Equity & Inclusion Dialogue - The Anatomy of Ontario's Adversarial Relationship with Muslims

The Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion (Centre) is pleased to invite you to its Equity and Inclusion Dialogue series for the 2022-2023 academic year. 

Eventbrite registration is now open for this event. View the flyer for event details. Limited tickets available.

View the full listing of the Centre’s 2022-2023 Equity & Inclusion Dialogue series.

Session overview:

This session will focus on the politically endorsed aggression, demonization, suspicion and oppression of Muslims in a contemporary central-Canadian context.

Join us for a critical conversation that magnifies only a few mechanisms that socialize and normalize the generally accepted perception that Muslim lives, values, and presence are antithetical to Canadian “values.” Most importantly, we will collectively analyze and hypothesize how these values seep into educational contexts among students, instructors, and post-secondary curricula.

Facilitator Bio:

Sayema Chowdhury, BSc, B.Ed

Sayema is a mother, daughter, partner, aunt, life-long learner and vice-principal in the Peel District School Board's secondary panel. Having previously been seconded to the Faculty of Education at York University, she taught various subjects focused on diverse and equitable classrooms.

Sayema is interested in supporting mental health and well-being from a community, and the anti-racist perspective participates widely in diversity and equity initiatives throughout Ontario. She is committed to anti-oppressive education and learning. She holds a Masters in Education focused on cross-racial solidarities in educational leadership.

Sultan Rana, M.Ed

Sultan is a father, son, partner, and uncle. He is currently a Digital Literacy Consultant in the York Region District School Board. Before that, he was seconded to the Faculty of Education at York University, where he taught courses to the P/J/I panel with a focus on anti-oppression, particularly in physical education, social studies, and mainstream classroom practice.

Sultan has an interest in and known talent for integrating digital and technology-enhanced pedagogical practices meaningfully in all aspects of education. He holds a Masters in Digital Education and has been honoured by Apple, Google, and Raspberry Pi as a distinguished and innovative educator.