The Special Representative of Canada for Combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, said that her work aimed at building bridges and encouraging dialogue within the culturally diverse Canadian community has become ''more difficult'' since October 7, the date of the outbreak of the current conflict between the Palestinian Hamas movement and the State of Israel.

In a weekend interview, Elghawaby added that she wonders about the best ways to ''ensure everyone feels safe,'' as she has faced threats and hate speech and ''hears the fears'' of both Jewish and Muslim communities.

Given the pain felt here and elsewhere by families who have lost loved ones, and in front of the ''state of shock,'' this massive work to bridge a widening gap becomes ''more important.''

Elghawaby also explained that she remained silent in the first ten days of the conflict to absorb this shock, and also to take the appropriate time to make contacts with communities affected by Hamas's attack on southern Israel that day.

She was blamed by several parliamentarians for this silence.

And if the number of hate crimes classified as Islamophobia and anti-Semitism has ''increased by almost 500% within two days after October 7,'' Elghawaby points fingers at social media platforms and the messages exchanged on them that deepen divisions.

Elghawaby sees that in the context of strong social tensions, everyone in a position of authority bears the responsibility of finding words that will have a positive impact on these communities and showing sensitivity.

And if this political discourse can be unifying, it can also lead to division.

''Those who want to find divisions can find people who speak like them and think like them, and they can stay in their echo chamber. That is their choice,'' Elghawaby added.

Elghawaby also warned of the dangers of using ''black and white'' language surrounding the heated conflict between Israel and Hamas. She said the current conflict in the Middle East, beyond the religious factor, is a conflict over land.

Elghawaby is the first person to hold the position of Canada’s Special Representative for Combating Islamophobia. She is a former journalist, a graduate of the School of Journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa, and at the time of her appointment to her current position in late January 2023, was the Director of Strategic Communications at the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF / FCRR) affiliated with the Canadian government.