Ethnocultural freedom and equality: Being a member of the Muslim minority in Canada

Ethnocultural freedom and equality in light of Kymlicka's multicultural citizenship theory, which provides a liberal framework for the just and fair treatment of minority ethnocultural groups. Kymlicka divides minority ethnocultural groups into two basic categories: national minorities or indigenous peoples and polyethnic or immigrant groups. According to this categorization, whereas national minorities or indigenous peoples deserve self-government rights, polyethnic groups deserve cultural rights to maintain their ethnocultural particularity and establish an equal and fair relationship with the Anglophone majority. Conducting qualitative analysis, I have arrived at several important findings. These include findings related to ethnocultural freedom and equality of Canadian Muslims and the impacts of Islamophobia on them. First, the Canadian Muslim community is quite diverse, consisting of different ethnocultural backgrounds. This is the natural result of Canada's immigration policy. Second, this diversity has not avoided them developing three main common polyethnic demands, which are freedom to pray, eat halal and wear hijab. This study shows that these polyethnic demands have been fairly accommodated by the Anglophone majority. Third, Canada is not immune to global surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes and this trend is very likely to undermine Canadian Muslims' ethnocultural equality and freedom to exercise the mentioned polyethnic demands.