Muslim groups ‘troubled’ by Stephen Harper’s mosque remark

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair decries prime minister’s comment as a form of Islamophobia

By Laura Payton, CBC News
February 2, 2015

Two national Muslim organizations say they are troubled that Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week drew a link between radicalization and mosques.

Harper made the remark last Friday when he was answering a question about the Canadian government’s new anti-terrorism legislation. The measures unveiled in Bill C-51 include criminalizing advocacy for or promotion of a terrorist act. Another measure lowers the threshold needed for police to arrest somebody they suspect may commit a terrorist act.

Asked how to distinguish between teens messing around in their basements and someone who is radicalized, Harper said it would be a serious offence « no matter who you are. »

« It doesn’t matter what the age of the person is, or whether they’re in a basement, or whether they’re in a mosque or somewhere else, » Harper said Friday in Richmond Hill, Ont.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Muslim Lawyers’ Association (CMLA) said in a press release Monday that they are « deeply troubled » Harper « implicated Canadian mosques as venues where terrorism is advocated or promoted. » In a press release, the groups demanded Harper apologize.

Amira Elghawaby, human rights co-ordinator for the NCCM, said the organization found Harper’s comments « extremely divisive. »

« Considering that we’ve seen anti-Muslim violence and vandalism at places of worship, it was very disturbing to see the prime minister create this kind of impression in the minds of Canadians, that there’s something wrong going on when there isn’t anything of that sort, » Elghawaby said.

High standard of responsibility

Elghawaby said imams and mosque communities have called authorities when they have concerns about someone.

« Whether it was a slip of a tongue — which I highly doubt — but whether it was or not, I think our leaders have to be held to a very high standard of responsibility in terms of setting a tone where all Canadians feel welcome in this country and where all Canadians know that they’re together on any issue that’s challenging them, » she said…