For Media Inquiries & Assistance Please Call: 1-800.735.4086

Prominent Quebeckers voice support for Trudeau’s anti-Islamophobia representative

FRÉDÉRIK-XAVIER DUHAMEL AND ERIC ANDREW-GEE

After an uproar in Quebec, thirty of the province’s civil-society leaders signed a statement on Friday supporting Amira Elghawaby’s appointment as Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia.
The signatories, including celebrated philosopher Charles Taylor and civil-rights lawyer Julius Grey, were responding to calls from across Quebec’s political spectrum for Ms. Elghawaby’s resignation after it emerged that she had once written that a “majority” of Quebeckers appear to be swayed by prejudice against Muslims in their support of the provincial secularism law, known as Bill 21.
She later said that the controversial line was not her opinion, but rather a description of the findings of a Léger poll.
The controversy has raised difficult questions about religion’s place in public life, the province’s openness to diversity, and perceptions of “Quebec bashing” by the rest of Canada.
“We are sensitive to the concerns that have been raised since her appointment,” reads the statement, “but the challenge before her is a considerable one and we believe that Ms. Elghawaby should be given the opportunity to assume and pursue the mandate for which she was appointed.”
After several days of outrage in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing her appointment, Ms. Elghawaby apologized on Wednesday for having “hurt people in Quebec.” She also met with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet in Ottawa and agreed to meet with provincial politicians in Quebec.
Still, Mr. Blanchet and Quebec Premier François Legault stood behind their calls for her resignation Thursday, even as Mr. Trudeau continued to back the former journalist and activist. Other critics pointed to a Twitter post by Ms. Elghawaby saying the assertion that French Canadians were Canada’s largest group to be victimized by British colonialism made her want to “puke.“
Signatories said in interviews with The Globe and Mail that the statement in her defence was not meant as an endorsement of her comments.
“The letter has nothing to do with approval or disapproval of what she said,” Mr. Grey, the civil-rights lawyer, said. “It is against the idea that certain things can never be said and that once you said them, you can never be named to a public function.”
According to Mr. Grey, Ms. Elghawaby’s statement about Islamophobia in Quebec “is a debatable one, as much as Mr. Legault’s statement that there is no systemic racism in Quebec.” Such remarks, the lawyer said, should lead to open discussions, not disqualify those who utter them.

The controversial statements “irritate me incredibly,” said Charles Taylor, emeritus professor of philosophy at McGill University and former co-chair of a government commission on the “reasonable accommodation” of religious minorities. Nonetheless, Ms. Elghawaby should be given a chance to learn about the “misunderstandings” between English and French-speaking Canadians that lay behind her comments before being asked to resign, Prof. Taylor said.
The academic said there is no doubt that Bill 21, which bans certain public servants – including police officers and teachers – from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs while at work, is discriminatory, but that prejudice against Muslims extends well beyond Quebec.
“There is massive Islamophobia in the Western world, and anybody who pretends that’s not the case in a society is either a liar or a moron,” Prof. Taylor said.
In a 2021 decision, Quebec Superior Court largely upheld the secularism law but acknowledged that it has serious and negative – even “cruel” – consequences for those who wear religious symbols in public, and negatively impacts Muslim women “first and foremost.”
When asked about Mr. Blanchet’s call for the special representative on Islamophobia position to be abolished or for any candidate to have a “neutral” view of Bill 21 as a prerequisite, Prof. Taylor laughed. “I don’t know how anybody who is not totally ignorant of Bill 21 could have a neutral view of the law,” he said.
The signatories include Boufeldja Benabdallah, co-founder of the Quebec City mosque where six Muslim men were killed in 2017, Samaa Elibyari of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, and Red Coalition Founder Joel DeBellefeuille. The statement said that they “stand ready to contribute to a constructive dialogue around these complex and sensitive issues and are committed to countering biases of all kinds.”

Recent

Archive

 2023
 January
Family of Montreal man killed while unlawfully jailed wants systemic racism inquiryLa famille de l’homme demande une enquête sur le racisme systémiqueSystemic racism inquiry called for by family of man who died after being pepper-sprayed at Bordeaux prisonDétenu mort à la prison de Bordeaux: une coalition exige plus de transparence sur le milieu carcéralUN GROUPE ANTIRACISTE RÉCLAME UNE ENQUÊTE PUBLIQUE SUR LA MORT DU DÉTENU DE BORDEAUXRights group seeks public inquiry into death of man in Montreal jailLobby group seeks public inquiry in Montreal man's jail deathAnti-racism group calls for release of video in connection with Montreal jail deathCivil rights group calls for inquiry into death of illegally jailed 21-year-old black manUne coalition réclame la publication de la vidéo de l’interventionLobby group seeks public inquiry, release of video in Montreal man’s jail deathAnti-racism group claims Quebec told Longueuil police to ignore court order on racial profilingAllison Hanes: Montreal prison death demands urgent answersRed Coalition: Quebec ministry told Longueuil police force to defy court order on racial profilingQuebec told Longueuil police to disregard court order on racial profiling, says anti-racism groupCivil rights group accuses Quebec of covering up race-based police dataQue s’est-il passé à Bordeaux ?Public inquiry ordered into jail death of illegally detained Montreal manPublic inquest to be held into death of man in Montreal jailChief coroner orders public inquiry into death of 21-year-old illegally detained at Bordeaux jailCoroner orders public inquiry into Montreal man's jail deathIl y aura une enquête publique du coroner sur la mort de Nicous SpringRed Coalition calling for investigation into systemic racism in Quebec jailsChief Coroner orders public inquiry into death of Nicous SpringPolice union head tells Montreal's new chief: staffing shortages 1st, community policing 2ndPROFILAGE RACIAL: UNE PLAINTE OFFICIELLE DÉPOSÉE CONTRE LA VILLE DE LONGUEUILCoalition alleges contempt of court against LongueuilPROFILAGE RACIAL: «LA CAQ DOIT TENIR SES PROMESSES», ESTIME LA COALITION ROUGEGroups to kick off Black History Month with measures to fight racism
 February
Anti-racism group accuses Montreal-area school of systemic racismCalls grow to change streets named after Christopher Columbus on island of MontrealQuebec sisters afraid to go school, say racism complaints ignoredGroup says private school near Montreal ignored racism complaintsCas de racisme et de cyberintimidation au Collège Bourget de RigaudUn citoyen souhaite «annuler» Christophe Colomb à Pointe-ClaireRACISME ET CYBERINTIMIDATION: LE COLLÈGE BOURGET MIS EN DEMEUREBlack anti-racism groups lob volleys at Canada and QuebecProminent Quebeckers voice support for Trudeau’s anti-Islamophobia representativeProminent Québecers plead for federal anti-Islamophobia rep to be given a chancePetition against Bill 21 tabled at National AssemblyMontreal police brotherhood says it's too easy to blame its members for racial profilingLongueuil, other Quebec police slow in implementing race-based data frameworkAucune accusation ne sera portée contre les policiers qui ont tué Junior OlivierCalls for police accountability as officers who fatally shot Jean René Olivier face no chargesLack of care on Loyola property "unacceptable":DeBellefeuilleGroups call to cancel puppet show featuring minstrel characterUn spectacle pour enfants sème la controverse dans l’ouest de MontréalUn exemple de « racisme systémique », dénoncent des associationsLocal Montreal play carries on despite upset over controversial puppetFamily of man killed by Repentigny police says lawsuit incomingLa mère de Jean-René Junior Olivier poursuit la Ville de RepentignyLa mère de Jean-René Junior Olivier, abattu par des policiers de Repentigny en août 2021, a déposé une poursuite contre la Ville de RepentignyFamily of Black man killed by Repentigny police files to sue city for $430K in damages

Categories

no categories

Tags

no tags