The Muslim Question In Canada

To those who study the integration of immigrants in Western countries, both Muslims and Canada are seen to be exceptions to the rule. Muslims are often perceived as unable or unwilling to integrate, mostly due to their religious beliefs, and Canada is portrayed as a model for successful integration. This book addresses the intersection of these two types of exceptionalism through an empirical study of the experiences of Muslims in Canada. Replete with practical implications, the analysis shows that instead of fixating on religion, the focus should be on the economic and social challenges faced by Muslims in Canada.

Despite Islam's long history in the "new world", the majority of Muslims in Canada are relatively new immigrants. How do Muslims in Canada cope with living in a non-Islamic environment? Are they able to maintain their Islamic values or do they prefer to become assimilated? To what extent does observance of the "five pillars" of Islam influence their identity? What effect do Canadian values such as drinking alcohol, eating pork, celebrating Christmas, premarital sex, bank interest, etc. have on a Muslim's identity, particularly since many of these are forbidden by Islam? What role do Muslim's community groups and organizations play in the adaptation of Muslims immigrants to their new homeland? How are Muslim's living in Canada affected by the political structure at the community, national and international level? This book examines these questions as well as many others, in an attempt to determine the extent to which Muslims in the Canadian multicultural mosaic are able to maintain their identity.

During the last twenty years, public interest in Islam and how Muslims express their religious identity in Western societies has grown exponentially. In parallel, the study of Islam in the Canadian academy has grown in a number of fields since the 1970s, reflecting a diverse range of scholarship, positionalities, and politics. Yet, academic research on Muslims in Canada has not been systematically assessed. In Producing Islam(s) in Canada, scholars from a wide range of disciplines come together to explore what is at stake regarding portrayals of Islam(s) and Muslims in academic scholarship. Given the centrality of representations of Canadian Muslims in current public policy and public imaginaries, which effects how all Canadians experience religious diversity, this analysis of knowledge production comes at a crucial time.

A variety of Canadian voices come together here to explore some of the vital issues facing Muslims in Canada. Who, indeed, is a Canadian Muslim? This is only one of the fundamental questions addressed in this volume. The authors are from diverse ethnic backgrounds, hail from coast to coast, and profess varying degrees of practice and belief. In their thoughtful contributions, they explore matters of faith, identity, sectarianism, human rights, and women's rights. Specifically, the essays collected here question the dubious role of the government of Canada--under pressure from the war on terror--and its agencies regarding scientific research and the Muslim traditions of knowledge and intellectual pursuits; give examples of tolerant Muslim upbringing and reinforcement of positive identities; point out the duplicitous practices of certain Canadian media in portraying Muslims; look at the issues of women voting or participating in sports while veiled, and the implications of Shariah law as a means of arbitration. With contributions by: Anar Ali, Arif Babul, Anver M Emon, Karim H Karim, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Rukhsana Khan, Sheema Khan, Amin Malak, Syed Mohamed Mehdi, and Haroon Siddiqui.

A significant number of Canadian-raised children from post-1970s immigrant families have reached adulthood over the past decade. As a result, the demographics of religious affiliation are changing across Canada. Growing Up Canadian is the first comparative study of religion among young adults of Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist immigrant families. Contributors consider how relating to religion varies significantly depending on which faith is in question, how men and women have different views on the role of religion in their lives, and how the possibilities of being religiously different are greater in larger urban centres than in surrounding rural communities. Interviews with over two hundred individuals, aged 18 to 26, reveal that few are drawn to militant, politicized religious extremes, how almost all second generation young adults take personal responsibility for their religion, and want to understand the reasons for their beliefs and practices. The first major study of religion among this generation in Canada, Growing Up Canadian is an important contribution to understanding religious diversity and multiculturalism in the twenty-first century. Contributors include Peter Beyer, Kathryn Carrière, Wendy Martin, and Lori Beaman (University of Ottawa), Rubina Ramji (Cape Breton University), Nancy Nason-Clark and Cathy Holtmann (University of New Brunswick), Shandip Saha (Athabasca University), John H. Simpson (University of Toronto), and Marie-Paule Martel-Reny (Concordia University)

This volume examines, from diverse perspectives, what it means to be a Muslim in Canada. These vital questions of faith, culture, and identity are addressed by prominent members of the Canadian cultural and intellectual community.

To those who study the integration of immigrants in Western countries, both Muslims and Canada are seen to be exceptions to the rule. Muslims are often perceived as unable or unwilling to integrate, mostly due to their religious beliefs; Canada is portrayed as a model for successful integration. This book addresses the intersection of these two types of exceptionalism through an empirical study of the experiences of Muslims in Canada. Drawing on data from large-scale surveys as well as face-to-face interviews, Kazemipur draws a detailed picture of four major domains of immigrant integration: institutional, media, economic, and social/communal. His findings indicate that the integration of Muslims in Canada is not problematic in the institutional and media domains. However, there are serious problems the economic and social domains, which need to be addressed. A fresh account of the lives and experiences of Muslim immigrants in Canada, this book gets at the roots of the so-called Muslim question in Canada. Replete with practical implications, the analysis shows that instead of fixating on religion, the focus should be on economic and social challenges faced by Muslims in Canada.

Problems – of integration, failed political participation, and requests for various kinds of accommodation – seem to dominate the research on minority Muslims in Western nations. Beyond Accommodation offers a different perspective, showing how Muslim Canadians successfully navigate and negotiate their religiosity. The authors critique the model of reasonable accommodation, suggesting that it disempowers religious minorities by implicitly privileging Christianity and by placing the onus on minorities to make formal requests for accommodation. Through interviews, Muslim Canadians show that informal negotiation takes place all the time; scholars, however, have not been paying attention. This book proposes an alternative picture of how religious difference is woven into the fabric of Canadian society.