'Meet a Muslim' event brings people together at U of R

When Aysha Yaqoob heard the news about the mosque shooting in Quebec City, it left her feeling disheartened and hopeless.

So, she decided to do something about it.

The third year education student at the University of Regina coordinated Meet a Muslim, an event held on campus Monday night, that aimed to address misconceptions surrounding Muslims among the general public. 

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#MeetAMuslim: Aysha Yaqoob

8 years ago

Duration 1:07

Aysha Yaqoob is the VP of communications for the Education Students' Society at the University of Regina. On Monday evening, she organized an informal presentation inviting people to come out, meet a Muslim and break some stereotypes about Muslims and Islam.

Yaqoob said she felt it was important to reach out to the public, talk about her own experiences as a Muslim and address myths, misconceptions, stereotypes and any other type of ignorance surrounding Islam and its followers.

The event, intended to be an informal get together, as well as a presentation, was also partly inspired by the U.S. travel ban.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there that I think is really important to dispel," she said. 

Yaqoob said she and a few others got together and brainstormed all of the things they had heard people say about Muslims and Islam.

"There's a lot of fear out there," Yaqoob said. "People are scared of me, of other Muslims." 

When she reached out, Yaqoob said friends and strangers offered support to her and the general Muslim community as well. 

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"It's really nice to know that it's not just us fighting for this or voicing our concerns," Yaqoob said, adding she hadn't seen any negative comments.

Growing up, Yaqoob said friends would often make remarks passed off as jokes calling her a terrorist.

When something like the Quebec City mosque attacks happen, she said people start to generalize. She said when that happens, there isn't much that can be done except start a dialogue and attempt to educate people. 

"I try not to take things so personally any more but I still want myself to acknowledge that there is this racism going on," she said. "I try not to block myself away from it but it has been a process."