Opposition to anti-Islamophobia proposal proves its merits
As with last year’s absurd debate over M-103, the federal anti-Islamophobia motion, the opposition to a National Council of Canadian Muslims’ proposal appears to be a proxy for, or an attempt to pander to, more disturbing views.
By Editorial Board
Toronto Star | January 11, 2018
The Quebec politicians now fighting against a proposal to commemorate last year’s massacre of six Muslim men at a Quebec City mosque as an annual day of action against Islamophobia provide clear proof of the idea’s merit.
As with last year’s absurd debate over M-103, the federal anti-Islamophobia motion, the opposition to the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ proposal appears to be a proxy for, or an attempt to pander to, more disturbing views. The toxic political culture in which Islamophobia thrives – the culture this proposal seeks to expose and redress – is clearly alive and well.
Quebec’s two main opposition parties, the Parti Québécois and its surging right-wing rival, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), both oppose the proposal on dubious grounds.
The CAQ says the anniversary should commemorate the victims, but not politicize their deaths by making mention of Islamophobia. What, then, would they say about the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, an annual commemoration of the murder by an anti-feminist zealot of 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique?
On that day, we honour the victims not only by remembering their names, but also by considering the social ill that contributed to their tragic deaths. It is an annual opportunity, in remembrance of misogyny’s victims, to reflect on the progress we’ve made in the fight against abuse of women – and the work still to be done. No one suggests this is a disservice to those who were killed. Quite the contrary.