Muslims Call on Quebec to Mend Fences
“It is now incumbent on the new government to re-establish a climate of fairness and justice for Quebecers of all backgrounds in keeping with the protections afforded to them in the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Ihsaan Gardee, Executive Director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said.
The resounding defeat of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) government by the Liberals in the provincial elections on Monday means ending of the controversial charter of values proposed by the PQ.
In Quebec’s Monday’s legislative elections, liberals won 41.4% of the votes, taking 70 of the National Assembly's 125 seats.
The defeated separatists maintained 30 seats after getting 25.4 % of the votes, the lowest since 1989.
Religious groups, especially Muslims, felt targeted during the divisive debate over the Parti Québécois’s proposed charter.
The charter, unveiled last September, would have prohibited public servants from wearing conspicuous religious symbols, including hijabs, turbans, yarmulkes and larger-than-average crucifixes.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) sent congratulations to the Quebec Liberal Party on its decisive win and expressed confidence that its leader, Phillippe Couillard, will rekindle efforts to mend fences between Quebecers and to work to restore the province’s reputation as a welcoming shore for newcomers and current citizens alike.
“We welcome the opportunity for dialogue with Mr. Couillard to articulate the issues of concern to the Muslim community including employment, tackling poverty, crumbling infrastructure, education, and fighting xenophobia in all its forms including Islamophobia,” said Ihsaan Gardee.
The Premier-elect, Phillipe Couillard, declared in his victory speech that he would be “the premier of all Quebecers.”
“The time of division is behind us,” said Couillard.
Muslims are the fastest growing religious community in Canada, according to the country’s statistical agency, Statistics Canada.
Canada’s Muslim population increased by 82 per cent over the past decade — from about 579,000 in 2001 to more than 1 million in 2011.
Relief
The Canadian Council of Muslim Women expressed relief at the overwhelming victory of the Liberals and the message it sends.
“[I’m] elated. I know democracy works. The people have spoken, chosen, and I am really happy that Quebecers are not racist. I have my confidence back,” Shaheen Ashraf, the secretary of the Montreal chapter of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, told CBC.
Ashraf asserted that PQ charter made her uncomfortable in Quebec, adding that its defeat made her feel at home once again.
“We all have our languages, and we all have our ways of dressing and we all have our different cultures, but we work together,” Ashraf said.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Council of Montreal is calling on the newly elected government to uphold the constitution and protect the rights and freedoms of all Quebecers.
“We hope (the Liberals) commit themselves to protecting the true values and identity of Quebec, by upholding the constitution and safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all citizens and putting an end once and for all to the charter nonsense,” said Salam Elmenyawi, President of the Muslim Council of Montreal.
Not only Muslims. The crushing defeat of Parti Quebecois was widely welcomed by the World Sikh Organization of Canada, saying that the Quebec election results show that “the people of Quebec are fair minded and share their vision of an inclusive society which respects people of all faiths and backgrounds.”
“The result is a rejection of the politics of division,” Mukhbir Singh, the WSO Quebec vice-president, told the Gazette.
“Quebecers want to focus on the real issues such as the economy and building a stronger Quebec. The strategy of trying to divert attention from these real issues by targeting minorities has resoundingly been thwarted.”
Source: On Islam
