Niqab bans boost hate crimes against Muslims and legalize Islamophobia
Our guest today says that instead of deterring anti-Muslim hate, Canadian laws are actually making it worse - in essence, legalizing Islamophobia. Natasha Bakht is an award-winning legal scholar who has spent the past five years researching the rise in anti-Muslim attitudes in North America. She is a professor in the faculty of law at the University of Ottawa and the author of In Your Face: Law, Justice, and Niqab Wearing Women in Canada. In her book, Natasha explores the stories of niqab-wearing women who have faced discriminatory laws.
Don’t Call Me Resilient · Nahid Buie, Vinita Srivastava, Reza Dahya, Lygia Navarro, Jennifer Moroz, Natasha Bakht, Vaishnavi Dandekar
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Show Notes
Many people have an idealized vision of Canada as a gentle, kind and accepting society. However, last year, as a Muslim Canadian family took their evening stroll during lockdown in London, Ont., a white man rammed his pickup truck into them. Four of the five family members were killed.
The incident sparked horror and outrage. But the truth of the matter is anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the steady rise in the 20 years since 9/11.
According to a report from July 2021 by the National Council of Canadian Muslims, more Muslims have been killed in Canada in targeted attacks and hate crimes than in any other G7 country.
Our guest today says that instead of deterring anti-Muslim hate, Canadian laws are actually making it worse - in essence, legalizing Islamophobia.
Natasha Bakht is an award-winning legal scholar who has spent the past five years researching the rise in anti-Muslim attitudes in North America. She is a professor in the faculty of law at the University of Ottawa and the author of In Your Face: Law, Justice, and Niqab Wearing Women in Canada.
In her book, Natasha explores the stories of niqab-wearing women who have faced discriminatory laws.
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ICYMI - Articles published in The Conversation
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