(Ottawa) A Senate committee says hatred against Muslims must be combatted by adding new criminal offenses, education and less “bias” in audits of the tax status of religious organizations.
In a report released Thursday, the Senate Human Rights Committee says Islamophobia is spreading online and in the media, and says it is contributing to an increase in hate crimes against Muslims that have been documented in the country.
“Islamophobia poses a serious threat to Canadian Muslims and urgent action is needed,” said committee chair Senator Salma Ataullahjan.
“We must commit to building a more inclusive country and better protecting our Muslim parents, friends, neighbors and colleagues,” she added during a press conference on Parliament Hill.
Mme Ataullahjan said she and her colleagues have heard from Muslim communities across the country who have encountered incidents that appear to violate criminal laws but have not resulted in prosecution.
“The women of Edmonton — most of us senators were in tears as they told us their stories about how often they have their hijabs ripped off, coffee thrown at them and spit on above. And there have been more violent incidents. »
The report calls for more laws but doesn’t go into detail, and Sen. Mobina Jaffer said “it’s a very difficult question” to determine what gaps exist.
“Even what is in the Criminal Code is not enforced,” she told reporters.
“But what we’ve heard from communities across the country (is) that there should be specific crimes of Islamophobia or anti-Semitism, which specifically address the issues that the Muslim and Jewish communities are facing. confronted. »
The senators recommend in particular that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) make greater efforts to reduce “bias” in its audits of Muslim charitable organizations, which activists have deemed excessive.
The National Security and Intelligence Review Office said earlier this year that it was investigating the revenue agency in response to allegations that a division of the CRA responsible for preventing the financing of Terrorism had unfairly targeted charities.
Senator Ataullahjan also says Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, needs more money than the $5.6 million over five years she was allocated in January, saying that there is a clear need for better public education.
The committee said it wanted federal human rights agencies to be able to handle online hate complaints. He added that a federal hotline should be created so people can report hate crimes.
To achieve this, she said, people need better education, as well as media that does not encourage harmful attitudes.
“At its core, Islamophobia is rooted in harmful stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims, which often stem from a misinterpretation of Islamic religious concepts,” Mr.me Ataullahjan.
The committee noted that hate crimes against various groups are on the rise, with Statistics Canada reporting a 71 per cent increase in police-reported crimes against Muslims in 2021, compared to the previous year.
However, the senators emphasized that Islamophobia is not new to Canada and that it is a phenomenon that they have experienced personally.
Mme Jaffer recounted how she was sworn in as Canada’s first Muslim senator just a week after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which were followed by a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
“When my husband and I boarded the plane to Vancouver after my swearing-in ceremony in Ottawa, we were subjected to an intense and random inspection,” she told reporters.
“My husband and I both got called out, and my husband and I had to strip completely naked. That’s what I meant by intense, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” she added.
“Many other so-called random inspections took place every time I flew. And I’m a senator, a parliamentarian. If this happens to me, what do you think life is like for ordinary Muslims? »