To make Comments write directly to Jim at jimt@quixotic.ca
9
Oct
2017
Have Canadian socialists lost their collective mind? (I know, I know, hard-core capitalists would claim they never had a mind to lose.) Last weekend, the New Democratic Party elected as its national leader a non-white who wears a turban and carries a symbolic dagger!
Jagmeet Singh, a 38-year-old brown-skinned man with abundant energy and charisma, won a 53 per cent majority on the first ballot. Yes, on the first ballot! By contrast, the Conservative Party required 13 rounds of voting for Andrew Scheer to reach 51 per cent.
The news media immediately began speculating about how Singh would fare in Quebec, where Bill 62 bans people from wearing religious garb while receiving or providing public services -- even riding on municipal buses.
I think focussing on Quebec avoids the real issue. How will “white” Canada react to him?
Categories: Sharp Edges
Tags: Muslim, Islam, Jagmeet Singh, Sikhism, Bahai, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, turban
26
Jun
If you want to invest in a growth industry, consider hate crimes. London police report a five-fold increase in attacks on Muslims – particularly Muslim women – since the terrorist attacks on London Bridge, the Westminster parliament, and the Manchester concert.
But the increase is not limited to Britain, where the reaction might be understandable. Here in Canada, Statistics Canada indicates that attacks on Muslims more than tripled over three years, from 45 in 2012 to 159 in 2015. During 2015 alone, according to a CBC report, hate crimes against Muslims soared by 60 per cent.
No doubt attacks on Muslims are a form of retaliation for acts attributed to Islamic extremists. But if so, why single out women? Not one of those acts was committed by a woman.
Or are women simply easier to identify by their head scarves?
Tags: Jesus, Muslims, Islam, Darren Osburne, Kinsbury mosque, Golden Rule