'We want people to feel safe': More self-defence classes for women hosted by Al Rashid Mosque
A series of self-defence classes by women for women is once again being offered in Edmonton after hate-motivated crimes and incidents in the region.
Al Rashid Mosque is hosting classes introductory self-defence classes for women in August to help them feel safer when being in the community. For instructors Janan Jomha and Kaitlyn Molo, the hope is the skills the women learn never need to be used.
“We want people to feel safe,” Jomha said. “We want people to have the confidence to be in the community and feel like they belong. That’s what we should strive to do, especially here in Canada.
“First we teach them to use their voice, be vocal and try to de-escalate them before they become physical,” she added. “We focus a lot on body language, using our voice and using the community’s voice to shut down threatening situations.
“The goal of self-defence is to feel safe.”
Molo said many participants told them that they feel more comfortable and confident in themselves after completing the introductory training.
“We got really great feedback,” she said. “After they took that course many people said they felt more confident to go into their community spaces.”
The pair of instructors, based out of Elite Taekwondo Edmonton, say the number of women signing up for their self-defence classes is increasing. Jomha said many mothers and daughters are attending classes together so both learn self-defence skills to help each other.
- Alberta's funding to deter hate crimes 'should just be the beginning': Muslim group
- 'I shouldn't be afraid to say that I'm Jewish': Man says he was threatened on family's front lawn, EPS investigating anti-semitic incidents
Both of them believe the increase in the number of racially motivated incidents in the city is the reason for the uptake Jessica Snow, a participant in Sunday’s class, said she agreed.
“With all that’s in the news – visual minorities getting attacked, in many cases, they are women as well – more than ever there is a need to have that knowledge,” Snow said. “To have those tools in the back of your pocket.
“I think it’s always been something that’s been a good idea regardless of what age you are, but perhaps more so than ever today.”
- 'She was thrown to the ground': Police investigate attack on Muslim woman in Edmonton
- Edmonton Muslim family targeted in instance of road rage: police
- Charges laid after 3 hate-motivated assaults against women in Edmonton
Snow said she felt empowered by attending the class, especially since she was learning alongside fellow sisters.
“It’s good to know that you are not alone,” she added. “It creates a little bit of that community.”
Police continue to investigate a June attack in St. Albert where a masked man pushed two Muslim women to the ground while wielding a knife.
A Gurdwara in Mill Woods came forward a few weeks later saying they were receiving offensive deliveries of meat products to their place of worship and escalating threatening phone calls.
- St. Albert, Alta., RCMP investigating hate-motivated knife attack on 2 sisters wearing hijabs
- 'Alarming and of the utmost concern': Edmonton Sikh community speaks out over racist harassment
In June, Edmonton police told CTV News Edmonton that merely halfway through 2021, the city had already seen 44 hate-motivated incidents compared to 60 and 57 in the entirety of 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Ultimately, Molo said while training is important and helpful it can’t solve every situation or incident.
“No amount of time or techniques can really truly prepare us for being a victim of a race-based or violent attack,” Molo said. “What we really do like to focus on is utilizing your voice to be assertive and concise and short with an attacker so you aren’t an easy target to them.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'She was waiting for you': The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother in England
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Macklem tries to stay out of the fray as MPs do their best to use him to score points
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem navigates a political minefield every time he testifies before the House of Commons finance committee.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.