CJI has partnered with the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW to offer restorative approaches in situations of harm stemming from Islamophobia, racism or xenophobia (anti-immigrant sentiment) and as a pro-active measure to build relationships across cultures.
To view a recent report outlining our accomplishments, click HERE.
Sulah uses restorative processes to bring individuals and groups together to build understanding, repair harm, restore relationships and/or foster accountability.
Sulah is guided by values that include:
Sulah offers prevention and intervention services that are delivered by staff and volunteers. Specialized training has been provided to facilitators regarding the impact of identity-based harm and the application of restorative processes in a specialized set of circumstances. Prevention services allow for dialogue and sharing among individuals from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds or in situations where racial or religious tensions exist. Prevention services will typically involve a restorative Circle process.
“As a visible Muslim minority with a hijab, I’ve had some people make some really rude comments which initially made me very mad. I wanted to go after them. But, now I think there is an option for dialogue…maybe this person is saying these things not out of malice, but out of ignorance. We won’t know that unless we have this dialogue. That is my biggest takeaway from Sulah.“
Intervention services are used in situations of harm or conflict that has arisen as a result of Islamophobia, racism or xenophobia or as a result of what has been experienced as Islamophobia, racism or xenophobia. For example, there might have been a racial slur used in a conflict between groups of youth, a neighbour might feel unwelcome on his street due to comments made by other neighbours about immigrants, or a mother might feal fearful when mocked on the street regarding her Hijab. Many other situations could be appropriate for a Sulah intervention. Intervention services typically involve a transformative mediation process or a restorative Circle process. In either case, the steps involved will often be:
A Sulah process is always voluntary. A participant can choose to exit the process at any time. In addition, a Sulah process is flexible. We want to support the cultural and emotional needs of individuals and communities.
One of our goals is to prevent further harm; therefore, we will not bring participants together if concerns remain regarding further harm. In such circumstances, opportunities can be considered for participants to share their stories with each other without a direct meeting.
Sulah allows individuals impacted by Islamophobia, racism or xenophobia to be heard by those who have caused harm and to have a say in the outcome. Our facilitators support all participants to be directly involved in decisions regarding resolving the issues at hand.
People who experience Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia come from a variety of identity backgrounds that may impact or compound their experience of harm. Examples of identity that might be relevant to the occurrence are age, socio-economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability. Our facilitators are open to hearing about all aspects of the experience of harm.
In addition, where appropriate, CJI’s broader mediation team will offer restorative services around identity-based harm that exists without the presence of Islamophobia, racism or xenophobia.
During our 40+ year history, we have continuously responded to community needs by creatively, and innovatively applying restorative justice principles to new problems. We believe the only limit to the power of restorative justice is the capacity of the human heart to change and grow.
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