Anti-Islamophobia Caucus
Established 2023
2026-2027 Caucus members
Leila Benhadjoudja, University of Ottawa - Caucus Co-Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Saaz Taher, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) - Caucus Co-Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Lucy El-Sherif, McMaster University
Muna Saleh, Concordia University of Edmonton
Contact the Caucus Chair for engagement opportunities through the CSA office.
This Caucus (previouly established as a subcommittee in 2023) was proposed by members of the Association to draw attention to Bill 21 in Quebec, passed in 2019 and upheld in 2021, which “bars public school teachers, police officers, judges and government lawyers, among other civil servants in positions of authority, from wearing religious symbols — such as hijabs, crucifixes or turbans — while at work” (Rukavina CBC, Aug 04, 2022). A range of collective action against the Bill on claims of racism, discrimination, and Islamophobia by a coalition of organizations serving minoritized groups effected by the bill has garnered national attention. These efforts have included legal challenges by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a national human rights and civil liberties organization, as well as Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) (CBC News, Nov 07, 2022).
With attention to the context of state-led Islamophobia and racism perpetuated by the Bill 21 and the escalation of Islamophobia in Canada, this caucus is tasked with working with community organizations to address concerns of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism. The most urgent task will involve working closely with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) to ensure the safety and wellbeing of members as they engage with and attend CSA conferences.
The mandate of the Caucus includes:
• Bring current and emerging issues of concern dealing with Islamophobia and Anti- Muslim Racism to the attention of the Association
• Take a decidedly critical intersectional approach to Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Racism with attention to Gendered Islamophobia and Anti-Black Islamophobia
• Represent the Association on external committees dealing with Islamophobia and Anti- Muslim Racism issues if relevant with Executive Committee approval
• Communicate anti-Islamophobic resources to the membership that will serve to make CSA a more inclusive and engaging space for all sociologists
• Regularly work to amplify and support community efforts of combatting Islamophobia, both in academia and more broadly
• Incorporate initiatives to resolve systemic racism into the regular business of the Association and annual conferences
Since its establishment in 2023, the Caucus has been represented on the CSA Executive Committee and various related committees, hosted a webinar, and annually organizes Conference sessions.
Webinar (2023): Palestine and Critical Pedagogy: Considerations for the Classroom
Caucus News
Coming soon
Caucus Activies
Members:
Leila Benhadjoudja, University of Ottawa - Co-chair
Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Calgary - Co-chair
Lucy El-Sherif, University of Toronto
Nadiya Nur Ali, Trent University
Muna Saleh, Concordia University
This year, CSA-AIS worked on the following initiatives:
1. Annual Conference Sessions
The sub-committee will be organizing and hosting 3 paper presentation sessions at the virtual CSA
Conference 2026 on June 3, 2026.
Critical Muslim Studies and Anti-Islamophobia I through III
Session Chairs: Lucy El-Sherif, University of Toronto, Muna Saleh, Concordia University of
Edmonton, and Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Calgary.
We invited papers that explore topics in the fields of critical Muslim studies and anti-Islamophobia.
We especially encouraged emerging scholars, students, and community members who are working
in critical intersectional areas such as anti-Palestinian racism, anti-Black Islamophobia, and
gendered Islamophobia to submit their work.
2. Research Cluster Creation
Following the AIS5 workshop at the CSA Conference 2025, the sub-committee aimed to connect
scholars and community organizers who work in the area of anti-Islamophobia and critical Muslim
studies. At the CSA Annual General Meeting on June 16, 2025, the membership voted to approve
the creation of the Critical Muslim Studies research cluster.
The Critical Muslim Studies research cluster aims to advance the field of critical Muslim studies in
Canada. The research cluster will cultivate a collaborative and generative research space for
scholars, emerging researchers, and graduate students working on and with Muslim people's
diverse socialities, histories, and lived epistemologies. Rooted in an ethos of mutuality, the cluster
aims to foster engaged dialogue and critical inquiry grounded in decolonial and liberatory praxis.
It is our hope that this Critical Muslim Studies Research Cluster will take on the task of educational
programming and conference session organizing in future years.
3. Committee Service
Dr. Benhadjoudja was the AIS representative for the CSA’s Annual Meeting program committee.
Dr. Mian Akram was the AIS representative on the CSA’s Nominations Committee
Members:
Nadiya Ali, Trent University - Chair
Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Calgary
This year, CSA-AIS worked on the following initiatives:
i. Annual Conference Sessions
• (AIS1) Combating Islamophobia: Local and Global Connections
This session is co-sponsored by the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) and
the Canadian South Asian Studies Association (CSASA) and made possible with the financial support
of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Moderator: Nadia Hasan (School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at York University)
Keynote Opening: Sunera Thobani (Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia)
Invited Panelists: Leila Bdeir (Humanities Department of Vanier College); Fatemah Anvari (Western
Quebec School Board Teacher); Hawa Y. Mire (HYMIRE Consulting); and Krista Melanie Riley
(Pedagogical Advisor)
• (AIS3) Locating Systemic Islamophobia: Geographies, Epistemologies, and Space
Chair: Lucy El-Sherif, McMaster University
• (AIS4a) Gendered Islamophobia Theory & Resistance I: Operations of Systemic Islamophobia
Chair: Roshan Arah Jahangeer, York University
• (AIS4b) Gendered Islamophobia Theory & Resistance II: Gender, Muslimhoods &
Intersectionalities
Chair: Nadiya Ali, Trent University
• (AIS5) Workshop for Anti-Islamophobia Scholars and Community Organizers
ii. Webinar
Palestine and Critical Pedagogy: Considerations for the Classroom (December 6, 2023)
The Subcommittee hosted this event co-sponsored by the Decolonization Subcommittee, Equity
Issues Subcommittee, Student Concerns Subcommittee, and the Women’s, Gender and Social
Justice Association.
Panelists:
Muhannad Ayyash, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal
University
Ghada Ageel, Assistant Professor, Political Science, University of Alberta
Muna Saleh, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Concordia University of Edmonton
Aida Al-Thayabeh, PhD Student, Department of Social Justice Education at OISE, University
of Toronto
Moderator: Lucy El-Sherif, Assistant Professor in the Global Peace & Social Justice and the Gender
& Social Justice programs, McMaster University
Discussant: Yvonne Sherwood, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
and the Co-chair of the CSA Decolonization Subcommittee
Introduction: Temitope Oriola, Professor and Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta
and the President of the CSA
iii. Funding Applications
An application was submitted to the Congress EDID Initiatives Fund for funding support for the
Congress-wide plenary session (AIS1) at Congress 2024. The Congress Open Programming Fund
approved $1,650 for this purpose. The session was ultimately cancelled so funding was not received.
iv. Community Engagement
The AIS created a consultative group, a group of colleagues from the academy and community to
consult on sub-committee related matters. One of the primary topics of discussion was ensuring the
safety of conference attendees in traveling to Quebec for Congress 2024 and supporting the work
of community organizers in challenging Bill 21. There was also consultation and communication with
NCCM (the National Council of Canadian Muslims) throughout the year.
v. Timing of Congress
The Islamic holiday of Eid-ul-Adha is expected to fall between June 16-18, 2024. For this reason, the
sessions organized by the Subcommittee on Islamophobia were required to take place on June 20-
21, 2024. The AIS raised awareness about this oversight in consideration for planning discussions
around Congress scheduling.
vi. Infrastructure
As a newly established subcommittee (June 2023), the AIS spent many hours this year navigating
and establishing infrastructure. We are very grateful to Sherry Fox for the tremendous support in
this regard.
vii. Committee Service
Members of the subcommittee participated in several of the CSA committees.
• Annual Conference Program Committee – Nadiya Ali
• Nominations Committee – Ayesha Mian Akram
• Early Investigator Award Committee – Ayesha Mian Akram and Nadiya Ali
• Global Sociology Book Award Committee – Ayesha Mian Akram and Nadiya Ali
• Outstanding Contribution to Sociology Award Committee - Ayesha Mian Akram and Nadiya
Ali
viii. Looking Ahead to 2024-2025
Subcommittee Membership:
Dr. Lucy El-Sherif (McMaster University) will be joining the Subcommittee as an acclaimed member
for 2024-2027. Thank you to Dr. Rashmee Karnad-Jani and Nooreen Hussain for their contributions
in the establishment and organization of this subcommittee.
Research Cluster:
The purpose of the AIS5 workshop at the CSA Conference is to connect scholars and community
organizers who work in the area of anti-Islamophobia. It is our hope that this network will result in
the creation of an Anti-Islamophobia Research Cluster that can take on the task of educational
programming and conference session organizing in future years.