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Political rhetoric driving spike in hate crimes, say observers
‘Trump effect’ may be spilling over into Canada
By Alexandra Mazur
iPolitics | November 18, 2016
An increase in highly charged political rhetoric is driving a spike in hate crimes in Canada, but officials aren’t doing a good enough job of tracking incidents, activists say.
“You’ve had one synagogue, one private home and another synagogue today, all vandalized by anti-Semitic vandals,” said longtime human rights activist Bernie Farber on Thursday. “That’s pretty significant. Something is going on.” ....
Amira Elghawaby, communications director ...
Trump surrogate talks of a Muslim registry
By John Ibbitson
The Globe and Mail | November 18, 2016
It can be a challenge to avoid panicking over Donald Trump’s plans for Muslims in America – especially when his surrogates invoke the Japanese internment as a precedent.
But Akbar Ahmed, an author and scholar at American University in Washington, D.C., and a leading authority on global Islam, is urging his compatriots to “take it easy. Chill out. Relax. This is still a great nation. Unless and until laws are actually passed, there is no reason to be worried.”
Something for Muslims and non-Muslims ...
Markham principal apologizes for controversial Facebook posts
By Ginella Massa
CityNews Toronto | November 11, 2016
A Markham principal has apologized for a number of discriminatory posts she shared on Facebook in the past.
In a statement posted on the York Region District School Board website, Ghada Sadaka writes “I apologize for my actions and accept responsibility for ensuring that I learn from them … Upon reflection, I accept that sharing the posts was discriminatory, and should not have occurred.”
The online apology comes more than two months after parents flagged a number of posts shared by the principal of Sir ...
Ottawa police pull over higher rate of Middle Eastern and black drivers: report
By Jeff Lagerquist
CTV News | October 24, 2016
Ottawa Police are pulling over Middle Eastern and black drivers -- especially young men -- far more often than other groups relative to their population in the city, according to a report analyzing traffic stops over a two year period.
Researchers at York University looked at 81,902 traffic stops between 2013 and 2015 where officers were asked to approximate the driver’s race, sex, and age, as well the reason for the traffic stop and the outcome.
The data revealed that drivers perceived to be Middle Eastern ...
Conservative leadership candidate Steven Blaney wants to ban face veils while voting, becoming citizen
By Laura Payton
CTV News | October 24, 2016
Conservative MP Steven Blaney's first announcement as a candidate for the federal Conservative leadership is a call for women casting ballots and taking the oath of citizenship to do so with their faces uncovered.
"We have a Canadian way of living - the rule of law, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and our laws. We have and we need to protect and preserve the equality of women and men, and we live in a free and democratic society," Blaney said on the lawn of Parliament Hill in Monday.
The Quebec MP and former public ...
Ottawa police stopping Middle Eastern, black drivers at ‘disproportionate’ rate: report
York University researchers reviewed data from 81,902 traffic stops involving Ottawa residents
CBC News | October 24, 2016
Middle Eastern and black drivers — particularly young men — were far more likely to be stopped by Ottawa police than other drivers, according to a report analyzing two years of traffic stops.
A York University research team examined 81,902 traffic stops involving Ottawa residents from 2013 to 2015 where officers recorded their perception of the driver's race, as well as their gender, age range, the reason for the stop and whether the stop ...
School board won’t reveal outcome of investigation into Markham principal
By NOOR JAVED
Toronto Star | October 21, 2016
More than a month after the York school board launched an investigation into allegations that a Markham elementary school principal put anti-Muslim posts on her Facebook page, board officials won’t tell concerned parents about the status of the investigation, calling it a “personnel matter.”
Last month, the York Region District School Board said it was investigating after becoming aware of postings on the Facebook page of Ghada Sadaka, a principal at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School.
Parents say they are ...
Quebec renews burqa ban debate in parliament
Ashifa Kassam | The Guardian
A bitter debate over identity, religion and tolerance has resumed in the Canadian province of Quebec, as parliamentary hearings begin on proposed legislation that would ban anyone wearing a face covering from receiving public services in the province.
The bill, tabled by the provincial Liberals last year, aims to address the issue of state neutrality and provide a framework for religious accommodation requests.
But much of the public discussion of the bill has focused on its attempt to ban face coverings. The provincial government ...
Hearings to begin on proposed Quebec law targeting veiled women
By INGRID PERITZ
The Globe and Mail | October 17, 2016
Quebec opens another difficult debate over the place of religion and minorities in the province with hearings Tuesday into a proposed law that would ban veiled women from receiving government services.
The parliamentary hearings launch as questions about identity, religion, tolerance and immigration are again roiling the political waters in Quebec.
The new legislation, “An Act to foster adherence to State religious neutrality and, in particular, to provide a framework for religious accommodation requests in ...
Mississauga publication criticized for Islamophobic, baseless claims
By Nick Westoll
Global News | October 9, 2016
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and community members are condemning an article posted online by a local publication that they say contains several Islamophobic and baseless claims.
Entitled Bonnie’s Muslims Are Molesting Teenage Girls in Mississauga Highschools(sic), the article was posted on the Mississauga Gazette’s website Friday by editor-in-chief Acton Michaels.
. . .
Meanwhile, the National Council of Canadian Muslims called the article “hateful towards the Muslim community.”
“Hate just ...