This 4-part Critical Conversation Series will take place bi-weekly via Zoom. Please see the discussion topics below. 

Series #1: Dismantling Islamophobia on Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Series #2: Anti Black Racism on Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Series #3: LGBTQ2+ on Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Series #4: Minoritized Parents in Education on Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Series #1: Dismantling Islamophopia

Statistics Canada shows that hate crimes against Muslims in Canada grew 253 percent between 2012 and 2015 and that number is rising each year. This critical conversation objective is for educators, faculty, students, community members to learn more about Islamophobia and Muslims in Canada and beyond.

Through storytelling and research, our panelists will share their experiences of Islamophobia and how they debunk myths about Islam and Muslims regularly in their personal and professional life. 

Moderated by Dr. Patricia Briscoe, we welcome Drs. Zuhra Abawi, Asma Ahmed, and Ms. Sama Androon. 

Dr. Patricia Briscoe is an associate professor in the Leadership department at the College of Education. She is the moderator of the conversation; however, the objectives and direction of this event is a collaborative effort. She is grateful and honored to introduce the esteemed panelists: 

Dr. Zuhra Abawi is an Assistant Professor of Education at Niagara University Ontario. Before her academic appointment, she was an elementary teacher and Early Childhood Educator. She is both an Ontario Certified Teacher and a Registered Early Childhood Educator. Her work focuses on how discourses of race, equity, and identity are mediated and negotiated. She is particularly interested in teacher hiring practices and is the author of The Effectiveness of Educational Policy for Bias Free Teacher Hiring: Critical Insights to Enhance Diversity in the Canadian Teacher Workforce and co-editor of Equity as Praxis in Early Childhood Education and Care. She is also the recipient of the 2022 AILACTE Scholar Award. 

Dr. Asma Ahmed has a PhD in critical policy and educational leadership from Western University. She has worked as a certified teacher in K-12 settings both in public and private schools. Her recent work is a chapter on culturally responsive pedagogy published by Cambridge University Press. The overall objective of her research is to support and improve a more equitable education system. Her current focus is on the experience of Muslim students in public schools and private Islamic schools in Ontario, culturally responsive pedagogy, and anti-Islamophobia education. She is a mother of four children. She lives in Mississauga.

Ms. Sama Androon is a recent graduate from the BPS Ontario program and currently pursuing her Master of Science in Educational Leadership at NU. She has been working in the education field locally and internationally for the last ten years and is currently the  Program Leader (Enhanced Character Education Program) in a private school. She describes herself as a lifelong learner who is profoundly passionate about education, community advocacy, and promoting social justice and the pivotal roles in establishing equitable and inclusive spaces in our schools and the Canadian society at large.