years

http://www.mintpressnews.com/depleted-uranium-iraq-wars-legacy-cancer/193338/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/19/us-depleted-uranium-weapons-civilian-areas-

iraq

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/oct/13/world-health-organisation-

iraq-war-depleted-uranium

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/project-souvenir-john-nutall-amanda-korody-

investigation-overtime-1.3468323

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chapel-hill-shooting-three-young-muslims-

gunned-down-in-north-carolina-at-their-family-home-10037734.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/anders-breivik-right-wing-extremist-who-

killed-77-in-utoya-norway-massacre-wins-lawsuit-against-a6992756.html#gallery

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Female Leadership in the Muslim Community by Naela Farage

Research Question: Do females within the Muslim community have a leadership role? Do they

feel represented, empowered and have authority on community affairs?

Method: I will conduct a literature review followed by a non-random snowball method

interview process. The interview will ask about the following themes: the governing body of the

Calgary Muslim community, leadership roles and representation of female Muslims in the

Muslim community, empowerment and authority, as well as value of female Muslims in the

Calgary community.

A brief summary of findings from the literature review:

In exploring Muslim women’s leadership and empowerment within the Muslim

community, it is important to not only examine trends and patterns, but to also investigate the

root cause of the issue. Through one-on-one interviews, Desai, Sabra, and Haffajee (2011) found

that, like any society, Canadian Muslim women’s social realities are heavily affected by the fact

that patriarchy is entrenched in their communities. The article further discusses that there is a

lack of female Muslim representation within the leadership. This is a result of many generations

of cultures influencing the decisions of Muslim governing bodies. Common perceptions about

Muslim females are also a result of the ways that Muslim females are represented in media and

popular culture (McMurray, 2007). The most evident consequence that Muslim females in the

Muslim community face is the lack of access to leadership roles, and empowerment thereof.

Gupta and Yesudian (2006) outline that a woman’s degree of empowerment is based on the ways

that gender identities, gender roles, and gender relations are devised by the family, household,

community, and societal levels. Thus, the Muslim community needs to reconsider how females

are perceived based on an Islamic perspective, rather from a cultural one. Since public leadership

roles are encouraged in Islam (Koehler, 2011), Muslim women should have the confidence and

support to play active roles within their Muslim communities.

Citations:

Desai, S., & Haffajee, Z. (2011). Breaking the silence: reclaiming Qur'anic

interpretations as a tool for empowerment and liberatory praxis for dealing with domestic

violence in Canadian Muslim communities. Canadian Woman Studies, 29(1-2), 127.

Gupta, K., & Yesudian, P. P. (2006). Evidence of women’s empowerment in India: A

study of socio-spatial disparities. GeoJournal, 65(4), 365-380.

Koehler, B. (2011). Female entrepreneurship in early Islam. Economic Affairs, 31(2), 93-

95.

McMurray, A. (2007). Hotep and Hip-Hop: Can black Muslim women be down with hip-

hop? 1. Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, 8(1), 74-92.

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Intercultural Communication between Muslims & Non-Muslims by

Randall Sole- Kahler

Research Question: How can we improve intercultural communication in order to avoid

miscommunication and promote positive interaction between Muslim and Non-Muslim

Canadians?

The goal of this systematic review is to oversee all literature surrounding Intercultural

Communication and highlight the key similarities that plague Canadian culture with xenophobic

attitudes surrounding Muslim groups. By doing this I hope to identify a path towards better

interaction between Muslim and Non-Muslim groups.

My research began in the realm of simply understanding the nature of Islamophobia, which of

course lead me towards the nature of prejudice and how we form stereotypes. Understanding

stereotypes and their connection to prejudice was hugely helpful in narrowing down my research,

as I came to understand most prejudice is actually formed by gaps in understanding being filled

mentally by common images or ideas, an example would be the common misconception of the

Hijab. This is relatable to western perceptions of Muslim groups because the majority of the

information given to the dominant society in Canada is by the media, which only reports what is

considered ‘news’ (war, terrorism, violence ext.) so the gaps in our knowledge are filled with

those images and we form harsh stereotypes thus leading to prejudice. A large portion of my

systematic review should cover stereotypes and its relationship with media in western culture.

Leaping from prejudice I decided the next logical step was to identify myths in the perception of

Islamic culture. Oddly I have had a difficult time actually finding literary resources on these

myths, as they either directly tackle these myths or do not address them what so ever. What I

really need is a list of myths so I can reference them, otherwise they are fairly self-evident. An

example is the perception of the Hijab, lots of research surrounds this myth, as well as the

perception of a beard on a visibly Islamic person.

Understanding how prejudice works, and how it have be disassembled, combined with

knowledge of the most persuasive myths that fuel that prejudice we should be able to tackle

prejudice in Canadian populations. What my research has shown thus far is that people are either

Malleable thinkers or Fixed thinkers, fixed thinkers are extremely difficult to persuade but

malleable thinkers are capable of changing their worldview and are willing to do so. By

providing Malleable thinkers with information that can change their view of Muslim groups we

should see more Muslims being welcomed into the In-group (aka: the dominant society in

Canada. In-groups and out-groups were also a large facet of my research) and normalize

interaction with Muslims and eliminate the unconscious prejudice that causes the dominant

culture to want to minimize interaction with Muslims.

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Attitudes on Mental Health in the Muslim Community

by Sana Kaleem & Dr. Javaria Saeed

Our research will include literature review on impacts of negative attitudes towards mental

health and help seeking. After the literature review we will conduct qualitative and quantitative

research through a mental health attitude assessment surveys. The research will include an online

survey made available on many social media pages. The goal of this research is to

assess attitudes and spot gaps between the service providers and the community, and use

this knowledge to better mental health programs in the community.

Definition of stigma

Stafford and Scott propose that stigma "is a characteristic of persons that is contrary to a norm of

a social unit" where a "norm" is defined as a "shared belief that a person ought to behave in a

certain way at a certain time". Crocker indicated, "Stigmatized individuals possess some

attribute, or characteristics, that conveys a social identity that is devalued in a particular social

context". The concept of stigma faces many challenges in the scientific community.

Allport (1954, p. 9, The Nature of Prejudice)

‘‘Ethnic prejudice is an antipathy based upon a faulty and inflexible generalization. It may be felt

or expressed. It may be directed toward a group as a whole, or toward an individual because he is

a member of that group’’

Goffman (1963, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identify)

‘‘Stigma…is the situation of the individual who is disqualified from full social acceptance.” The

stigmatized individual has an “attribute that is deeply discrediting” and ‘‘reduced in our minds

from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one’’

Crocker et al (1998, p. 505): “stigmatized individuals possess (or are believed to possess) some

attribute, or characteristic, that conveys a social identity that is devalued in a particular social

context”

Link and Phelan (2001): Stigma is “when elements of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status

loss, and discrimination co-occur in a power situation that allows the components of stigma to

unfold” (p. 367)

What contributes to stigma?

Stereotypes –mental image, or generalized beliefs and opinions, about characteristics, attributes,

or behaviours of most members of a particular groups (Oskamp & Schultz, 2005)

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How are stereotypes formed? (Oskamp & Schultz, 2005)

Most of the public relies on popular media its main source of information about mental illness. A

study analyzed the media content and found that Danger, violence and criminality are direct

themes in 40% of Canadian newspaper articles on mental illness. The study also found that a

cure was only discussed 19% of the times which could lead people to believe that mental illness

are permanent and incurable and most significantly more than 83% of the articles that were

coded did not have a direct or paraphrased quote from someone with a mental illness, and when

they were coded it was only a positive message less than one-half of the times. (Whitley & Berry

2013).

How to change attitudes of mental health?

Intergroup contact theory is a general social psychological theory; According to contact theory

intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup prejudice between groups in presence of four

conditions, equal status, common goals, intergroup cooperation and the support of authorities,

law or custom (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). A Meta analysis study on contact hypothesis shows

Samples with no claims to these conditions still show significant relationships between contact

and prejudice but the structured contact predicts stronger contact- prejudice effects, according to

the study conducted by Pettigrew and Tropp. Where Contact under favorable conditions

decreases prejudice the opposite is also true contact under unfavorable conditions increases

prejudice and intergroup tension (Amir, 1969)

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Meta-Analytic Review on the Effectiveness of Jigsaw Classrooms:

Improving Muslim-Canadian Interaction

by Tyler Adams

Research Question: Why has the integration of Islamic citizens not been effective in reducing stigma behind Muslim

culture?

Objectives: Determine the cause of misunderstanding between cultures

Find an alternate method to easing tensions between Canadian and Muslim cultures/individuals

Repair this misunderstanding through collaborative learning (Jigsaw Classrooms)

Search Strategy: Research was adjusted to fit a meta-review format. The review compiles evidence from multiple

sources evaluating the effectiveness of Jigsaw Classrooms while correlating it with TFA’s RISC

survey.

References: Bratt, C. (2008). The Jigsaw classroom under test: No effect on intergroup relations evident. Journal of

Community and Applied Social Psychology, 18(5), 403-419. This article proved useful as it points out the weaknesses of my proposition through quasi-

experimental research; fortunately, the holes this article points out are easily explained away

Sherif, M., Harvey, O.J., White, B.J., Hood, W., & Sherif, C. Intergroup conflict and cooperation: The

Robbers Cave experiment. Norman: University of Oklahoma Institute of Intergroup Relations. This article provided me with the basics of Aronson’s jigsaw technique, including the initial 4

central tenants, with the author’s additional 5th tenant included

Pettigrew, T. F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual review of psychology, 49(July), 65-85.

This reference gave me the foundation to my understanding of reducing prejudice in an effective

way through G. Allport’s contact hypothesis/theory.

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Islamic knowledge & reflecting a true image of Islam

by Abdulahad Farooq

Research question:

Does adequate Islamic knowledge amongst Muslims help in curbing radicalization and foster a

better Canadian Muslim hence reflecting a true image of Islam in Canadian society?

Methods:

To overcome the past challenges involved in the field of teaching and educating, our plan

focuses on providing interactive learning, thereby integrating traditional learning experiences

with modern-day techniques to enhance overall educational experience. Five approved programs

were designed to study and identify any gaps in knowledge that may lead to radicalization and

marginalization.

Program 1: Quranic Literacy

Description: The goal of this program is to foster a more comprehensive understanding of the

primary Islamic text, The Holy Quran. It will also dispel the faulty interpretation of certain

verses that are used as an excuse to radicalize people.

Program 2: Lessons from the Prophet’s (PBUH) life

Description: The objective of this program is to comprehend and appreciate the ways Prophet

(PBUH) conducted his day-to-day dealings and activities. This program will debunk the issues

pertaining to why/is Islam a violent religion. Furthermore it will focus on certain incidents from

the Prophet’s (PBUH) life that have been negatively portrayed or understood.

Program 3: The Basics of Islam

Description: This program focuses on the core principles that the religion of Islam is founded

upon. Accurate understanding of these principles can help answer a lot of the “why are we doing

this?” questions, commonly faced by Muslims.

Program 4: Spirituality; Morals & Manners

Description: Spirituality and character is a significant part of Islamic knowledge, which is often

neglected by many. A common observance amongst radicalized individuals is no spirituality and

regard for basic manners and ethics. By educating on these matters, our goal is to shape a well-

mannered, civilized human being.

Program 5: Biographies of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus peace be upon them

Description: These prophets are common in three of the largest religions on earth. The aims of

this program will display the link between Islam and other religions, hence focusing on the

concept of coexistence and common ground.

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Literature Review:

Radicalization is a multi-step process, which can be divided into four different stages. 1)

cognitive opening, 2) religious seeking, 3) framing, and 4) socialization [1]. The focus of our

study is mainly to analyze stages 2 & 3 as the amount and proper application of religious

knowledge, or the lack thereof, directly impacts an individual’s core beliefs. A study by

Woodward & Colleagues examined a few counter-radicalization strategies, amongst which they

supported the idea of ‘Muslim education’ as it functions to provide a protective mechanism

against radicalization [2]. Furthermore, to prevent the spread of radical ideologies, Muslims,

especially the youth, must become better educated about the religion, particularly with regards to

war and peace

Reference:

1. Beutel, A. (2007, August 30). Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in Western

Muslim Communities: Lessons Learned for America. Retrieved from

http://www.minaret.org/MPAC%20Backgrounder.pdf

2. Woodward, M., Rohmaniyah, I., Amin, A., Coleman, D. (2010). Muslim Education,

Celebrating Islam and Having Fun As Counter-Radicalization Strategies in Indonesia.

Retrieved from http://terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/114

3. Al-Jadda, S. (2014, November 2). Islamic Education Key to Preventing Radicalization.

Retrieved from http://theislamicmonthly.com/islamic-education-key-to-preventing-

radicalization/