Farhat

Filmed and edited by Yazmeen Kanji.

Prison can be a lonely, isolating place. Many times, it transforms prisoners completely. For some inmates, religion is where they turn to cope with the temporary and often not-so-temporary loss of the life they once knew. For many Muslim inmates, religion is perhaps the most important part of their own transformation, or a major part of their correctional program.

Prisons are microcosms of our society and what’s on the outside impacts the inside. The surge in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate we see in our communities is also reflected in Canada’s criminal justice system and correctional services.

The very religion that gives inmates sustenance in prison, becomes a marker to discriminate against them. Minority communities, in particular, bear the brunt of systemic and institutional limitations. 

We need to include anti-racism, anti-Islamophobia when training our correctional officers. We need our politicians to help counter the growing Islamophobia and racism in our prisons. It’s only then, that real change will happen!

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About the Hate2Healing Campaign
Recognizing the strength of storytelling, CCMW launches a unique Hate2Healing anti-hate social media campaign to mark October’s Islamic Heritage Month. The campaign comprises 15 videos from diverse Muslim women, girls and non-binary people coming together to speak about their lived experiences of hate, racism and Islamophobia. The campaign aims to start the healing and recovery process for many survivors of hate by encouraging them to share their stories and start talking about their experiences both online and offline.