rabble parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg shares examples of Islamophobia on the provincial and national stages in recent history.
In 2015, the Conservative Party set up a “barbaric practices” hotline, which encouraged Canadians to report on immigrant Canadians or foreign visitors to Canada if they were engaging in practices that they believed were “un-Canadian.”
“The Prime Minister of the day, Stephen Harper, and the leader of the Bloc Quebecoise, Gilles Duceppe, got themselves on a high horse and I think they saw a vote-getting opportunity here. In that election, one party had a ‘barbaric practices’ tip line which was sort of generally against any of your neighbours you thought weird or foreign.”
Unfortunately, persecution of cultural or religious practices that are deemed ‘too foreign’ continue, and can be seen with the recent implementation of Bill 96 in Quebec which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols like the hijab by teachers in schools.
This is a clip from rabble’s most recent live politics panel: ‘Off the Hill: Confronting Islamophobia in Canada.’ The panel featured guests Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Monia Mazigh, Nuzhat Jafri, and Karl Nerenberg. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies.
Off the Hill is a live panel unpacking current issues of national significance that features guests and discussions you won’t find anywhere else. To support Off the Hill’s mission of mobilizing individuals to create progressive change in national politics — on and off Parliament Hill — visit rabble.ca/donate.
