(CBC) Six years ago, a school board west of Toronto was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Security had to be stepped up after racist outbursts at board meetings, a man was filmed tearing pages out of a Qur’an during discussions about religious accommodations, and Muslim students were told they would have to choose from sermons approved by the board for their Friday prayers.
Today, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) is the first in Canada to adopt a strategy aimed at dismantling Islamophobia and affirming the identity of [Muslim] students, who comprise the largest reported faith-based identity at the board — about a quarter of its student population.
And the timing isn’t without significance, said the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
