Calgary among 6 Canadian cities to sign charter against Islamophobia

He ‘coughed or spit on my scarf,’ says veiled Muslim teen abused on C-Train

By Ayesha Clough
CBC News | July 4, 2016

Calgary was one of six Canadian cities to endorse a charter Monday vowing to eliminate anti-Muslim hate crimes, as community leaders expressed concern about a rise in the number of Islamophobic hate crimes.

“It’s a step to first acknowledge that this is a challenge and this is a real issue, said Hida Fadol of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, a civil liberties group.

“We can’t even address the problem if we don’t acknowledge it exists,” Fadol added.

Statistics Canada says hate crimes targeting Muslims have increased, with 99 incidents reported in 2014, roughly double the number in 2012.

. . .

Other cities signing the charter include Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Windsor and London. Leaders from the six cities held simultaneous news conferences on Monday.

Calgary resident Sarah Buzreba, 16, spoke out in favour of the new Charter for Inclusive Communities after becoming a victim of an Islamophobic attack.

Buzreba said she no longer feels safe using transit, after a bad experience with another passenger on the C-Train…

Read full article.