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It is time to have a discussion with ourselves
11-05-2014
The longer you wait to speak the truth, and stand up for justice, the more difficult it becomes with each passing day.
Bravo to both of the opposition leaders, NDP leader, Mr. Thomas Mulcair for calling spade a spade, "Ottawa Shooting was not terrorism - criminal, yes." Justin Trudeau, "Our friends and fellow citizens in the Muslim community, Canadians know acts such as these, committed in the name of Islam, are an aberration of your faith." Canadians are waitng, especially, Canadian Muslims are anxiously waiting for the Prime Minister to do the right thing, utter the right and just words. However, we are neither counting on it, nor holding any hopes!
No matter how we cut it, increasing backlash against Canadian Muslims - Islamophobia - is on the rise and government is being complacent, if not aiding and abetting in the spread of Islamophobia in Canadian Society . Every Canadian, Muslims and Non-Muslims can see that, except our Prime Minister and his Conservative party.
We can fool some people, some of the time, most people most of the time, but not all the people all the time. Testimonal to this is when a filmmaker Omar Albach wanted to make a video, a "Social Experiment" to see how Canadians would react to racism against Muslims. The entire nation witnessed that ordinary Canadians stood up to protect a Canadian Muslim who was being targeted by an actor, Devin Giamou, who was suckered punch for being racist by ordinary Canadians, who were not prepared to tolerate acts of racism against a fellow Canadian Muslim.
However, we cannot just continue to pin our hopes in the few conscientious leaders, or average fellow Canadians at the bus stop to protect our rights as a contributing community in Canada. Now is the time to have a genuine sincere debate on how to stop the spread of Islamophobia, within the Canadian society, and how to protect our rights.
Following the attacks at parliament hill vast majority of the Canadians overwhelmingly stood by the Muslims. They defended the fact that criminal acts carried out at the War Memorial and inside the Parliament last week were acts of an individual with unresolved psychological issues, and not of a convert Muslim.
We need to start asking ourselves what do I stand for? We cannot simply rely upon other individuals to come and defend our rights as Canadians. We are certain, the nonchalant manner in which the current government is acting, if it was not for the ordinary Canadians and conscientious parliamentarians, we would have lost a lot more than our rights as Canadians.
Some people make it happen, others act as spectators and watch from sidelines, and large majority are clueless as to what is happening. Which of these three categories do we find ourselves?
Through out history there were two groups of Muslims. One who stood up with pride and one who succumbed to the pressure from outside. If you find yourself in the latter two categories above you are most likely to succumbed to the pressure and surrender.
Following our deen is not going to be easy. Protecting our identity is going to even more difficult. We need to ask ourselves why are we Muslims? And if our values or reasons collide with the pressure from outside questioning our identity, should we leave our deen to show that we are as Canadian as them or should we become better Muslims and show that we are proud Muslims living in Canada and willing to contribute just like others for a better Canada for all of us. In essence, we need to demonstrate that Canadian Values and Muslim Values are compatible and not on a collision course with each other. The only way we could demonstrate that is by becoming a better Muslim, hence better Canadian.
Since Ottawa Shootings, Canadian Muslims are under attack by Anti-Muslim, Anti-Islam forces. There are calls made that mosque should be closed down, or monitored. Several Mosques have been attacked, Cold Lake Mosque had hate grifitti all over.
"These people all went through mosques," former Herouxville, Que., councillor Andre Drouin told QMI Agency's sister French television station, TVA. "So maybe there's something wrong with mosques. You don't have to be a genius to think that."
Govt of Canada is drafting laws that will take away some of our freedoms.
Green party leader Elizabeth May wrote, “We must ensure that this appalling act of violence is not used to justify a disproportionate response.… These kinds of events open the door to a loss of democracy.… Once we surrender rights, it is very difficult to restore them.”
All three Muslim Candidates in Toronto's Municipal Elections have faced Anti-Muslim acts of hatred targeting them on campaign trail.
No matter how bad the events turn out to be We need to be more proactive in our approach to become better Canadian Muslims. We need to increase our participation within the community and within the Canadian Society at large. We need to engage ordinary Canadians and political leaders, educating them on Islam and about Muslims.
If we are to live in Canada we need to start having dialogues now, or else be faced with challenge’s that might be too difficult to follow our deen.
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