Hussein Hoballah, Montreal
Everyone in Canada in general and its Muslim community in particular agrees that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stood by the community as they suffered two of the harshest attacks ever.
During the first attack in 2017, the worshippers at a Quebec City mosque were targeted. Six of them were killed, and others were wondered. During the second attack in 2021, another terrorist rammed his car into a Muslim family in London, Ontario, killing four of them and wounding the fifth. Trudeau has as well stood by the community against the infamous Law 21, which prevents women in hijab from working at Quebec’s public institutions.
But what Trudeau has done falls within his duties as prime minister and cannot be considered an act of generosity. After all, he’s supposed to treat all citizens equally.
On the other hand, Trudeau has made unwanted remarks following the 1 Million March 4 Children, which was held across various Canadian provinces to confirm parental rights, including respect for parents’ rights as concerns raising their children in accordance with religious teachings and children’s welfare. Such parental efforts come when young children are being introduced to matters beyond their understanding in an undesirable reality. Children, for example, are made to believe that they could ‘choose’ to be males or females, ‘two-spirit’, ‘queer’ or whatever…
What’s worse than that is forcing children to participate in events held for the 2SLGBTQI+ group and implying that whoever doesn’t do is completely unwelcome, even when it’s the right of any student and his/ her parents to refuse to attend those events. They’re even trying to change children’s gender, without parental consent, whenever children think they’re of a different gender!
Though Trudeau’s earlier stances are appreciated, his recent remarks concerning the 1 Million March 4 Children depicted tens of thousands of demonstrators as ‘haters’. The demonstrators had chanted the slogan, “Leave our kids alone”, demanding that their right be respected whenever it concerns their children’s welfare. In a post that followed the march, Trudeau blatantly said, “We strongly condemn this hate.”
What kind of ‘hate’ is Trudeau talking about? Having received clear instructions made by the organisers, the demonstrators chanted two unified slogans: “Protect parental rights” and “leave our kids alone“. As for a minor group of demonstrators that chanted different slogans, that was normal. Eventually, such trivial things happen at all demonstrations.
I’d like to point out that Sada Al-Mashrek posted, on Facebook, two different statements by participating groups, confirming that parents and their children “hate or antagonise none and will be peacefully expressing their viewpoints“. The second statement, titled, “Why Join the March?” stated: “First and foremost, we confirm that we hate, antagonise or disrespect none. Our march is peaceful, as required by the law, to express our viewpoint concerning school policies apropos children, and to defend our freedom.”
However, shortly after the march, our prime minister showed up on X, saying: “Let me make one thing very clear: Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia have no place in this country. We strongly condemn this hate and its manifestations, and we stand united in support of 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians across the country – you are valid and you are valued.”
Who in the world has convinced the PM to depict the demonstrations held by tens of thousands of Canadians of different faiths, races and backgrounds as ‘hateful’? who is that ‘brilliant’ adviser who made the PM to make these hateful comments? Eventually, they’ll provoke more hate in time when Islamophobia exists and when Muslims still suffer from its setbacks in every province.
Our community’s response to Trudeau’s remarks can be summed up in the Muslim Association of Canada’s statement, in which MAC demands that Trudeau and school boards apologise for their remarks. In fact, MAC’s statement shows the disappointment of Canada’s Muslim community from coast to coast. Now, serious debate is being held behind the scenes apropos the party the community should vote for in the coming elections.
After all, our community feel that they’ve been let down by Trudeau and many other municipal, provincial and federal politicians, including Montréal Mayoress Valerie Plante, who, by the way, is urged to retract the offensive comments she made once the demonstrators hit Montréal’s streets.
In a post on X, Plante said, “The display of hatred we saw during the anti-2SLGBTQI+ demonstration in Montréal is shocking and unacceptable.” Plante added that those people “deserve to live with dignity, respect and safety. It’s fundamental. We won’t tolerate inappropriate, discriminatory or hateful behaviour towards them. Montréal is, and always will be, an open and caring city.”
Perhaps this explains why Montréal police were dealing openly discriminately with the demonstrating parents, separating the crowds from each other: The real size of this protest would be concealed. In our Facebook live feed (https://fb.watch/njlorwTh18/), the demonstrators are heard protesting against the police measures.
Furthermore, many in the Muslim community have denounced NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s stance after Singh participated in the counter-protest organised by the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
It might be Premier François Legault who made the most balanced stance, saying, “We have a duty to be sensitive to people in the 2SLGBTQI+ community, but also to hear the concerns of the general population.” Legault as well said his government would assign a group of “wise people” that would look into questions concerning the sexual-identity issue in December.
Trudeau could’ve simply said that he understood parents’ fears and simultaneously refused hate that targets any Canadian group. He, however, has made a completely uncalculated stance.
Therefore, the PM needs to review his stance and dare address the fears of the Muslim community and people of other faiths and ethnicities that also wish to protect their children. Trudeau’s supposed to help resolve the problem rather than attack demonstrators and make utterly unfounded accusations against them.
We are urging Trudeau to make a stance that’s in harmony with Canada, which prides itself in multiculturalism, the rule of law, the Charter of Freedoms and Rights, the freedom of conviction and faith, as well as democracy.
photo credit : Sada Almashrek