During the past several years, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) has focused on civic engagement of Muslim women as a key to full integration into the social, economic and political life of the country. This focus comes from a concern that Muslim women’s civic engagement is decreasing. It is becoming more acceptable for the public, the media and politicians to view them as the “other” or different from the rest of Canadian women, with very different and unique needs from everyone else.
In November 2006 CCMW held its annual conference in Ottawa to explore the phenomenon of real or perceived separation of Muslim women from mainstream society. Key to this exploration is a determination of how and why the separation may be occurring. What are the factors that may be causing it? Is it systemic or is it self-imposed? Has there been an evolution from Muslim women being integrated, participating members of Canadian society to being isolated, insular and apart from the mainstream society?
The conference theme, Canadian Muslim Women at the Crossroads: from Integration to Segregation?, was chosen to provoke discussion and address findings in the Council’s report, Engaging Muslim Women: Issues and Needs. The report was based on a national needs assessment of Muslim women across Canada. It included results of an extensive survey and focus groups held with Muslim women in major cities across the country. According to the report, Muslim women tend to be disengaged from the civic and political life of the country.
They are also more likely to be absent from the labour market and tend to be more socially engaged within Muslim communities and less so in broader Canadian society.
