Keep Islamic law out of Canada

Keep Islamic law out of Canada, Quebec politicians urge
Minister suggests province reject; Muslim immigrants who favour system

MIKE DE SOUZA
The Gazette
The Gazette
Friday, March 11, 2005
Learn more about Islamic law


Islamic law has no place in Quebec or the rest of Canada, a provincial cabinet minister and several MNAs said yesterday.

With the Ontario government expected to decide shortly on whether to allow the Islamic legal code, known as sharia, to be applied to settle family disputes among Muslims, Liberal and Parti Quebecois MNAs warned yesterday that using sharia would lead to blatant violations of women's rights.

"I think all political parties in Quebec must say loud and clear that not only do we not want it in Quebec, we don't want it in Ontario and we don't want it in Canada," International Relations Minister Monique Gagnon-Tremblay said at a conference.

The former immigration minister said Quebec should refuse immigrants who believe the Islamic system should be applied.

"We must rework the social contract (for immigrants) so that the people - Muslims who want to come to Quebec and who do not respect women's rights or who do not respect whatever rights may be in our Civil Code - stay in their country and not come to Quebec, because that's unacceptable."

"On the other hand, if people want to come to Quebec and accept our way of doing things and our rights, in that instance they will be welcome and we will help them integrate."

Sharia is canonical law based on the teachings of the Koran.

Ontario's attorney-general is studying a report, made public in December, that recommends sharia be allowed to settle family disputes.

But in an hour-long presentation, Liberal MNA Fatima Houda-Pepin argued Islamic law would infringe on women's rights and open the door to polygamy.

"We've seen sharia at work in Iran. We've seen it at work in Afghanistan, with the odious Taliban regime. We've seen it in Sudan, where the hands of hundreds of innocent people were cut off. We've seen it in Nigeria with attempts at stoning," she said.

Salam Elmenyawi, chairperson of the Muslim Council of Montreal, was outraged when told about the comments made at the conference.

"When you talk like that, you are attacking me and my faith," he said in a phone interview. "This is total ignorance. Bigotry and ignorance have no limits."

But Houda-Pepin, who was raised a Muslim, also warned that the public should make an effort to get to know those in the community who are lobbying for application of sharia.

"One of the strengths of Islamists is that they know you very well. They know our history, they know our culture, they know our justice system, the Charter of Rights," she said.

She said those lobbyists are trying to impose a political agenda, not necessarily a religious one.

"Their objective is not to integrate into Canada, it is to integrate Canada to their values," she said, acknowledging sharia is interpreted in a more liberal fashion in such countries as Morocco as opposed to Saudi Arabia, for example.

Elmenyawi suggested Houda-Pepin was posing as a representative of the Muslim community when she does not speak for it.

He said the Islamic community in Montreal is looking at creating family tribunals, independent of the courts, to settle religious issues and to protect the rights of both women and men. It is an internal debate that has nothing to do with Quebec's Civil Code, he said.

Parti Quebecois MNAs who attended the conference showed support for Houda-Pepin and suggested a joint motion in the National Assembly urging Ontario and other jurisdictions in North America not to apply sharia.

But provincial Justice Minister Yvon Marcoux said any decision made by Ontario to allow sharia would have no impact on what the Quebec government already has decided to do.

"Certainly not in Quebec. The door is closed, and it will remain closed," he said in an interview.

The Action democratique du Quebec, which was unable to send a representative to the conference, did not want to commit to supporting any motion.

"We certainly are against application of sharia in Quebec, but we can't necessarily start telling other provinces what to do," ADQ spokesperson Jean-Nicolas Gagne said.

mdesouza@thegazette.canwest.com

Online Extra: Learn more about Islamic Law
www.montrealgazette.com

© The Gazette (Montreal) 2005
Copyright © 2005 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest Global Communications Corp. All rights reserved.
Optimized for browser versions 4.0 and higher.


P.O.Box 13219, Ottawa K2K 1X4 *Toll-Free: 1-866-524-0004*
COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS CANADA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CAIR - CAN Press release

CAIR - CAN denounces xenophobic comments by Quebec politicians
Friday, March 11, 2005 6:01 pm

Organization to address comments in public lecture in Montreal

(Ottawa, Canada - 11/03/2005) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) will address recent comments made by members of Quebec's provincial assembly on faith-based arbitration at a Montreal lecture tonight.

The Montreal Gazette today reported that prominent Quebec politicians stated that Islamic family law arbitration has no place in Canada and that Muslim immigrants who favour such a system should be denied entry into Canada.

To view the Gazette article, please see: The Gazette


CAIR-CAN today denounced the comments as bordering on xenophobia and betraying a deep ignorance of the law as it relates to faith-based arbitration. It also asked the MNAs whether they would deny entry to Jewish and Christian immigrants who would choose to abide by faith-based arbitration.

CAIR-CAN today called on Quebec Premier Jean Charest to assure Muslims of this province that they will be welcome as fellow Quebecers without having to give up their faith.

What: Lecture - Myths and Realities: Islamic Tribunals in Canada

Speakers: Dr. Jamal Badawi & Riad Saloojee, LLB

WHEN: Friday March 11 @ 7:00pm

WHERE: Montreal, Concordia University, Hall Building, Room 110



-END-


Contact: Abdurahman Salman at 613-254-9704; Cell: 613-795-2012

Note: CAIR-CAN Executive Director Riad Saloojee will be available for commentary prior to the lecture.

CAIR-CAN - P.O. Box 13219 Ottawa, Ontario K2K 1X4
Legal Disclaimer
Designed by Itopia Business Solutions Inc.