Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi said that the government needs to act to prevent the “radicalization of white people” in Canada instead of focusing so much on Islamist extremism.
As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, while testifying before the Senate human rights committee, Nenshi accused some politicians of capitalizing on said radicalization.
“When do we start talking about the radicalization of white people in this country?” said Nenshi.
“When do we start talking about the fact there are generations – not students but the next generation up – people in their 20s and in their 30s and older who are feeling dispossessed, who are wondering about change in their community, who are very, very susceptible to radicalization messages?”
When asked what actions the government should take, Nenshi said that the Senate needs to put out a “strong statement” about Islamophobia.
“Number one is, we need a strong statement from this committee that across this country the importance of the dignity of Muslim people matters and that Muslim people cannot be used as political footballs,” suggested Nenshi.
According to the former mayor, Islamophobia in Canada intensified after 2015 under the former Conservative government.
“In 2015 things changed in a very significant way. Do I believe the government of that day in its Barbaric Cultural Practices Act and its niqab bans was particularly Islamophobic? Did I believe those people were Islamophobic? No. Do I believe they saw political benefit in a cost-benefit analysis by targeting Muslims? Yes I do,” Nensi claimed.
“I would submit to this committee our problem in this country is not the radicalization of Muslim men in this country. It’s important and we have to focus on it. When do we start talking about the radicalization of white people?”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent appointment of Amira Elghawaby as a special representative on Islamophobia has caused controversy for the Liberal government.
Past comments by Elghawaby have resurfaced in which she suggested that Quebeckers were inherently Islamophobic.
The appointment has caused Conservative leader Pierre Poillievre as well as the Quebec legislature to demand her removal from the position.
“I think Justin Trudeau made the wrong decision,” said QUebec National Assembly member Jean-Francois Roberge.
