MEDIA ADVISORY FOR EVENT HELD
Thursday 28th March 2019
Media Contact: Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui | Tel 647 2280640 | Email sabreena@pluralist.ca
Toronto
The Pluralist Foundation
The Release of its First Educational Video on Speaking out Against Islamophobia
On Thursday March 28th 2019 The Pluralist Foundation will be celebrating its official launch
with a special event in Toronto, during which it will release its first educational video on
Islamophobia.
The Pluralist Foundation seeks to join other peaceful efforts to stem the tide of racial intolerance
and extremism of any sort from spreading across Canada. Our concerns were heightened with
the recent heinous attacks on innocent Muslim worshippers in New Zealand and in Quebec in
2017. We offer our deepest condolences to the affected families. No church, synagogue, mosque
or temple should ever be a target of hate. Every neighbourhood, school, shopping mall, cultural
centre, or any public place supported by taxpayers, ought to be safe for all Canadians.
Established in 2015, The Pluralist Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-denominational, non-partisan
organization that builds mutual understanding among diverse communities in Canada. One of
Canada’s strengths has been our ability to absorb multiple communities, cultures and religions
into a multifaceted whole. Like so many other minorities earlier, Muslims have, in recent years,
been subjected to prejudice from some Canadians. To address this issue, our first project is an
educational video that highlights misinformation that feeds the symbiotic relationship between
Muslim extremism and Islamophobia.
Celebrations on March 28th will be co-hosted with Emmanuel College. The program will include:
A keynote address by Professor Jasmin Zine from Wilfred Laurier University. Dr Zine is also
an affiliated faculty member with the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project (IRDP)
at UC Berkeley and serves on the editorial board of the critical Muslim Studies journal Re-OrientAn introduction to The Foundation and its founding members
A screening of our first educational video on Speaking Out Against Islamophobia and All
Forms of DiscriminationA presentation by Professor Michelle Voss Roberts of Emmanuel College on programs
addressing diverse faith communitiesFollowed by Q/A and networking over refreshments with a diverse group of guests including
academics, government, community and business leaders
Purpose of event: To learn about the work we do at The Pluralist Foundation and how you can
get involved, and an opportunity to network with other community leaders.
Who should attend: Anyone who has an interest in learning about building strong pluralistic
communities in Canada and sparking a new conversation on fresh approaches to complex socioeconomic
issues, including tackling negative forms of extremism at its source in any community -
through education and civic engagement. *This event is by invitation only*
Registration at 5:00 p.m. | Program from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Location: Emmanuel College, Room 119, 75 Queens Park Crescent, Toronto M5S 1K7
(Closest subway stop: Museum).
“This gathering is not an end but a beginning. We are providing a forum for discussion to help shape
future initiatives for The Pluralist Foundation" - Roohi Ahmed, Board Chair