On April 26, in a talk that was both serious and entertaining – and ultimately inspirational — Shafique Virani, University of Toronto Professor of Islamic Studies, told his Academy audience that his goal in life was to “bridge the gap between the West and the Muslim world.”
It is not an easy task. Because the media focuses on crises, Virani said, 98.5% of the stories about Muslims are about militant Muslims, an extremely small subset of the 1.5 billion Muslims world-wide. “When we are given a certain subset of information about people, we are liable to develop extreme prejudice.”
The prejudice can begin in childhood. Research has shown that in 95% of movies and cartoons, Arabs are invariably portrayed as barbaric, violent people. But it is with children that Virani places his greatest hope. Acting on his belief that academics have to become more involved in public issues rather than retreating to their ivory towers, Virani volunteers in the Middle East and in East Africa, working with children to overcome prejudice toward people who are “different.”
“When children are exposed to the pluralism of the world, they can be immunized against hate,” Virani said.
Canada is unique in the world at this moment in history, the global centre for pluralism, according to Shafique Virani. “Compassion and empathy are our best exports. Children in this country are taught inclusivity, that all children living here are part of Canada and part of humanity.”
First published by Liz Guccione on Academic News, August 2017
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