This has been a somewhat stormy beginning of the year in the issue of religious tolerance, and/or intolerance in Canada.
First there was the terrible tragedy of the killings in a Quebec City mosque in January which shocked all of Canada. The Quebec man responsible is currently in jail awaiting his trial. A memorial service for the victims was televised nationwide, and vigils were held in cities across Canada as tens of thousands expressed their sadness and solidarity with the membership of the mosque, and Muslims in Canada.
In the Canada’s House of Commons, Liberal Member of Parliament Iqra Khalid, a Muslim woman, announced this week her motion (M-103) that would condemn religious intolerance, including Islamophobia.
While all MP’s agreed to condemn religious intolerance and discrimination, many objected to the emphasis on singling out Islam as deserving special attention. Others have written in editorials and commentaries about their concerns that it could limit the concept of free speech.
That motion (not a law) will likely be debated in April. In the meantime because of her proposal she has been receiving much angry, even threatenting correspondance.
However, on Tuesday a Conservative motion, which was very similar, but excluded the word Islamophobia, was defeated by the Liberal majority, who intend to push forward Khalid’s motion in April.
The president of the Canadian Muslim Forum said that including the word “Islamophobia” was vital, adding at a news conference that the Conservatives were directly or indirectly have created “waves of Islamophobia all across the country”.
Vandalism at mosques and synagoques.
Earlier this month two mosques in Montreal received minor vandalism damage, with broken windows and a small amount of trash thrown in.
In January, three Jewish synagogues, a Jewish daycare, and a Jewish school were all vandalized with broken windows.
Meanwhile, two men at a Toronto mosque during a recitation allegedly preached that Allah should kill all non-believers, and cleanse the al Aqsa mosque “from the filth of the Jews”.
The Masjid Mosque later issued a statement that the inappropriate recitation was unacceptable and condemns all forms of hate. This week, one of the men involved tweeted his own apology for the prayer adding it referred specifically to the situation in the Middle East and regretted any offence it may have caused.
Still brewing is the situation over the president of the McGill University Student’s Society who had tweeted to “punch a Zionist today” and who has so far refused calls to resign.
Earlier this week a video came to light of an imam at the al-Andalus Islamic Center in Montreal. The video, possibly from 2014, calls for the destruction of the Jewish people. During his sermon and according to a translation by B’nai Brith, Sayed al-Ghitawi asks Allah to “destroy the accursed Jews” and to “make their children orphans and their women widows.”
The story was published in CIJ news. In their French language response the mosque said the Jewish newspaper took the video out of context. It said it condemns all hate speech but the prayer was in response to a 2014 Israeli offensive against Palestinians and then wondered about the timing of the video publication by the CIJ news. It also accused the news service of a “shameful” attempt to stir up anti-Muslim feelings, especially in light of the wider community solidarity against the tragic killings at the Quebec mosque in January.
The 27-year-old who is alleged to have shot and killed 6 men while they were praying in the mosque, appeared in a Montreal court this week to hear the charges against him. He will appear again in court in March to begin his bail hearing.
Additional information – sources
- CBC: Feb 19,2017: Shanifa Nasser- anti-Islam demo
- Montreal Gazette: John Meager: Feb21, 2017-mosque damage
- CBC: Elysha Enos: Feb 02, 2017-mosque damage
- CIJ news- Feb 20: Toronto Masjid mosque situation
- CIJ news-Feb 15- Montreal mosque and video link
- Jerusalem Post, Jan 2017- Montreal synagogues damaged
- CBC:Feb 17, 2017: McGill University student anti-Zionist tweet
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