Heritage Minister Melanie Joly (L) and Pakistani-born Liberal MP Iqra Khalid held a news conference on Parliament Hill Feb 16 to announce Khalid*s motion M-103, which calls on the government to condemn Islamophobia. That will be debated in April. The Liberals voted down a similar Conservative motion on Wednesday against discrimination and religious intolerence which did not use the word Islamophobia
Photo Credit: CBC

Religious tolerance, intolerance, and general controversy in Canada to start the year

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.

Feb 17: More than a dozen people gathered outside a mosque in the heart of downtown Toronto shouting slogans about banning Islam as Muslims gathered to pray inside. Police have said an investigation showed it did not constitute a hate crime and no charges will be laid © (SafiahC/Twitter)

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.

A smashed window at a Montreal mosque in early February © Sarah Leavitt/CBC

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.

Screen grab of a Montreal imam taken in 2014, and revealed this week by B’nai Brith. The Quebec mosque says it condemns all hate speech and the Jewish organization took the sermon out of context © Youtube

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

Categories: International, Politics, Society
Tags: , , , , ,

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.