The Mouvement laïque québécois demands the departure of Amira Elghawaby and the abolition of her position. The new federal representative for the fight against Islamophobia has been a source of controversy since her appointment at the end of January.
“It is clear that this person does not have the credibility to manage and deal with relations between the different communities and peoples in Canada. His contempt for Quebec is obvious,” exclaimed in an interview with The Pressthe president of the Quebec Secular Movement (MLQ), Daniel Baril.
The president, Mr. Baril, sent a letter on Saturday to the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, to ask for the removal of Ms.me Elghawaby and the abolition of his position. “Amira Elghawaby’s past and her statements immediately undermine her credibility as an advisor, particularly in her task of ‘supporting public education and awareness,'” denounced Mr. Baril in the letter.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DANIEL BARIL
The President of the Quebec Secular Movement, Daniel Baril
“His biases are not only an affront to all defenders of secularism both in Quebec and in Canada, but also obstacles to communication between groups, believers or non-believers, who have other convictions than his” , he added.
Last week, M.me Elghawaby apologized for offending Quebecers. “His belated excuses obtained in a snatch appeared as a pseudo-remorse aimed at saving his position”, indicated Mr. Baril, adding that his “often repeated” remarks seem to express the substance of his thought.
Apologies from M.me Elghawaby have not convinced the Quebec government either, which is still calling for his resignation. In all, three of the four parties represented in the National Assembly believe that she cannot start her term.
” It’s clearly insulting.”
Several remarks made by Mr.me Elghawaby in the past have sparked controversy in the past week. She previously wrote that the “majority of Quebecers” seemed “influenced by anti-Muslim sentiment” in a column published in the daily ottawa citizen where she opposed the State Secularism Act (Law 21).
In May 2021, she tweeted, “I’m going to vomit,” in response to an op-ed by University of Toronto philosophy professor Joseph Heath, who noted that French Canadians had been the largest group in the world. country to have suffered British colonialism.
It is clearly insulting. These are contemptuous and even racist remarks towards Quebecers. If things in our history, like British rule, make her vomit, she should go find out.
Daniel Baril, president of the MLQ
A position “that causes problems”
Daniel Baril believes that “the position itself poses a problem” and calls for its abolition. “Creating positions specifically linked to the defense of specific religious groups is likely to fragment society into ethno-religious micro-communities which in the end no longer share anything in common,” he said.
The creation of the post of special representative to combat Islamophobia was one of the recommendations of the National Summit on Islamophobia in 2021 due to a rise in hate crimes against Muslims in recent years.
Mme Elghawaby will act as a “spokesperson, advisor, expert and representative in the federal government’s efforts to combat Islamophobia, systemic racism, racial discrimination and religious intolerance,” the statement read. issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
With Mylène Crête, The Press