Racism on P.E.I. must stop: rally planned, posters going up

Some Islanders say they've witnessed an increase in racism emerging on P.E.I., particularly in the last few weeks, and they plan to try to stop it.

• T3 Transit considers code of conduct after passengers utter N-word

Nouhad Mourad and Sarah Tamula are members of the Council of Canadians and are organizing a rally in support of Muslims and refugees in front of Province House in a couple of weeks, as well as a series of workshops aimed at helping the public understand and accept newcomers. 

You can't help but wonder, are we welcome here?— Sarah Tamula

"Hopefully we can get something started and get really honest about where this hate is coming from, where this fear is coming from," said Tamula.  

"We're all together sharing a strong message of solidarity, of love, of compassion, of standing in support that refugees are welcome, and Muslims are welcome," said Mourad. "And this isn't a society we want to live in that's anti-Muslim, anti-refugee, that's racist."

Some of Mourad's extended family are refugees who were forced out of their homes in Syria and are waiting in hopes of being accepted into Canada. 

But Mourad said she's seen and heard countless comments from Islanders online and in person who don't want them here.

"There's been security concerns over Syrians coming here on behalf of ISIS or on behalf of terrorism," said Mourad. "There's definitely some racism happening there, and some anti-Muslim sentiments which is just appalling. It's just ignorance and a lack of education."

Sarah Tamula, whose husband immigrated here from Malawi, worries about her family.

"You can't help but wonder, are we welcome here?" asked Tamula. "I mean I think about my children who are six and things they might have to come up against because of their background."

Last week the owner of P.E.I. bus company T3 Transit, Mike Cassidy, said he received a complaint about a racist comment made on one of his buses.

Now he's planning to create a passenger code of conduct and put up posters in T3 buses and on bus shelters in the Charlottetown area.  

"We're a community of diversity, we do believe in one another, and maybe it's a role I can play in helping our community send a message to all of us," said Cassidy.