Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi expects ‘spicy’ conversation at Senate committee on Bill 21 – Calgary

Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi will be speaking at a Senate Committee on Human Rights on Monday, raising concerns about the increase in religious bigotry and Bill 21 in Quebec — and predicts some “spicy” words for federal politicians.

Nenshi became the first Muslim mayor of a major North American city when he was first elected in 2010.

He says that often over shadowed his thoughts on transit and taxes.

Speaking in Calgary on Saturday, Nenshi said that him holding mayoral office for 11 years was not an indictor that there isn’t  problem when it comes to Islamophobia in Canada.

“We know that in Canada, the rates of hate crime have gone up. We know that overall we are seeing an increase in religious bigotry,  whether it’s anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or anti-Christian bigotry. But we also know that there are certain policies in the country that are, on the face of it, discriminatory towards Muslims, towards Sikhs and towards Orthodox Jews. I feel like our political class has gotten too shy in calling this out,” Nenshi said.

Senators held public hearings last fall where they heard experiences from Canadian Muslims who experienced the impact of Islamophobia.

Some key themes raised during the hearings included the underreporting of hate-motivated threats and violence and the challenges of regulating online hate.

On Monday, Nenshi said he will be be voicing his opposition to Quebec’s Bill 21 that bars certain civil servants from wearing religious symbols at work.

Nenshi says the law targets some people — particularly Muslim women who wear the hijab.

The purpose behind the law is to preserve Quebec’s status as a secular state. Nenshi doesn’t buy the argument that the historically overwhelming presence of the Catholic Church in Quebec should justify Bill 21.

“I don’t think you can use past discrimination to justify current discrimination. I will probably be a bit spicy with federal politicians and say: ‘Look, we need you to take some leadership on this’,” Nenshi said.

Canada’s first-ever special representative on combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, recently apologized for her past remarks about Quebec, which she made in an op-ed she co-authored in 2019.

Pointing to a poll done at the time, she suggested “the majority of Quebecers appear to be swayed not by the rule of law, but by anti-Muslim sentiment.”

“I feel bad that she was brow-beaten into it because, if you’re going to appoint anybody into that job as the Islamophobia fighter, I’m sure they’ve spoken about Islamophobia in the past — that’s why they had the job. They ought not to have to apologize for it,” Nenshi said.

Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal says he supports Elghawaby and said continued calls for her resignation raise concerns.

“I stand with her because her work is very important to make sure we tackle and deal with Islamophobia, racism and discrimination across Canada.”

Some leaders in Calgary’s Muslim community say what’s happening with Bill 21 is impacting Muslim families everywhere.

Sheikh Abdi Hersy says Islamophobia is a reality all over Canada.

“We live with it day in and day out. What’s happening in Quebec is affecting everybody. It’s affecting our kids.

“We have kids that are born and raised in Canada and they feel less Canadian when they hear those kind of things happening in their communities and in their country. We can do better. Muslims are a part of the fabric of Canadian society and they should be treated as such,” Hersy said.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslim religions in 2021 increased 71 per cent from the previous year.

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