From rabble’s October 2022 ‘Off the Hill: Confronting Islamophobia in Canada’ panel. Join guests Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Monia Mazigh, Nuzhat Jafri, and Karl Nerenberg. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies.
October is National Islamic History Month. With Islamophobia and racism on the rise in Canada, our panel discusses what cultural responses and political actions are needed?
Off the Hill is a fast-paced live panel on current issues of national significance. It features guests and a discussion you won’t find anywhere else, centred on the impact politics and policy have on people, and on ways to mobilize to bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off the hill.
Robin Browne is Off the Hill’s regular co-host. Robin is a communications professional and the co-lead of the 613-819 Black Hub, living in Ottawa. His blog is The “True” North.
Libby Davies is Off the Hill’s regular co-host. She served as the MP for Vancouver East from 1997-2015, and is former NDP Deputy Leader and House Leader. Davies is also the author of Outside In: a Political Memoir
Senator Salma Ataullahjan was appointed to the Senate of Canada on July 9, 2010. She is Canada’s first senator of Pakistani origin. Ataullahjan is the chair of the Senate Committee on Human Rights. Currently, this committee is studying Islamophobia in Canada.
Nuzhat Jafri is the executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW). She also serves on the board of directors of The Pluralist Foundation and has served as chair and member of several other non-profit boards. Her experience spans leadership roles in policy, communications, human resources, and legislative and regulatory compliance. She is an untiring advocate for human rights, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Monia Mazigh immigrated from Tunisia to Canada in 1991. In 2002, she was catapulted onto the public stage in 2002 when her husband, Maher Arar, was deported to Syria where he was tortured and held without charge. She campaigned tirelessly for his release. Since then, Mazigh has published three books: Hope and Despair, a memoir about her pursuit of justice, and the fictional novels Mirrors and Mirages and Hope Has Two Daughters. Mazigh is also a columnist for rabble.ca.
Karl Nerenberg is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, working in both English and French languages. He is rabble’s parliamentary correspondent and a regular Off the Hill panelist.
Meet our guests
