• Advertise
  • Connect
  • Steel Rails
  • TCE Radio
  • Past Issues
  • Home
  • Features

    Features

    See All

    MARION ROES: DEATH AND DYING AS A PART OF LIFE AND COMMUNITY

    CARA WATSON JOINS AOK, PLANS ON INCREASING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN DTK

    YOUTH VOICES SPEAK ON LANDBACK CAMP

  • COVID-19
  • Columns

    Columns

    See All

    COSMIC RELIEF: NEW YEAR, NEW HORIZONS

    QUEER SPACE: ARE WE NOT MEANT FOR DRAG RACE OR IS IT NOT MEANT FOR US?

    LEVEL UP: SENSE AND PLAYABILITY IN HORROR GAMES

  • Opinion

    Opinion

    See All

    WILMOT RESIDENT SHARES CONCERNS OF GROWING RACISM IN COMMUNITY

    JUGGLING IN THE CIRCUS OF LIFE: LEARNING TO BALANCE YOUR LIFE

    SELF-REFLECTION IN A TIME OF S.A.D

  • News

    News

    See All

    INJUNCTION ON VICTORIA/WEBER ENCAMPMENT DEFERRED

    UNION CO-OPERATIVE PURCHASES TWO BUILDINGS IN KITCHENER

    EMILY URQUHART EXPLORES THE WONDER OF THE ORDINARY IN NEW ESSAY COLLECTION

  • Business

    Business

    See All

    ALTERNATIVE CARE IN LIFE AND IN DEATH

    NOW SERVING: COFFEE AND A HAIRCUT

    Bliss Creations mixes sweetness with aesthetics

  • Arts

    Arts

    See All

    MAKING YOUR HOLIDAYS HYGGE

    KNITTING TOGETHER FRIENDSHIPS: YOUR GUIDE TO LEARNING HOW TO KNIT AND CROCHET

    CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH WLUSP

  • Urban Exploring

    Urban Exploring

    See All

    Abandoned But Not Forgotten

    The Squirrel Gang of 1912

    How A Preston Farm Is Growing Hope

MATT SMITH PHOTO

Exploring Refugee Experiences in the Region

mmAdrian Quijano·February 2, 2022
Features

In August 2021, Ottawa promised to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees when the Taliban regained control of most of the country after the U.S Army forces retreated. Thousands of people were forced to flee Afghanistan out of fear of retaliation for having cooperated with Western troops and civilians. Across Canada, 34 communities, including the Waterloo Region, have committed to accepting refugees. According to the Waterloo Record, as many as 1,800 Afghan refugees may resettle in the Waterloo Region over the next two years.

For many, adjusting to life in Canada has been filled with many challenges and hardships. From feelings of isolation and loneliness to dealing with financial troubles and finding affordable housing, life for newcomers is not easy. 

Charitable organizations like Muslim Social Services (MSS) are on the front lines in helping refugees from all over the world settle in to their new lives. Since 2007, MSS has aimed to foster an inclusive community and support refugees through its educational, outreach, and support initiatives. 

Duaa Al-Aghar, executive director of MSS, came to Canada in 2006 as a refugee and became heavily involved with the organization shortly after. 

“We want to foster an inclusive community in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. We’ve helped a lot of families from Rohingya, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Afghanistan. MSS provides social services for long-term care,” Al-Aghar said. 

Due to the often violent and traumatic nature of many refugees’ departure from their home, this inclusive environment is a necessity.

One Waterloo resident, who wished to remain anonymous, is a refugee and can attest to this struggle. She came to the region 14 years ago with her parents and eight siblings after leaving their home in Bangladesh. She and her family are Rohingya, and this is now the second major displacement her family has endured.

The Rohingya people are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma). Prior to  the displacement crisis in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh.

“We came here for a better future. My parents left everything. We had faced a war zone back home. My parents had to leave their home of Myanmar. We are now all Canadian citizens,” she said. “We settled in the Reception House [of Waterloo] for a few years until our case was reviewed and we were assigned a house in Kitchener. We eventually moved to Waterloo when my siblings started growing older.”

“When we came here, it was a completely new world. At that time I didn’t realize how much pain and struggles my parents went through being able to connect with the new culture, language, and discrimination. As a family, we faced a lot of Islamophobia,” she said. 

For her family, along with many others who came to Waterloo for safety, Islamophobia is an unfortunate daily occurrence. As of 2020, MSS has been providing community discussions, weekly (virtual) social programming, counselling, mental health resources, and community partnerships. 

“Many of the Muslim families have been experiencing extreme isolation because COVID-19 has reduced the number of events [we run] that are meant to [help people] socialize,” Rozina Shaheen, MSS community engagement coordinator, said. 

Shaheen moved to Waterloo in 2010 as a refugee, and took on her role at MSS in January 2021. 

“The language barrier was the hardest. The school where I started did not have any ESL programs, but luckily I made friends easily. What I saw is that here, education is really important and I have always been driven to maintain good grades,” the anonymous resident said. 

She recently graduated from the University of Waterloo and is currently working as a community health worker. 

“I have not been able to go back home yet and I really miss it. It’s not safe yet for so many reasons. My parents back in 2018 went back home to visit and their experience was filled with pain. I think a lot of refugees and immigrants right now are struggling with that. Pain, and not being able to go home,” she said. 

“People do discriminate because of [their] accents. Regardless of my qualifications, I feel like I get passed over because of my accent.”

To try and support individuals and families facing discrimination, MSS also offers community-building events which help people find jobs in Waterloo. Part of their goal as an organization is to create an understanding of social issues pertaining to Muslims in Canada. They also want to increase the capacity of the community to welcome and support refugees and to work meaningfully with Muslims and other communities. 

Adrian Quijano

mm

Adrian QuijanodiscriminationDuaa Al-AgharislamophobiaMuslim Social ServicesRefugeeswaterloo region

Previous ArticleNew Tune Review: Settle Down in the Dirt by Hyness
Next ArticleCosmic Relief: A Capricornian February
mm
Adrian Quijano

Related Posts

INJUNCTION ON VICTORIA/WEBER ENCAMPMENT DEFERRED

Front PageNews

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TCE Radio

TCE Radio
TCE Radio
Introducing TCE Radio
00:00 / 14:31
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
  • Introducing TCE Radio

    Introducing TCE Radio

    Oct 27, 2016 • 14:31

    Waterloo Region’s news, art and culture podcast starts now! Every month we tell you stories from and about the centre of the universe. Hosted by Megan Nourse and produced by Alistair MacLellan. Mistakes belong to Jesse Bauman. Our podcast feed is also available on iTunes and Google Play and Stitcher.

  • TCE Radio, Episode Two: The Colour Of Community

    TCE Radio, Episode Two: The Colour Of Community

    Dec 7, 2016 • 21:01

    In this episode host Megan Nourse talks with Zainab Mahdi about Black Lives Matter in WR and Marika Galadza about belonging, race and class. And more.

  • TCE Radio, Episode Three: The Hip Hop This Region Built

    TCE Radio, Episode Three: The Hip Hop This Region Built

    Jan 12, 2017 • 33:12

    We’re still telling you stories from and about the centre of the universe, Waterloo Region. In this episode host Megan Nourse talks with Sam Nabi about the region’s evolving hip hop community — and his own original work. And more. Produced with Alistair MacLellan. Our podcast feed is also available on iTunes or Google Play or Stitcher.

  • TCE Radio, Episode Four: Sexplaining

    TCE Radio, Episode Four: Sexplaining

    Feb 16, 2017 • 29:14

    This episode is about sex. TCE‘s “Sexplanations” columnist (and sexual health educator) Stacey Jacobs talks with host Megan Nourse about inclusive language, sex positivity and keeping up with the youth. Every month, stories from and about the centre of the universe, our podcast feed is also available on iTunes or Google Play or Stitcher.

  • TCE Radio, Episode Five: Death to Media/We are the Media

    TCE Radio, Episode Five: Death to Media/We are the Media

    Apr 19, 2017 • 25:31

    TCE‘s outgoing editor and navel-gazer in chief Jesse Bauman talks about the future of media, paying contributors in exposure and hugs, and why Kitchener Waterloo is still the centre of the universe. Megan Nourse hosts, of course. Our podcast feed is also available on iTunes or Google Play or Stitcher.

  • TCE Radio, Episode Six: Our Ink, Our Stories/From One Editor to Another

    TCE Radio, Episode Six: Our Ink, Our Stories/From One Editor to Another

    Oct 10, 2017 • 26.08

    Outgoing Editor in Chief and host of TCE Radio Megan Nourse talks about a new partnership with KPL called Our Ink, Our Stories. She then shifts gears and introduces TCE’s new Editor in Chief, Beth Bowles. They talk about community media, finding work post-graduation and how your mental health can…

  • TCE RADIO, Episode Seven: Lego Saved Her Life/Vinyl Shopping in KW

    TCE RADIO, Episode Seven: Lego Saved Her Life/Vinyl Shopping in KW

    Dec 4, 2017 • 37.28

    We’re back again with episode seven of your favourite KW podcast: TCE Radio. This month, your host Beth Bowles met up with Grace Stemp-Morlock, a lego artist living in Kitchener. Grace’s experiences with mental health allowed her to find lego as an art form and therapy tool. Then we switch…

  • TCE Radio, Episode Eight: Food Trivia with Nick Benninger

    TCE Radio, Episode Eight: Food Trivia with Nick Benninger

    Mar 2, 2018 • 31:49

    After a brief hiatus, your favourite KW podcast TCE Radio is back! This month, Beth sat down with Nick Benninger, owner of Harmony Lunch, Taco Farm, Marbles and Nick and Nat’s Uptown 21 about his new web series, Nick and Taylor Make a Food Show. We also flexed our trivia…

  • TCE Radio, Episode Nine: KW's Dating App Scene

    TCE Radio, Episode Nine: KW's Dating App Scene

    Mar 31, 2018 • 43:24

    Hi, hello and welcome to another episode of TCE Radio, the Community Edition’s podcast. Beth Bowles is back again this month with a more casual approach, as she talks to her two pals, Paige Bush and Kyle McCord, about their personal experiences using Tinder, Bumble and Grindr in Kitchener Waterloo.…

  • TCE Radio, Episode Ten: Busato on Boudoir/Ask a Punk

    TCE Radio, Episode Ten: Busato on Boudoir/Ask a Punk

    May 20, 2018 • 35:13

    Holy Moly, KW! We can’t believe we’ve made it to episode 10 of your favourite Kitchener-Waterloo podcast. This month, your host Beth Bowles chatted with Guelph-based photographer, Julia Busato (@juliabusatophotography) about self-esteem and nudity in photography. A full feature on Julia can be found in the May issue of the…

Get involved

Like to write? Draw? Take pictures? Edit? Create sophisticated data visualizations? Want to learn? Email info@communityedition.ca or click here

Mission

The Community Edition is by the community and for the community. We aim to engage and inform the region of Waterloo, to present news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. Our staff aim to uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism, while taking themselves less seriously than this legalese suggests.

 

Want to get involved? Contact info@communityedition.ca

Subscribe via Email

Receive new articles by email.

  • Advertise
  • Connect
  • Steel Rails
  • TCE Radio
  • Past Issues
  • Home
  • Features
  • COVID-19
  • Columns
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Business
  • Arts
  • Urban Exploring
Type to search or hit ESC to close
See all results