Spin doctor? No. More like upstanding citizen and activist.
‘I want to have a say’: Muslim youth fellowship at Toronto City Hall aims to break down barriers
In a rare democratic exercise, 13 Muslim youth will soon get to talk directly with a political operative that used to work for Stephen Harper — the former PM who once spurred heated debate over whether Muslims should be banned from wearing the niqab at citizenship ceremonies during the 2015 federal election.
For the young citizens headed to Toronto City Hall next month to work as part-time interns under a brand-new fellowship, it’s a unique chance to discuss a policy many in the community called out as marginalizing at the time, with someone who was at one point close to its architects.
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The eight-month fellowship is the brainchild of Mohammed Hashim and Nora Hindy, board members of the United Alliance on Race Relations. UARR and DawaNet — a Mississauga-based Muslim organization — forked out $22,200 for the program, a combination of community contributions and funding from the Atkinson Foundation. (The
Atkinson Foundation is the charitable branch of the Star.) The city is providing $10,000 in one-time funding.
The idea sparked back in 2015, around election time, when Hashim’s organization consulted the Muslim community on how they saw themselves fitting in Canadian democracy.
“There was a sense of disconnect,” he said. “People felt that they were Canadian, people knew that they were Canadian, but because of the way the government was speaking of them, they felt that they might not be included in the democratic process.”
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Mohammed Hashim
Mohammed Hashim is a labour organizer working for the Toronto and York Region Labour Council and a driving force behind organizations like the National Council of Canadian Muslims, DawaNet, and the Erin Mills Youth Centre. His groundbreaking work in political advocacy, public relations and the media has been widely credited by insiders as framing a new narrative for Muslims in Canada.
Although not publicly recognizable, many Canadian Muslims have likely heard his words. Whether it is regarding a mother of a 6-year-old on the No-Fly list, Muslim women being attacked during the election, or even Islamic schools wrongfully accused – his talking points and media advocacy are changing how Muslims are seen in the Canadian identity.
During the election, he voiced young Muslims’ issues by leading a team that held a national debate. After the conclusion of the election he initiated “Stronger Together” for NCCM, a national political advocacy network for the Muslim community.