CMLA Statement on Islamophobic Attack in London, Ontario

The Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA) is devastated by the heinous pre-meditated murder of a Muslim family that occurred in London, Ontario on the evening of June 6, 2021.

Police have alleged that an individual deliberately drove a pickup truck onto a local sidewalk targeting a Muslim family of five. Four of the family members were killed and one is seriously injured. Police have indicated that the victims were targeted by the perpetrator simply because of their Islamic faith. The driver has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Acts of hatred against Muslims across Canada including the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017 do not occur in a vacuum. These horrific violent incidents are the direct result of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric that are pervasive across the country. Islamophobic incidents must be addressed in a comprehensive manner by all levels of government, policing and security agencies. Islamophobia undermines our nation’s core values of equality, multiculturalism and respect for human dignity.

If you would like to provide financial support to the child who has been orphaned from this attack, you can contribute through the LaunchGood crowdfunding campaign linked HERE. The family has verified that this campaign is authentic.

Protests in Canada and rising Islamophobia

This week, protests were held across Canada and the world condemning escalating attacks against the Palestinian people.

Numerous public officials were quick to describe these protests as violent and anti-Semitic. When politicians publish reactionary statements without credible evidence, they perpetuate Islamophobic narratives with serious consequences for Canadians.

The CMLA stands against hate of any kind. We recognize that both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia violate human rights and dignity.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the freedom to peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression in Canada, and this extends to protests expressing concerns about the treatment of Palestinians by the state of Israel. Critiquing governmental actions of the state of Israel is not equivalent to anti-Semitism nor does it represent an attack on the Jewish people. When legitimate protests around the state of affairs in Palestine are dismissed as anti-Semitism, this stifles free speech and discourse.

With Islamophobia on the rise, the CMLA calls on all levels of government and law enforcement to:

1. Recognize and investigate incidents of Islamophobia in relation to protests;

2. Ensure law enforcement’s interactions with protesters are informed by the impacts of racial bias and profiling; and

3. Retract and refrain from statements that characterize pro-Palestinian efforts as “anti-Semitic.”

The CMLA is here to help: a) Public Legal Education Workshops

The CMLA will hold free virtual Public Legal Education (PLE) workshops on the following topics:

• A Know Your Rights workshop on protesting in Canada

• A discussion on Canada’s international human rights obligations.

Please check cmla-acam.ca for further details.

b) The Muslim Legal Support Centre

The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC) is a project of the CMLA which aims to ensure that Muslims in Ontario have equitable access to legal services and fair treatment within the legal system. The MLSC works to increase access to justice by providing legal information and education, referrals and summary legal advice, and by addressing systemic injustice.

Please contact the MLSC at mlsc.coordination@gmail.com if you have, or anyone you know has:

• Faced violence or acts of Islamophobia;

• Legal inquiries in relation to the protests, had interactions with law enforcement and/or experienced acts of Islamophobia; and

• An interest in supporting the legal rights of pro-Palestinian protestors.

Job Posting: Muslim Legal Support Centre Director

The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC) is an innovative new organization that aims to ensure Muslims have equitable access to legal services and fair treatment within the legal system. The MLSC works to increase access to justice for Muslims in Ontario by providing legal information and education, referrals and summary legal advice, and by addressing systemic injustice.

The MLSC focuses its work on the legal needs of low and middle-income Ontarians who self-identify as Muslim or are perceived as Muslim, irrespective of place of origin, race, gender, sexuality, sect, age, language, or immigration status. Initiated in 2018, the MLSC is currently a Toronto-based project of the Canadian Muslim Lawyer’s Association (CMLA) with seed funding from the Law Foundation of Ontario. The MLSC is working towards status as a stand-alone organization with a province-wide mandate.

We are hiring the MLSC’s first Director. This new position offers an exciting opportunity for a passionate leader to lead the development of the infrastructure and services of the MLSC. Based on our existing five-year roadmap, the Director will engage in the development of the MLSC’s services, and build and lead a team of staff and volunteers to develop and implement the MLSC’s strategic plans, goals, and objectives. Working initially with the CMLA Board of Directors, then the MLSC Board of Directors, the Director will guide the MLSC’s services and outreach, as well as all of the clinic’s operational, financial, administrative and human resources activities. The Director will represent the MLSC and champion the legal rights of Ontario’s Muslim communities.

Required Knowledge and Skills

The Clinic Director will demonstrate the following skills and knowledge:

• Post-secondary education including a graduate degree or law degree (or equivalent experience), and a minimum of four years of related experience in the legal, government, public interest or education sectors.

• Access to justice expertise and a deep understanding of the legal issues and/or access to justice challenges facing Ontario’s Muslim community, including systemic racism stemming from Islamophobia and anti-Black racism.

• Excellent leadership skills, strategic judgment, innovative spirit, and the drive to originate and deliver norm-challenging services and programs.

• Experience in planning and managing services for and outreach with marginalized and/or vulnerable communities.

• Expertise in developing partnerships within and across sectors, and integrating and supporting a diversity of stakeholders.

• Experience hiring, training, supervising and supporting staff, students and volunteers.

• Demonstrated administrative and financial management capacities including strong budget and variance reporting.

• Highly developed interpersonal, verbal and written communication, public speaking, negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

• A strong understanding of, and commitment to, anti-oppression principles and an awareness of the various intersections of social identities.

• Proven ability to set and meet deadlines in complex and fluid circumstances.

• Knowledge of applicable legislation (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Employment Standards Act, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Ontario Labor Relations Act, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and workplace policies as they pertain to employees’ rights, management responsibilities and related legislative policies and requirements).

Assets

• Experience working with Muslim communities in the Greater Toronto Area and/or Ontario.

• Proficiency in the following additional languages such as Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Urdu, Farsi, would be an asset

• Experience with fundraising through private or corporate donations, community-based fundraising campaigns and/or social enterprise.

• Experience with grant writing and reporting, and grantor relations.

• Project management skills including the definition of objectives, project activities, deliverables, monitoring, and evaluating progress and outputs.

• Understanding of constitutional and test case litigation to challenge discrimination.

• Experience with lobbying, campaigning, community mobilization and/or grassroots systems-change advocacy.

• In-depth knowledge of the provision of legal services to diverse clients (including, for example, Ontario’s clinic system) and public legal education principles and models.

• Strong strategic and lateral thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.

• Evaluation and research expertise.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time position with a one-year, renewable contract (subject to funding). We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience. As the MLSC is at a nascent stage, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to the ultimate staffing structure and compensation package of the organization.

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week, including weekdays, evenings and weekends as needed. The expected start date is June or July 2021.

Application process: Interested applicants should send their applications in one file that includes a cover letter, resume, and list of three (3) references to contactcmla@gmail.com by May 7, 2021.

We appreciate all those who apply, however, we will only be in contact with those candidates selected for an interview.

The CMLA is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in the workplace. We encourage applications from individuals diverse in race, gender, social class, ability and sexual orientation. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the hiring process, please contact us to make your needs are known in advance: contactcmla@gmail.com