Ottawa-Carleton District School Board welcomes new anti-Islamophobia resources

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is applauding a new set of online resources launched by the Muslim Association of Canada, aimed at combating Islamophobia in schools. 

Lynn Scott, board of trustees chair for the OCDSB, says the efforts of Ottawa Muslim educators to remove fear and hate will pave the way for all students to be able to walk through the front door of their respective schools  and feel truly welcomed. 

At the beginning of this fall semester, the OCDSB adopted an Indigenous equity and human rights road map that provides training for teachers, students and staff on the value of having a diverse student body.

“Any good educational resource addressing discrimination is going to help us eliminate those barriers for our kids,” says Scott. 

Principal Aisha Sherazi of Al Furqan school in Ottawa, says having the backing coming from area educators and school districts is a huge step in the right direction. 

“The pressure of having to self-advocate and educate others on who they are, while you want kids to be comfortable with who they are, that pressure shouldn't always fall on their shoulders alone.”       

The Muslim Association of Canada, a national non-profit organization, launched a website, Thursday, December 2, that features three courses, four workshops and six hours of educational videos to help address anti-Muslim biases that teachers and students may have. 

-With files from Canadian Press.