Say "NO" to a "Day Against Islamophobia" in Ontario

Petition to: Premier Doug Ford

 

Say "NO" to a "Day Against Islamophobia" in Ontario

Say "NO" to a "Day Against Islamophobia" in Ontario

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4,169 have signed. Let's get to 5,000!

Dear Concerned Citizen, 

One year ago, there was a concerted federal effort to introduce an annualized "Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia". The motivation for such a permanent day of atonement arose out of the passage of Motion M-103. This Motion made unsubstantiated claims of rampant racism and religious discrimination, including Islamophobia, across the nation and called for a “rising tide of hate and fear” to be quelled. The only evidence used to substantiate such claims came in the form of the Quebec City mosque attack of early 2017.

It mattered not that there were no charges of “hate” or “terror” in the mosque case or that the perpetrator, Alexandre Bissonnette, confessed that his motivations had nothing to do with Islamophobia. Rather, he stated they were due to a mind muddled with a deep and dark depression. As for the “rising tide of hate and fear”, this narrative was struck down as false by expert testimony given at House of Commons Heritage Committee hearings dedicated to studying Motion M-103. It came as no surprise that the federal effort to institute a “Day Against Islamophobia” was not supported by the Canadian public at large. The initiative was summarily dropped.

Now we have the Province of Ontario advancing a similar initiative in the form of Bill 83 - a Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia Act, 2019. This initiative uses the same Quebec City mosque rationale employed by the Feds and is likely being accelerated as the thing to do given the recent Christchurch attack. The fact remains, the Quebec attack cannot be attributed to Islamophobia and Christchurch motivations are, as of yet, unknown. Indeed, the attacker, by virtue of his own manifesto, seems more motivated by eco-fascism than by any animus to Muslims.

The other issue with the Bill is its definition of the term Islamophobia as hostility against “followers of Islam in general”. This definition is totally subjective and open to the protection of doctrines, traditions and practices that these “followers” attach themselves to. Regardless, this is a human rights matter and Canadian jurisdictions will be obligated to closely consider and employ relevant international conventions. Canadians have seen how such interpretations have panned out in other Western jurisdictions such as Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Union in general. Over the past few decades such domains have afforded special protections to the religion of Islam, and Sharia Law, over all other belief systems. In short, the faith practitioner is not only shielded from discrimination but so is the faith itself. A few examples include:




All this to say, the Ontario initiative to institute a “Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia” is a misplaced bit of virtue signalling that stands to divide the province along religious lines. It will create perceived “favourites” and inevitably lead to follow-on resentment that will be a source of social dislocation. How is it that the tragic killing of Muslims is of such political concern when the killing of non-Muslims by Muslims, such as in the Danforth massacre or in the case of Marissa Shen, is swept under the rug? Why is this the case even if the killers explicitly state they were motivated by jihad - as was the case with the assassinations of Canadian military members Patrice Vincent and Nathan Cirillo?  Why is it that a non-Muslim in a Muslim majority country is 143 times more likely to be killed than a Muslim than the other way round? It matters not if you are a resident of a province other than Ontario. Ontario is the acknowledged leader in the area of Canadian human rights and its decisions will arrive in your province sooner rather than later.

If you agree, please sign this petition and send a dedicated email to Premier Ford to let him know how you feel.

 

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Petition to: Premier Doug Ford

 Dear Sir,

I understand that Bill 83, an Act to initiate an annualized "Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia", has passed first reading and is now sailing towards Royal Assent. I believe this Act is being accelerated through the legislative process as an emotional project in recognition of the tragic mass murders carried out in the Quebec City and Christchurch mosque attacks. I further believe that this legislation is set to address the false narrative that is “Islamophobia” and do more harm than good in generating social cohesion between the province and its Muslim communities. I implore you to reconsider this legislation and put it aside until such time that a reasoned, fulsome debate is allowed to take place.

Unfortunately, the current debate is monopolized by those pushing a victimhood narrative that glosses over the loaded term that is “Islamophobia”. They mistakenly assert that the term refers to Muslims as individuals only when, in reality, the term, as employed in other Western jurisdictions, embraces the totality of Islam. This is a critical point as Islam, unlike other major world religions, goes beyond the delineation of a path to salvation to posit a complete way of life - a way of life that is manifested through Sharia Law.

Canadians have seen how the term “Islamophobia” has failed to establish a demarcation between the individual practitioner of Islam and the faith of Islam itself, a faith that embodies Sharia Law. They have seen how the fight against “Islamophobia” has led to social dislocation in the European Union where precious security, judicial and social resources are expended to punish those who have the temerity to criticize the doctrines and practices of Islam rather than those who discriminate against individual Muslims. The end result has been the diminishment and “chilling” of free speech as evidenced by the European Human Rights Court conviction of an Austrian woman, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, for “hate speech” crimes. She was taken to task for discussing aspects of the life of Islam’s prophet and was deemed to have gone beyond the “permissible limits of free speech”.

There will be those that say that Bill 83’s definition of Islamophobia will curtail any confusion between the faith practitioner and the faith itself. This is hard to see, though, given its determination to protect “followers of Islam” – followers who are called to adhere to Sharia Law. Herein lies the nub of the problem as Sharia calls for a strict estrangement between Muslim and non-Muslim and is antithetical to the rights and freedoms associated with a Western liberal democracy. Regardless, Bill 83 addresses human rights matters that will eventually be called upon by our courts to conform to relevant international conventions – the same ones that found Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff guilty of exceeding the “permissible limits of free speech”.

Make no mistake Sir, where Ontario goes in this matter so goes the nation. Ontario has always led the nation in human rights matters and it will do so with Bill 83. I am asking you to be the national leader on the issue of “islamophobia”. I am asking you to set aside the current, emotionalized legislative process that is Bill 83 so that it might be replaced by one that accommodates all aspects of the issues at hand.

 

[Your Name]

Petition to: Premier Doug Ford

 Dear Sir,

I understand that Bill 83, an Act to initiate an annualized "Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia", has passed first reading and is now sailing towards Royal Assent. I believe this Act is being accelerated through the legislative process as an emotional project in recognition of the tragic mass murders carried out in the Quebec City and Christchurch mosque attacks. I further believe that this legislation is set to address the false narrative that is “Islamophobia” and do more harm than good in generating social cohesion between the province and its Muslim communities. I implore you to reconsider this legislation and put it aside until such time that a reasoned, fulsome debate is allowed to take place.

Unfortunately, the current debate is monopolized by those pushing a victimhood narrative that glosses over the loaded term that is “Islamophobia”. They mistakenly assert that the term refers to Muslims as individuals only when, in reality, the term, as employed in other Western jurisdictions, embraces the totality of Islam. This is a critical point as Islam, unlike other major world religions, goes beyond the delineation of a path to salvation to posit a complete way of life - a way of life that is manifested through Sharia Law.

Canadians have seen how the term “Islamophobia” has failed to establish a demarcation between the individual practitioner of Islam and the faith of Islam itself, a faith that embodies Sharia Law. They have seen how the fight against “Islamophobia” has led to social dislocation in the European Union where precious security, judicial and social resources are expended to punish those who have the temerity to criticize the doctrines and practices of Islam rather than those who discriminate against individual Muslims. The end result has been the diminishment and “chilling” of free speech as evidenced by the European Human Rights Court conviction of an Austrian woman, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, for “hate speech” crimes. She was taken to task for discussing aspects of the life of Islam’s prophet and was deemed to have gone beyond the “permissible limits of free speech”.

There will be those that say that Bill 83’s definition of Islamophobia will curtail any confusion between the faith practitioner and the faith itself. This is hard to see, though, given its determination to protect “followers of Islam” – followers who are called to adhere to Sharia Law. Herein lies the nub of the problem as Sharia calls for a strict estrangement between Muslim and non-Muslim and is antithetical to the rights and freedoms associated with a Western liberal democracy. Regardless, Bill 83 addresses human rights matters that will eventually be called upon by our courts to conform to relevant international conventions – the same ones that found Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff guilty of exceeding the “permissible limits of free speech”.

Make no mistake Sir, where Ontario goes in this matter so goes the nation. Ontario has always led the nation in human rights matters and it will do so with Bill 83. I am asking you to be the national leader on the issue of “islamophobia”. I am asking you to set aside the current, emotionalized legislative process that is Bill 83 so that it might be replaced by one that accommodates all aspects of the issues at hand.

 

[Your Name]