This new government official will tackle racism, among other things. But why? What does racism have to do with “Islamophobia”? There are Muslims, and Islamic jihadis, of all races. Once again we see what appears to be a deliberate obfuscation of categories and a refusal to make basic distinctions. Is this because racism is universally stigmatized already, and so the quickest and easiest way to get Canadians to accept the spurious concept of “Islamophobia” is to suggest that it’s a form of racism? Of course.
We are told that “more Muslims were killed in hate-motivated attacks in Canada than in any other Group of Seven country between 2016 and 2021.” That’s dreadful, if true, but it leaves unanswered questions. Were all of these Muslims really killed because of “Islamophobia”? We only seem to have the word of the CAIR-linked National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) on this, and they’re hardly an unbiased voice. Does the Canadian government simply want to give you the impression that they were in order to justify its efforts against this phenomenon? And how is a new “special representative for combating Islamophobia” going to prevent further murders? Nevertheless, no doubt Canadians will now be inundated with taxpayer-funded material about how wonderful Islam is. In the nature of things, however, there will still be human disputes, and some of them will involve Muslims. Now that “Islamophobia” has been established as targeted by the government, these disputes will all be ascribed to “Islamophobia” and offered as evidence of how urgently needed this “special representative” really is. Thus the Canadian government’s “Islamophobia” department will enjoy ever-increasing budgets.
Since the Canadian government is now officially committed to efforts to convince us of the wonderfulness of Islam, it is not likely to look kindly upon critics of the religion, including foes of jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women. Will Amira Elghawaby make any efforts to protect Canadian citizens’ right to oppose jihad terror and Sharia oppression, and distinguish such criticism from the alleged hatred that supposedly leads to these murders of Muslims, or will she endeavor to make the case that any and all criticism of Islam, and even of jihad terror, endangers Muslims and must accordingly be silenced and prosecuted? My money is on the latter. But this is a preposterous claim that, if followed out logically (which of course it never will be, as this “Islamophobia” business is fundamentally illogical), would preclude any criticism of anything as possibly leading to violence. In practice, it will preclude all criticism of anything the Left favors. In the Left’s mythology, Leftist criticism of traditional values, Christianity, etc. never ever leads to violence.
“Trudeau appoints first representative for fighting Islamophobia,” by Niha Masih, Washington Post, January 27, 2023:
Canada has appointed its first special representative for combating Islamophobia, to tackle racism, discrimination and religious intolerance faced by the Muslim community, which has experienced targeted attacks.
“Diversity truly is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, but for many Muslims, Islamophobia is all too familiar,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement, as he announced the appointment on Thursday. “We need to change that.”
Amira Elghawaby, a journalist, human rights advocate and member of the Canada Race Relations Foundation, was named to the position and will provide advisory support to government initiatives.
“Muslims are sometimes caught between being perceived as a threat or as representing a problem to solve,” Elghawaby told reporters. She said she hoped this moment would spur a national conversation about the value of Canada’s diversity.
In 2021, the country was jolted by what the police called a “targeted” hate crime when a man was accused of using a car to mow down five members of a family in Ontario because of their Muslim faith, killing four and injuring a 9-year-old-boy. Authorities described it an “act of mass murder” rooted in “unspeakable hatred.” It reopened the wounds of a 2017 tragedy when a gunman opened fire on worshipers at a mosque in Quebec, killing six and injuring 19.
More Muslims were killed in hate-motivated attacks in Canada than in any other Group of Seven country between 2016 and 2021, according to a report by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), which was cited by a Senate fact-finding mission on Islamophobia last year.
These attacks led the Canadian government to host a summit on Islamophobia in 2021, which recommended the creation of the role that was announced this week. Nearly 1.8 million Muslims reside in Canada, making up 4.9 percent of the population in 2021.
Elghawaby is expected to serve for four years and have a budget of $4.2 million, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News.
Sanober Umar, a professor at York University in Toronto who studies issues affecting the Muslim community, said that Muslims in Canada face biases in media coverage, police violence, legislation targeting markers of faith and disparaging attacks in public spaces.
Many Muslims, she said, do not come forward to report hate crimes due to a mistrust of authorities.
“This position is a hopefully optimistic symbol of the fact that the Canadian government is listening to Muslim concerns and will take tangible steps to address the racist roots of these issues,” she said.
The NCCM said in a statement that the appointment marked a “major turning point” in the fight against Islamophobia….
