Muslim Leader Urges Federal, Provincial Liberal Boycott

CANADIAN PRESS

A prominent Muslim lobby group urged its members today to shun both federal and provincial Liberals at the ballot box in the wake of Ontario's decision to do away with a proposal to allow the use of Shariah law in faith-based arbitration.

A communique from the Canadian Islamic Congress calling on the faithful to reconsider their "traditional Liberal support" was sent to more than 200 mosques across Canada amid questions about whether it's likely to have much of an impact.

Congress president Mohamed Elmasry said he drafted the missive in hopes of uniting Muslims and influencing Liberal policy before the next federal campaign, expected in the spring.

"We are not impressed by the Liberal record in Ottawa or the provincial Liberals, both in Ontario and Quebec; their attitude regarding faith-based arbitration is religionism, the same as racism," Elmasry said.

"Canadian Muslims should pay attention, especially at the federal level, in the next six months."

Although Elmasry cited Canada's recently expanded military role in Afghanistan as a major strike against the federal Liberals, Ontario's recent decision not to allow the use of Shariah was especially galling, he said.

Earlier this month, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the province would end faith-based, family-law arbitration entirely rather than incorporate the Muslim legal code known as Shariah, derided by critics as an affront to women's rights, into the law.

In Quebec, the Liberal-governed national assembly adopted a motion in May opposing the establishment of Islamic tribunals not only in the province but throughout Canada.

Elmasry said he believes Muslim law is being unfairly targeted by Liberals across the country.

"Right now we are urging the community to reconsider their traditional support," he said. "We will actually issue another (communique) when the federal election comes close."

But others in the Muslim community dismissed Elmasry's move, calling it doubtful that Canadian Muslims would ever take voting instructions from religious leaders.

"It's quite a ridiculous position to take," said Tarek Fatah of the Muslim Canadian Congress.

"Muslims come from all political parties, ranging from the Bloc and the NDP (to) the Liberal party. They make up their minds based on what is good for Canada, not necessarily is good for the Canadian Islamic Congress."

Elmasry said he wants imams at mosques across Canada to incorporate his message into their weekly sermons, but one political analyst said Monday that local political relationships will likely hold more sway.

"Many Muslim leaders have personal relationships will all kinds of important local Liberals," said Henry Jacek, a political science professor at Hamilton's McMaster University.

"They're not about to jeopardize that. In Hamilton, one of the most prominent Muslim leaders is running for the Liberals in the next federal election. I have feeling that this is not going to have much of an impact."

The CIC didn't offer its members an alternative to voting Liberal, but Elmasry did suggest Muslims could vote based on the merits of their local candidates.

Fatah was quick to point out that, in Ontario, all three major parties have come out against Shariah law.

"Who are (Muslims) going to vote for?" said Fatah.

"We would never ask our communities to vote one way or the other. We have far more respect for the Muslim community to know that the way they vote is how they see Canada, not just a narrow community."

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This is why we need a clear separation between church and state. :no:

Boohoo for them.

Too FUCKIN' Bad!!!

my parents came to Canada with the understanding that certain things here are not as they were back home. By no means did they wish to come here to disrupt or make changes to the law. They respect the laws in place in Canada and continue to do so. If Sharia law is so important to certain individuals why leave the countries they originally came from in the first place? No Canadian would be foolish enough to move to a foreign country and lobby to change laws to reflect those in Canada. I would like to see a gay male/female go to Saudi Arabia for instance and insist the government there accept gay marriage. It wouldn't happen nor should anyone expect it to happen. Sharia law applicable to Canadian families of muslim faith wouldn't necessarily protect Canadian children or families, it would segregate or force certain individauls to abide by certain laws while other sets of laws apply to the rest..........Thats absurd.

Lets all stop trying to be so God Damn accomodating. IF you come to Canada in the first place it must have meant that something about this great nation of ours appealed to you. You can't always have your cake and eat it too. IF our laws aren't satisfactory go make your home elsewhere, its that simple. WE live in such a great nation, so diverse with so much to offer and certain individuals such as these lobbiests take away from that. If Ontario followed this path I would definitely consider a move to either Alberta or Nova Scotia. IF the country followed with such laws I may consider leaving it. I love my country, but if nayone threatens to make such radical changes so as to wreck it..........I'll fuckin' hate you!

Always embrace your ancestry or your ethnic identity, but if in doing so you fail to accept Canadian customs and values you shouldn't be welcomed here. Don't renounce Canada, never take this country for granted, b/c if it weren't for Canada many people would probably be dead if they had stayed in their homelands.

^^Thankyou. Democracy is not when you please one side, it is a compromise of both sides. One side you have some muslims saying that it is "wrong" for them not to have Shariah Law. The other you have the people who would be affected, the muslim women. And if people think this is discrimination, look at the Catholic Church and their view of gay marriages

Absolutely discussing when religion and politics mix.

I'm glad that law didn't pass.
You come to our country you obey our laws.
If your faith is so important, then to please God, stay at home no matter what may happen.
Anyone can come in, but their old laws do not apply.
This is Canada, you should be HONOURED and feel lucky to have just made it this far.
I'll enforce the law if I must.

If they don't like it, move to shariah-based country. Simple as that.

Yeah certain member of the muslim community have an issue with our laws. Take a hike. Calling it racism wow. I love how loosely a delicate word such as racism is being used now. The sad part is how depressing this law is for woman. I think some of these Muslim men need to slapped around.

Can anyone name one country in which shariah law is not use to oppress woman and everybody else?
I cannot think of one.

Islamic countries like Iran and Palestinian have so-called honour killings.
If your sister gets raped, you have to kill her to save your honour.

I guess killing the rapist would require some courage and make too much sense.

Satan must really love all those militant Muslims.

http://www.omdurman.org/sharia.html

muslims know that without federal liberals they would not have been here in first place,so nothing is going to happen also muslims are themselves deeply divided on the issue

I personally think the outlawing of ALL religious arbitration in Ontario is one of the few things that the McGuinty government has done right. One law for all Ontarians is just common sense. Otherwise why bother with laws at all if we can just make up rules as we go? The church and the state must always be separated if all citizens are to be treated fairly and equitably by their public institutions.

I know Jewish religious leaders are also pissed because they loss the right they had for the past 15 years or so aswell. I imagine catholic leaders are also pissed about the losing the power they also had for past 15 years aswell.

Since i am an atheist, i am all religions have been brought down a peg.

ALL RELIGIONS ARE EVIL DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE

Religious arbitration will now move 'underground' meaning nobody will monitor their compliance with Canadian law. ADR itself cannot be outlawed, so all this does is remove a regulatory body.

And surely it is racism... Apparently Ontario had no problem with granting the right to Catholics or Jews, but somehow Muslims are different. Obviously, the only thing to do is to dismantle all administration for religious administration (otherwise, it would be rather overt racism), but why wasn't it a problem until now?

Sounds to me like the general forum body is misinformed, going with their gut feeling without knowing the facts. That is also the case with the population as a whole, which is why all three parties have been quick to go with the flow, rather than to explain what is going on in the first place.

well there are public funded catholic schools but not for other faiths

^^Just because it is a catholic school does not mean that only catholics go there. I know many Catholic schools which have a wide variety of religions, from muslims to orthadox.

I am glad to see a negative reaction to this news story, because we are at risk of losing the Canada we know and love because of things like this... Sharia Law luckily wasn't approved for a good reason- because this is Canada.... oh and btw, and good for the Muslims quoted in the bold section- they know what they are talking about :)

In'Sauga made some good points, as well :)

They shouldn't let anyone tell them how to vote, that goes against the idea of a democracy. Secondly, it is one's duty/responsability to vote.

It's reassuring to again hear from the vociferous Tarek Fatah, a muslim whose pronouncements at least slightly counterbalance those of the malcontents. McGuinty was in a tough position, because while Marion Boyd's report gave the constitutional go-ahead to Sharia, I'm sure he, like most Canadians, did not want to see the usurpation of Ontario law. This is a country and province of great personal freedoms, but that doesn't extend to permitting practises that are anathema to Canada's fundamental values (in this case, gender equality). This country is not a blank slate; nominal assimilation is required, though certainly not nearly as much as in the U.S.'s "melting pot". Some people unfortunately take advantage of the lassitude by always wanting to push the envelope beyond the acceptable.
And surely it is racism... Apparently Ontario had no problem with granting the right to Catholics or Jews, but somehow Muslims are different. Obviously, the only thing to do is to dismantle all administration for religious administration (otherwise, it would be rather overt racism), but why wasn't it a problem until now?
Crying "racism" at every turn is extremely incendiary, and an insult to victims of actual racism. While I disagree with the NDP's decision to introduce religious arbitration in 1990, one can fairly say that it has gone without a hitch amongst other religions. The outpouring of opposition to Sharia from around the world, and empirical judgments based on current events, suggest it is proper to deny this inroad. It is laudable that McGuinty extended the ban to include other religions. Note that there wasn't much more than a peep from Catholic and Jewish groups when he made the announcement.
He should go further and cancel Catholic school funding.

well there are public funded catholic schools but not for other faiths

I think allowing catholic schools in the public realm was a huge mistake that unfortunatly at this stage is irreversable. Even Bill Davis, the premier who allowed for catholic schools, admitted it was a mistake of his.

^^ How feasible would it be to phase out the public Catholic school system within this decade?

I think impossible because it would be political suicide to do so. There would be such a backlash, why would any government bother with the risk?

^^ Wouldn't it be easy to justify it now? It could merge with the public school system, and the extra fat (adminstrative) would be cut. It could be promoted as a deficit cutting initiative.

Obviously touchy subject. Tone is negative overall.

I'll put my two-cents in and what I see as proper perspective:

1. To say that Ontario not accepting sharia is tantamount to racism is abusive bullshit spin doctoring. It is certainly a privilege(if that), not a right, if the government grants an exception to a set of laws that are radically different than the one of prevailing society. It is rare and should not be expected -- if at all.

2. That said, the anti-sharia tones are pretty heavy on this thread. Not all aspects of sharia are "bad" (meaning oppressive, medieva and archaic) -- ignore the press and perceptions from it and read it yourself. But sharia as applied to family disputes undoubtedly leaves the woman at a disadvantage, and that, to me as a Canadian, does raise concerns.

3. The religious-based family dispute mechanism should all be outlawed -- Catholic, Jews, etc. Some of those were granted earlier in a time of different mores and government functions (religion was stronger and religious institutes existed alongside state ones in all aspects of the community such as hospitals, schools, etc.) -- so to argue that it is racist or discriminatory against Muslims because some in that community today is asking for and are being denied Sharia on that basis is completely baseless and without merit. The practical solution that the government should taken, and the McGuinty government has taken, is to admit the mistake of the previous governments in allowing these exemptions, and gradually over the next 5 to 15 years phase them out.

4. The only exemption I think that should be granted in Canada is First Nations traditions -- but even then, it is not an "anything goes" exercise with sham healing councils or new-age interpretations of what was traditional Indian / Inuit customs -- there has to be a proper framework, proof, practice, and a settlement mechanism when tradition clashes with modern values. Recognizing First Nations as being distinct is both fair and unique -- it does not necessarily mean that the privilege should be granted to anyone else.

And yes, in case you need to know, I am an immigrant to Canada (Hong Kong Chinese), and I have been primarily raised and lived here all my life, and am a proud Canadian at that, though I have been many places around the world (including a good portion of the Islamic World in Egypt / Turkey / Syria / Iran / Pakistan / India (it is 15% Muslim and so were the Moghuls) / Malaysia / Indonesia / Philippines (Mindanao) / China (Xinjiang and others along the silk road)) and have a half-decent understanding and certainly utmost respect and reverence for Islam. I shouldn't expect any character smears therefore.