London, Ont. Muslim community reacts to national Islamophobia summit
There is mixed reactions among London's Muslim leaders to the sentiment and efficacy of the federal government's National Action Summit on Islamophobia.
The summit was aimed at giving representatives from Canada's Muslim community the opportunity to speak to political leaders about the growing concerns around Islamophobia.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s main message from Thursday's virtual summit was that, "There is no place in Canada for Islamophobia."
He added, “I’m here to listen to you on what our next steps should be to continue building a country where everyone is welcome, safe and respected.”
Imam Aarij Anwer of the London Muslim Mosque attended the summit and says it's a step in the right direction.
“Addressing the problem and calling it out as it is. And these are important first steps, we can’t overlook the significance of them.”
London Muslim Mosque Member Nawaz Tahir echoes that sentiment.
“I was happy to hear some comments by some cabinet ministers about some of the immediate steps they’re going to take, for example investigating the (Canada Revenue Agency) and the complaints about Muslim charities being targeted.”
However, both did not support the government's lack of response to concerns about Quebec's Bill 21 banning government workers from wearing religious symbols.
“What we’ve heard from our ministers, our leaders, is Muslim women are the most vulnerable because they’re visibly Muslim," Anwer says. "How can we say they’re vulnerable, they need to be protected while also having a law like Bill C 21 on the books?”
And although the summit was a step in the right direction, both also agree the work doesn't stop here.
“The strength of the summit will be based on the actions of the government in the next 60 days and that will be the true measure of whether or not the summit was a success,” Tahir says.
He hopes the government will consider the concerns raised during Thursday's summit and act quickly.
"I think a lot of the recommendations don’t even need parliament to be in session. Government can act on them tomorrow or Monday or next week.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.