Editor's Note: Toronto journalist Tarek Fatah points out that instead of looking for Islamophobia, the MPs of the Heritage Committee could hear real hatred – directed at non-Muslims— in the daily prayers of mosques across Canada.
Liberal MP Iqra Khalid is welcomed by her colleagues as she arrives to make an announcement about an anti-Islamophobia motion on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017.
Reading the much-awaited report by the Parliamentary Committee on Canadian Heritage on Islamophobia in Canada, it seemed to me I had been talking to a brick wall on Sept. 20 when I made a presentation to the Liberal Party-dominated group. Addressing the disinterested MPs, I dismissed the term “Islamophobia” as “a word created by fascists, and used by cowards, to manipulate morons,” yet acknowledged the existence of anti-Muslim bigotry in some margins of Canadian society. However, I also reminded the MPs of the unreported, yet ubiquitous mocking of Jews and Christians during daily prayers in hundreds of mosques across Canada. With copies of the Qur’an in hand for the MPs to check the veracity of my claim, I read from verse “Fatiha” the opening page of Islam’s holy book that asks Allah “to put us (Muslims) on the ‘right path,’ not on the path of ‘those who have incurred your wrath (Jews) and those who have gone astray (Christians).’” As for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and atheists, I informed the MPs that at every Friday congregation, Islamic clerics pray to Allah, asking him to help Muslims defeat the “Qaum al Kafireen” or Nation of Kaafirs, i.e. non-Muslim or infidels. By way of conclusion, I asked the parliamentarians: “Will the Heritage Committee declare any religious prayer asking for a Muslim victory over other religious communities as hateful and thus criminal?” Sadly, the final report made no mention of the Islamic supplication that demeans Christians and Jews in all mosques of our country, a minimum of 17 times a day, from dawn to dusk. Read the full report here Committee chairperson Hedy Fry and her Liberal colleagues may behave like ostriches to avoid the truth, but their cowardice merely emboldens the Islamists who seek to destroy Canadian values and Western Civilization itself. Here are a few Islamic clerics validating their contempt for Jews and Christians by invoking the same Qur’anic verse I presented to the committee: Osman Haji Madad at the Sahaba Masjid in Edmonton: “Who are those who earned the wrath of Allah? … They are the Jews… Those who were cursed by Allah. Allah was angry at them and turned them into monkeys and pigs.”
Muhammed Alshareef, the Canadian-born founder and president of the Texas-based AlMaghrib Institute: “Who are those that evoked Allah’s anger? That made Allah angry at them? And the Prophet said: “Qoum Al-Yahood” they are the Jews.”
Musleh Khan, Toronto Police Muslim chaplain: “The Prophet (pbuh- peace be upon him) was asked by a companion: ‘who have earned your anger? The Prophet said this refers to the Yahoudi (Jews) and then the companion continued to ask ‘who has gone astray?’ The Prophet responds and says this refers to the Nasara (Christians) …”
So, while the Pakistani-born MP Iqra Khalid who first introduced the motion in parliament has been successful in making the committee ask the government to designate Jan. 29 as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on “Islamophobia,” and other forms of religious discrimination, Islamic clerics across Canada will go unchecked. They will remain free to spout contempt towards Jews, Christians and Hindus right inside our legislatures, schools and public institutions while mayors, premiers and MPs appease hatemongers in the name of diversity. Reminds me of former British prime minister Neville Chamberlain seeking peace with Hitler in the 1930s. We should not be surprised. In a country where the prime minister equates ISIS jihadi terrorists to Italian and Vietnamese immigrants fleeing war, why fret over MPs who look the other way when confronted with hatred emanating from Islamists in the name of multiculturalism.
This article was originally published on the Toronto Sun website on February 6, 2018 and can be viewed on their site by clicking here.