-->In his book The Gulf Within, Zuhair Kashmeri documented the painful experiences of Canadian Muslims and Arabs during the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Vandalism, threats, assaults, ominous CSIS interviews and inflammatory media coverage left an indelible mark on the psyche of an entire community.
This time around, Canadian Muslims and Arabs have not felt the same backlash -- due to Canada's disengagement from the Iraq conflict and sober public debate about the war's merits.
Yet, prejudice remains a concern. A recent survey by the Association for Canadian Studies and Environics Research Group reflects how people perceive the intolerance of others. The survey, which polled 2,002 Canadians between March 15 and 23, showed that concerns over anti-Arab sentiment were harboured by 68 per cent, while 30 per cent felt Arabs and Muslims project a negative image.
Recent incidents seem to give credence to these concerns.
In Montreal, the École de technologie supérieure declined a request by Muslim students for adequate space to pray. Muslims are required to pray five times daily, and many educational institutions have accommodated such practice, in accordance with provincial human-rights law. In this case, the dean says his school is not discriminating against Muslims -- it denied a similar request by Catholic students. Secularism means no religious accommodation, period.
At Concordia University, rector Frederick Lowy believes that campus anarchists had "formed an alliance with Muslim students." He told The Canadian Jewish News this month that, although "only a small number of Muslim students identify with terrorist groups like Hamas . . . that could change . . . depending on the Muslim political opinion worldwide and the outcome of the Iraq war."
Raising the spectre of an ominous Muslim presence in Montreal, he cited (without basis) a figure of 250,000 -- an incredible sixfold increase from the official 1991 census figure of 45,000. He also believes that pro-Palestinians have been the principal "aggressors" in current tensions at the school. After maligning Muslim students, Mr. Lowy issued a tepid apology (some of his comments were misconstrued etc.), telling them they should feel welcome. He reassured the rest that "there is no evidence that any of our students are terrorists or identify with terrorist organizations."
Ottawa Citizen columnist David Warren was more unequivocal in a lecture given at Baylor College in Waco, Tex. "Muslims and Christians have been enemies since the first time Mohammed declared 'Allah is One,' denying the Holy Trinity." He described Islam as a "splendidly false doctrine" and the "enemy." And he called for the West to "forge ahead and Christianize" the Middle East. There was more, but you get the picture.
An anti-Islam conference, scheduled for Kitchener, Ont., two months ago, was cancelled after a public outcry. Yet Mark Harding, a self-styled Christian pastor, plans to try again in a month's time. In 1998, Mr. Harding was convicted of inciting hatred against Muslims.
Tussles between certain evangelical groups and Muslims in the United States have had ramifications in Canada. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed concern about humanitarian aid to Iraqis by an evangelical charity, the Samaritan's Purse. The group's goal is to convert Muslims to Christianity. Its head, Rev. Franklin Graham, has called Islam "an evil and wicked religion."
An Ontario resident rebuked CAIR for its criticism. Fair enough. But he added: "I am shocked and dismayed by the belief structure being upheld by Muslims in North America where everyone has the freedom of speech and religion. North America was not founded on Muslim principles, else we wouldn't be the strong continent we are today. We would be a backwoods civilization like many Muslim nations found in the Middle East today. I would recommend you work with Christians and Jews, and not against them as your faith would have it. Yeah, we are the infidel, but in North America, thank God you are a minority religion."
The individual turned out to be an executive of a Progressive Conservative riding association. The Canadian office of CAIR brought this matter to the attention of the PC brass. There was added concern because a local mosque had been firebombed after 9/11. Shortly after, the two sides jointly denounced the Islamophobic comments as "absolutely unacceptable," reiterating that these "bear no relation whatsoever to the position and policies of the PC Party of Canada."
We must mend our multicultural mosaic with education about one another -- and we must maintain our mosaic by being vigilant against the seeds of hate and exclusion.