Former Mayor of Calgary Nahid Nenshi will speak at a Senate Committee on Human Rights raising concerns about the rise in religious bigotry in Quebec and Bill 21 – and predicted some “spicy” words for federal politicians.
Nenshi became the first Muslim mayor of a major North American city when he was first elected in 2010.
He says transit and taxes often overshadowed his views.
Speaking in Calgary on Saturday, Nenshi said that holding the mayor’s office for 11 years was no indicator that Canada doesn’t have a problem when it comes to Islamophobia.
“We know that hate crime rates have gone up in Canada. We know that overall we are seeing a rise in religious bigotry, whether it is anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or anti-Christian bigotry. But we also know That there are certain policies in the country that look discriminatory towards Muslims, Sikhs and Orthodox Jews. It seems to me that our political class is too ashamed to call it out,” Nenshi said.
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This was the last time senators held a public hearing where they heard the experiences of Canadian Muslims who experienced the effects of Islamophobia.
Some of the key topics raised during the hearing included the under-reporting of hate-motivated threats and violence, and the challenges of controlling hate online.
On Monday, Nenshi said he would voice his opposition to Quebec’s Bill 21, which bans some civil servants from wearing religious symbols at work.
Nenshi says the law targets some people – especially Muslim women who wear the hijab.
The purpose behind the law is to preserve Quebec’s status as a secular state. Nenshi does not buy the argument that the historically overwhelming presence of the Catholic Church in Quebec justifies Bill 21.
“I don’t think you can use past discrimination to justify current discrimination. I would probably get a little spicy with federal politicians and say: ‘Look, we need some leadership on this’,” Nenshi said. .
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Canada’s first special representative to combat Islamophobia, Amira Elghwabi, recently apologized for her previous remarks about Quebec, which she made in an op-ed she co-authored in 2019.
Pointing to a poll conducted at the time, he suggested that “the majority of Quebecers are swayed by anti-Muslim sentiment, not the rule of law.”
“I feel bad that she was bullied into this, because if you’re going to hire someone in that job as an Islamophobia fighter, I’m sure they’ve spoken out about Islamophobia in the past — so they have It was a job. He shouldn’t apologize for it,” Nenshi said.
Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal says he supports Elghwabi and said continued calls for his resignation raise concerns.
“I stand with her because her work is so important to try and combat Islamophobia, racism and discrimination in Canada.”
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Some leaders in Calgary’s Muslim community say what is happening with Bill 21 is affecting Muslim families everywhere.
Sheikh Abdi Hersi says Islamophobia is a reality across Canada.
“We live with this day in and day out. What’s happening in Quebec is affecting everybody. It’s affecting our children.
“We have kids who are born and raised in Canada and when they hear things like this in their own communities and in their own country, they feel less Canadian. We can do better. Taunts of Muslim Canadian society —are part of the fabric and should be treated as such,” Hersey said.
According to statistics canadaThe number of police-recorded hate crimes targeting the Muslim faith has increased by 71 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year.
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