Demonstrations

As protesters gather outside, sold-out crowd greets Linda Sarsour with cheers, laughter Palestinian-American activist says Brian Bowman is 1st elected official to try to silence her

(CBC) Inside a packed room at the Ukrainian Labour Temple in Winnipeg’s North End Friday night, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour began by addressing the controversy surrounding her appearance there. “It is I — I am the drama that you heard about before you got here. This is it,” […]

Government & Politics

Setting the bar for barring a speaker: Controversy follows Linda Sarsour to Winnipeg The Palestinian-American has a pattern of disrespecting other left-wing activists. But is she an anti-Semite?

(CBC) In an era when demagogues flourish on social media, reason gives way to rhetoric and opinion masquerades as fact, it’s easy to understand how ordinary, decent people have grown weary and wary of all sorts of political and cultural debates. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict […]

Academics & Education

Quebec’s largest school board condemns religious symbols ban CSDM hopes government will be open to compromise during consultations, which start next week

(CBC) Quebec’s largest school board has come out against the province’s plan to ban teachers from wearing religious symbols in the classroom, saying it runs contrary to the school board’s mission and would be difficult to enforce. The Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) outlined […]

Clerics & Preachers

Ahead of federal election, imams at 69 Canadian mosques deliver message that every vote counts 'If we don't vote, we don't have any right to complain,' says man who attended Friday's coordinated sermon

(CBC) When Canadians go to the polls in October, a non-partisan group hopes Muslim voter turnout will be higher than ever — and seized one of the year’s most-attended days of prayer to mobilize the community with a single message: every ballot […]

Clothing

Montreal mayor target of physical threats after coming out against secularism bill Valérie Plante says latest wave of threats was prompted by 'fake news' circulating online

(CBC) Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has been the target of an escalating series of violent threats, apparently sparked by her staunch opposition to the provincial government’s secularism bill. Plante spoke publicly last month about receiving hateful comments after she first criticized Bill […]

Clothing

‘It is our duty to speak up’: Montreal city council passes unanimous declaration against Bill 21 'Bill 21 does not reflect the daily reality of Montreal society which is rich and unique,' declaration says

(CBC) Montreal city councillors have unanimously adopted a declaration against the Quebec government’s secularism bill, put forward by the mayor and leader of the opposition. The bipartisan declaration, signed by Mayor Valérie Plante and Ensemble Montréal interim leader Lionel Perez, presents a […]

Clothing

Montrealers take to the streets to protest Quebec’s proposed religious symbols ban Bill 21 would ban some public employees from wearing symbols of their faith

(CBC) Thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Montreal on Sunday afternoon to protest the Quebec government’s Bill 21 — proposed legislation that would ban some public employees from wearing symbols of their faith. “Quebec is not France, long live the difference!” protesters chanted […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

NDP candidate apologizes for posting jihad, crusaders meme Joe Pimlott says he wasn't aware of 'Islamophobic and anti-Semitic connotations' of image

(CBC) A Calgary NDP candidate has apologized for posting a meme about jihadists and crusaders several years ago. Joe Pimlott, who is running in Calgary-Peigan, posted on Twitter that he made a social media post that had “Islamophobic and anti-Semitic connotations” of which […]

Clothing

Opposition to Quebec’s Bill 21 intensifies as minister pleads for calm Hampstead mayor likens proposed ban on religious symbols to 'ethnic cleansing'

(CBC) A week after tabling the legislation, opposition to the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s plan to ban certain public workers from wearing religious symbols is growing more organized — and more vitriolic. Politicians in Montreal’s west end at the federal, provincial and municipal level came […]

Clothing

Civil liberties groups explore ‘creative’ ways to challenge Quebec’s charter-proof secular bill 'We are studying the law, and we are studying what possible recourses we might bring': lawyer

(CBC) The mayor of Montreal calls it “very concerning.” Religious groups say it’s discriminatory. And civil liberties groups have vowed to fight. But what legal options do these groups have in the face of the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s secularism bill, and what […]

Clothing

Religious and civil rights groups plan to challenge Quebec’s secularism bill Public school teachers and principals to be banned from wearing religious symbols

(CBC) Civil rights activists in the National Capital Region say they will challenge Quebec’s secularism bill introduced Thursday by the Coalition Avenir Québec government. The legislation bans public workers from wearing religious symbols such as the kippa or hijab. This includes judges, crown prosecutors, teachers and principals, although the bill […]

Clothing

Quebec government’s proposed secularism law would ban public workers from wearing religious symbols Bill invokes notwithstanding clause to block any potential charter challenges

(CBC) The Coalition Avenir Québec government is proposing a new law that would prohibit public workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols such as a hijab, kippa or turban. The stated aim of the bill, titled, “An act respecting the laicity of […]

Clothing

Notwithstanding clause could stop debate over Quebec’s secularism bill before it starts Province poised to ban teachers and judges, among others, from wearing signs of their faith

(CBC) As the Quebec government prepares to table its secularism bill, constitutional experts are raising concerns about Premier François Legault’s reported plans to pre-emptively invoke the notwithstanding clause to ensure public workers in positions of authority are banned from wearing religious symbols. Robert Leckey, dean of McGill […]

Academics & Education

Public school teachers, principals to be banned from wearing religious symbols Sources have told Radio-Canada the CAQ's secularism bill will go further than initially expected

(CBC) Quebec public schools teachers and school principals will be prohibited from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab or kippa, under a bill likely to be tabled later this week in the provincial legislature. The long-awaited legislation from the Coaltion Avenir […]

Apostasy

MRU cancels speech by ex-Muslim-turned-atheist in light of New Zealand terror attack Armin Navabi says Calgary school is overreacting and calls its decision disappointing

(CBC) An ex-Muslim who is now an atheist and secular activist says Mount Royal University is overreacting by canceling his talk that was planned on campus for Thursday. Armin Navabi, who lives in British Columbia, was being brought in by the Atheist Society of Calgary to share […]

Government & Politics

Conservative MP cancels Baroness Cox event in wake of New Zealand attack Cox's critics accuse her of lending legitimacy to the dictatorship with her visits to Syria

(CBC) A Conservative MP has cancelled an event with a keynote speaker accused of sympathizing with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the wake of mosque shootings in New Zealand which left at least 49 people dead. As CTV first reported, Conservative MPs Garnett Genuis and Kelly Block […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Gatineau councillor apologizes for comments about Muslims Coun. Nathalie Lemieux says she'll step down from deputy mayor's post

(CBC) A Gatineau city councillor is apologizing for remarks she made last week about Islamophobia in Quebec, but maintains she’s been unfairly judged. In a French-language newspaper interview last week, Coun. Nathalie Lemieux said she didn’t believe Islamophobia exists in the province, and […]

Crime

As controversy swirls, François Legault concedes Islamophobia exists in Quebec 'Everything must be done to denounce and combat hatred and intolerance,' Quebec premier says

(CBC) Quebec Premier François Legault has clarified his controversial comments about Islamophobia, now saying such discrimination exists but that it is not widespread. In a statement Friday, the premier’s office said Legault meant to say that there isn’t an “undercurrent” of Islamophobia in Quebec. “Quebecers are open […]

Crime

Quebec doesn’t have a problem with Islamophobia, Premier Legault says 'It's voluntary blindness': Muslim leaders disagree with the premier's assertion

(CBC) Premier François Legault says there’s no need for a day devoted to action against Islamophobia — because Islamophobia isn’t a problem in the province. Legault made the comments two days after the second anniversary of the Quebec City mosque attack, when the deputy premier, Geneviève Guilbault, said the […]

Children & Teens

Community leaders work to head off anti-Muslim backlash as Kingston terror arrests wind up political debate Groups want to send message that terror plot allegations have nothing to do with Islam

(CBC) Community leaders are working to calm fears and find ways to prevent an anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant backlash in the wake of two arrests related to an alleged terrorist plot in Kingston, Ont. — yet the probe already has touched off a political […]

Children & Teens

RCMP charge Kingston, Ont., youth with terror-related offence after security probe 20-year-old man also arrested Thursday was later released without charge

(CBC) The RCMP’s national security team has arrested and charged an Ontario youth with a terrorism-related offence, the police force said Friday following an investigation in Kingston, Ont. Police have laid two charges against the young person, who is accused of knowingly facilitating a […]

Children & Teens

New Muslim-focused domestic violence shelter planned for Calgary Growing numbers of Muslim women, refugees and immigrants fleeing abuse and violence, says charity

(CBC) Muslim women and children fleeing abuse could soon have access to a specialized shelter catering to their cultural and religious needs. While there are many organizations in Calgary offering services for Muslim women escaping domestic violence, there are no specialized shelters. […]

Banks & Banking

‘Everything I have done has always been above board,’ former mortgage lender tells fraud trial Omar Kalair faces numerous charges, including fraud, theft and laundering the proceeds of crime

(CBC) A man accused of misappropriating millions of dollars after his Shariah mortgage lending company went into receivership testified in his own defence in a Toronto courtroom, saying everything he’s done has always been “above board.” Omar Kalair, the former president and […]

Academics & Education

Aspiring teacher may leave Quebec if CAQ follows through on religious symbol ban New poll suggests Quebecers support ban on religious symbols for civil servants, including teachers

(CBC) Fatima Ahmad has been dreaming about becoming a teacher since she was a little girl. At age six, she wrote down the aspiration in her diary, along with two other options: doctor and artist. Ultimately, she chose teaching. “I love kids, […]

Academics & Education

Nearly two-thirds of Quebecers support public-sector ban on religious symbols, poll finds But when asked detailed questions about how to apply the ban, public opinion is more divided

(CBC) Most Quebecers are in favour of banning public-sector workers from wearing religious symbols, according to a CROP poll released ahead of the first legislative session under a Coalition Avenir Québec government. But a separate survey by Vox Pop Labs, conducted following […]

Arts & Entertainment

New generation drives Calgary’s Muslim arts scene There’s a growing underground movement in Calgary featuring everything from painting to poetry

(CBC) More young Muslims in Calgary are picking up brushes, pens, cameras and microphones, and creating their own arts scene. A new generation is expressing themselves while honouring their religion in many different ways, including everything from traditional Islamic patterns and geometric […]

Banks & Banking

Homeowner testifies at trial of 2 men accused of defrauding Shariah mortgage holders Defence is trying to demonstrate homeowners were credited for payments they made

(CBC) The trial of two men accused of defrauding homeowners who had taken out “Shariah-compliant” mortgages heard Thursday from one of the mortgage holders, who admitted under defence cross-examination that he and his wife eventually got credited for their payments. Omar Kalair […]

Banks & Banking

2 men defrauded Shariah-compliant mortgage-holders of millions of dollars, crown tells trial Omar Kalair pocketed money from his mortgage company before it went bankrupt, crown alleges

(CBC) The trial of two men charged with defrauding Muslim homeowners got underway in Toronto courtroom this week with the crown accusing the defendants of bilking their clients of millions of dollars. Omar Kalair and co-accused Yusuf Panchbhaya are standing trial in […]

Academics & Education

Charles Taylor slams CAQ plan to ban religious symbols for some civil servants Co-author of Bouchard-Taylor report calls CAQ plan 'ridiculous,' 'dishonest' and 'a lot of blather'

(CBC) Philosopher Charles Taylor says the new CAQ government “doesn’t get the point” of the report he co-authored that’s been frequently cited by the CAQ as justification for its controversial plan to ban the wearing of religious symbols by some civil servants. […]

Arts & Entertainment

Canada’s first professional Muslim theatre company celebrates ‘the common thread that ties us’ As anti-Muslim sentiment rises in Quebec, Montreal's Silk Road Theatre hopes to help bring people together

(CBC) Montreal-based Silk Road Institute recently made history when it staged the play The Domestic Crusaders as the inaugural production for its new sub-company the Silk Road Theatre Company. In doing so, it officially became Canada’s first professional theatre company dedicated to celebrating Muslim stories. Supported by […]