muslim

Thursday February 16, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 16, 2017

Liberal MP’s anti-Islamophobia motion set for debate on Wednesday

Members of Parliament will debate a motion to condemn Islamophobia and track incidents of hate crime against Muslims in the House of Commons next week.

Motion 103 was tabled by Mississauga, Ont., Liberal backbencher Iqra Khalid last fall, but will be discussed in the  aftermath of last month’s mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque. It calls on government to “condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination.”

The text of the motion also asks the government to:

  • Recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear.
  • Request the heritage committee study how the government could develop a government-wide approach to reducing or eliminating systemic racism and religious discrimination, including Islamophobia.
  • Collect data to contextualize hate crime reports and to conduct needs assessments for impacted communities and present findings within 240 calendar days.

The motion, scheduled for one hour of debate on Wednesday, has generated a backlash online, with petitions garnering thousands of signatures opposing the motion.

January 31, 2017

Some critics have mischaracterized M-103 as a “bill” or a “law” rather than an non-binding motion.

Some have warned that Canada is moving towards criminalizing Islamophobia or even to the implementation of Islamic law, called Shariah, in Canada.

Barbara Kay, a columnist for the National Post and contributor to The Rebel Media, said she worries about M-103’s potential impact on freedom of expression and special protections for a single religious group.

“There are a lot of countries in Europe where criticism of Islam, even if not entrenched in law as a hate crime, are being interpreted by police and law enforcement, social workers — the whole spectrum of the state apparatus. They have been internalized by those within the public service as wrong, and if not criminal then absolutely morally wrong, and therefore Muslims are a group that must be protected from this very offensive speech,” she said in an interview with CBC.

Kay said anti-hate speech laws have traditionally targeted human beings, not ideas. She questioned the need to single out Islamophobia, and argued there are more hate crimes against Jews than Muslims in Canada. (Source: CBC News) 

Corner Brook, Newfoundland

Tuesday January 31, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 31, 2017

Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette identified as alleged gunman

Quebec provincial police now say that only one of the two men detained Sunday night in connection with the mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City that killed six people is considered a suspect.

Surete du Quebec said in a statement just after noon Monday the second person is considered a witness, but they did not offer any names. Media reports identified the “witness” as Mohamed Belkhadir. Earlier reports said the man’s name was Mohamed Khadir or El Khadir.

Reports from Quebec media, including La Presse, TVA, and Radio Canada, say that Alexandre Bissonnette is the lone person suspected in the shooting.

The horrific attacks occurred inside the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec in Quebec City’s Ste-Foy neighbourhood just before 8 p.m. ET, when a masked gunman entered the building and opened fire, according to witnesses and police.

The victims were identified as men who ranged in age from 35 to 60. Five people remain in hospital, with two of those in critical condition and the three others stable. At least 14 others suffered minor injuries and were released, according to the University of Quebec Hospital Centre spokeswoman Genevieve Dupuis.

Thirty-nine people escaped the mosque shooting without injuries.  (Source: Global News) 



 

Saturday August 27, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday August 27, 2016 The burkini is an option, not oppression, say those opposed to ban Recent attempts in France to ban the burkini have prompted protests and court challenges. Some of those who've defended the body-concealing swimsuit say that while they wouldn't wear one themselves and don't necessarily agree with the religious associations it carries, they will defend women's right to wear what they want. On Friday, the top court in France overturned one town's banÊon the burkini, a ruling that is likely to set a precedent across the country. The decision comes after several Muslim women were ordered to remove the body-covering swimwear on French beaches. Some burkini wearers were also issued fines. Sonu Kilam is the co-founder and designer at East Essence, an online store that sells modern and traditional Islamic clothes. East Essence started to sell burkinis about six years ago, she said, after receiving requests from customers Ñ specifically, Mormon customers Ñ who were looking for modest active wear. "[We] came across the burkini and thought, 'Perfect, it will work for all our customers,'" Kilam told CBC News from Newark, Calif. The company's various burkini options represent about 15 per cent of its sales, she said, and it's not only Muslim women ordering them. Kilam recently got an email from a Canadian woman who wrote, "It's hard for women like me who are 40 or older and don't feel comfortable showing skin to find swimwear in Canada.Ó Other burkini customers include women with skin conditions, Kilam said, and the company recently made a custom burkini for a plus-size woman who wanted something to wear for water aerobics. There have been reports that burkini sales have increased since the controversy started, but Kilam said she hasn't noticed any significant changes. (Source: CBC News)Êhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/world/burkini-ban-follow-1.3736922 France, Burkini, Liberty, Equality, be

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 27, 2016

The burkini is an option, not oppression, say those opposed to ban

Recent attempts in France to ban the burkini have prompted protests and court challenges.

Some of those who’ve defended the body-concealing swimsuit say that while they wouldn’t wear one themselves and don’t necessarily agree with the religious associations it carries, they will defend women’s right to wear what they want.

On Friday, the top court in France overturned one town’s ban on the burkini, a ruling that is likely to set a precedent across the country.

The decision comes after several Muslim women were ordered to remove the body-covering swimwear on French beaches. Some burkini wearers were also issued fines.

Sonu Kilam is the co-founder and designer at East Essence, an online store that sells modern and traditional Islamic clothes. East Essence started to sell burkinis about six years ago, she said, after receiving requests from customers — specifically, Mormon customers — who were looking for modest active wear.

“[We] came across the burkini and thought, ‘Perfect, it will work for all our customers,'” Kilam told CBC News from Newark, Calif.

The company’s various burkini options represent about 15 per cent of its sales, she said, and it’s not only Muslim women ordering them.

Kilam recently got an email from a Canadian woman who wrote, “It’s hard for women like me who are 40 or older and don’t feel comfortable showing skin to find swimwear in Canada.”

Other burkini customers include women with skin conditions, Kilam said, and the company recently made a custom burkini for a plus-size woman who wanted something to wear for water aerobics.

There have been reports that burkini sales have increased since the controversy started, but Kilam said she hasn’t noticed any significant changes. (Source: CBC News)

 

Wednesday December 9, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday December 9, 2015 Donald Trump's Muslim US ban call roundly condemned Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has provoked condemnation from across the political spectrum, by saying Muslims should be banned from entering the US. Republicans, Democrats, Muslim leaders, the UN and foreign leaders criticised the call as dangerous and divisive. Mr Trump said many Muslims nursed a "hatred" towards America. He said they should be banned "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on". His campaign manager said that would apply to "everybody" - would-be immigrants and tourists. But Mr Trump told Fox News it would "not apply to people living in the country", adding that Muslims serving in the US military would "come home". Mr Trump's statement was delivered as the US comes to terms with its deadliest terror attack since 9/11. Last week a Muslim couple, believed to have been radicalised, opened fire and killed 14 people at a health centre in San Bernardino. Mr Trump's proposed ban prompted a horrified reaction from Republicans and others. Rival candidate Jeb Bush called Mr Trump "unhinged", while former US Vice-President Dick Cheney said it "goes against everything we stand for and believe in". White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest later challenged the Republican party to denounce the leading candidate, and said that the proposal "disqualifies him from serving as president". Mr Earnest said that the Trump campaign had a "dustbin of history" quality to it, calling the candidate a "carnival barker" with "fake hair". The UK's Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron said they were "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong", while his French counterpart Manuel Valls said Mr Trump "stoked hatred". UN refugee agency UNHCR said it was concerned that the rhetoric was putting an "incredibly important" resettlement programme for vulnerable Syrian refugees at risk. (

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 9, 2015

Donald Trump’s Muslim US ban call roundly condemned

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has provoked condemnation from across the political spectrum, by saying Muslims should be banned from entering the US.

Republicans, Democrats, Muslim leaders, the UN and foreign leaders criticised the call as dangerous and divisive.

Mr Trump said many Muslims nursed a “hatred” towards America.

He said they should be banned “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”.

His campaign manager said that would apply to “everybody” – would-be immigrants and tourists. But Mr Trump told Fox News it would “not apply to people living in the country”, adding that Muslims serving in the US military would “come home”.

Mr Trump’s statement was delivered as the US comes to terms with its deadliest terror attack since 9/11.

For sale at the MC Boutique

Last week a Muslim couple, believed to have been radicalised, opened fire and killed 14 people at a health centre in San Bernardino.

Mr Trump’s proposed ban prompted a horrified reaction from Republicans and others.

Rival candidate Jeb Bush called Mr Trump “unhinged”, while former US Vice-President Dick Cheney said it “goes against everything we stand for and believe in”.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest later challenged the Republican party to denounce the leading candidate, and said that the proposal “disqualifies him from serving as president”.

Mr Earnest said that the Trump campaign had a “dustbin of history” quality to it, calling the candidate a “carnival barker” with “fake hair”.

The UK’s Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron said they were “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong”, while his French counterpart Manuel Valls said Mr Trump “stoked hatred”.

UN refugee agency UNHCR said it was concerned that the rhetoric was putting an “incredibly important” resettlement programme for vulnerable Syrian refugees at risk. (Source: BBC News)

 

Thursday September 10, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday September 10, 2015 Half of one Toronto schoolÕs students kept home to protest new sex-ed Parents in one Toronto community have made good on their threat to keep their children at home on the first day of school to protest the provinceÕs new sex-ed curriculum, which they say is not age appropriate. At Thorncliffe Park, where nearly all of its Grade 1 to 5 students were pulled from class during a protest staged by parents in the spring, almost half of the schoolÕs population was absent Tuesday, said a spokesman for the Toronto District School Board. Julie Lalonde was stalked by an ex-boyfriend for years. One note he left read: ÒI will always love you, you have no choice.Ó Complaints from parents have ranged from a lack of consultation with them to not wanting their kids to be taught about same-sex relationships and different gender identities. Education Minister Liz Sandals urged parents who are opposed to the curriculum to first talk to teachers and principals because there is Òa lot of misinformationÓ being circulated, but each school board does have a policy on withdrawing students from particular classes. However, she said, the majority of the feedback she has received has been positive. ÒI have never in my life been just stopped on the street by strangers so often (who) said, ÔThank you for doing this. Hang in there. We want this program.ÒÕ Premier Kathleen Wynne said in addition to thousands of school council chairs, 70 health organizations and parent groups were consulted in crafting the new curriculum, which had not been updated since 1998. ÒThis is the most widely consulted upon curriculum in the history of the province,Ó she said Tuesday. ÒWhen we write curriculum...on geography or social studies or mathematics, that kind of consultation does not happen because thatÕs not how curriculum has been historically written in the province. We felt there was a need to have a broader

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 10, 2015

Half of one Toronto school’s students kept home to protest new sex-ed

Parents in one Toronto community have made good on their threat to keep their children at home on the first day of school to protest the province’s new sex-ed curriculum, which they say is not age appropriate.

Thursday, February 26, 2015At Thorncliffe Park, where nearly all of its Grade 1 to 5 students were pulled from class during a protest staged by parents in the spring, almost half of the school’s population was absent Tuesday, said a spokesman for the Toronto District School Board.

Julie Lalonde was stalked by an ex-boyfriend for years. One note he left read: “I will always love you, you have no choice.”

Complaints from parents have ranged from a lack of consultation with them to not wanting their kids to be taught about same-sex relationships and different gender identities.

Education Minister Liz Sandals urged parents who are opposed to the curriculum to first talk to teachers and principals because there is “a lot of misinformation” being circulated, but each school board does have a policy on withdrawing students from particular classes.

However, she said, the majority of the feedback she has received has been positive.

“I have never in my life been just stopped on the street by strangers so often (who) said, ‘Thank you for doing this. Hang in there. We want this program.“’

Premier Kathleen Wynne said in addition to thousands of school council chairs, 70 health organizations and parent groups were consulted in crafting the new curriculum, which had not been updated since 1998.

“This is the most widely consulted upon curriculum in the history of the province,” she said Tuesday.

“When we write curriculum…on geography or social studies or mathematics, that kind of consultation does not happen because that’s not how curriculum has been historically written in the province. We felt there was a need to have a broader consultation with parents on this curriculum.”

Progressive Conservative MPP Monte McNaughton, who has been a staunch opponent of the curriculum, is urging Wynne to shelve the document and start over by consulting parents.

The party’s new leader, Patrick Brown, notably did not broach the issue in his statement marking the first day of school. He said last week he wants to “make sure parents have a say on how much and when.”

In the spring Sandals suggested Conservative groups were behind some of the opposition and now there are Conservative candidates campaigning in the federal election on sex-ed opposition.

“If there’s one group of people we admit we have not consulted with in a thorough sort of way, it would be federal Conservative candidates, I admit,” she said. (Source: Globe & Mail)