Canadian PM Iftar Fails to Assure Muslims

The iftar is the first time Harper welcomed 40 members of the Muslim community into 24 Sussex to break their Ramadan fasts.

Friday, June 26, 2015

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OTTAWA – Attending the first-ever Ramadan iftar with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leaders of the Canadian Muslim community have expressed hope that the gesture would translate into a change in the government rhetoric about the religious community.

“This event certainly came as a surprise to many given the government’s record of action that has alienated, marginalized, many Canadian Muslim communities,” said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, iPolitics reported on Wednesday, June 24.

“Given that it is election season, we hope that this event is not merely a vote-soliciting tactic but a real sign of change of tone and attitude.”

The iftar, held last Monday, is the first time Harper welcomed 40 members of the Muslim community into 24 Sussex to break their Ramadan fasts alongside members of his government.

The government’s relationship with Canadian Muslims has grown increasingly fraught over the past year over attempts to ban niqab or new security measures targeting the religious community.

The government policies received huge criticism for blaming Muslims for terrorism, with many critics seeing it as using anti-radicalization rhetoric to sow fear and prejudice against Muslims.

“While I hesitate to cry ‘politics’ on something that I see as a positive development, the limited nature and late timing of the gesture certainly lends itself to the perception that it was a pre-election campaign event – and not an earnest outreach to a community that desperately needs to see some more positive signals from the country’s political leadership,” said Shay Purdy, a consultant with Summa Strategies.

Recalling a history of heated rhetoric, the leaders of two of the country’s biggest Muslim groups say the change raised their concerns on how officials talk about Muslims.

“There haven’t been a lot of friendly statements from the government to Muslims,” said Alia Hogben, executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, noting that the government has to take responsibility for the deterioration of relations between officials and Canadian Muslims.

“I don’t think it’s because of Muslims — it’s between the Prime Minister and his ministers.”

Suspicious

Receiving the iftar invitation, Hogben said her council would keep an eye on whether the government was willing to heal the rifts or no.

“My reaction, and our organization’s reaction, to it will be ‘wait and see,'” said Hogben.

Gardee added that Canadian Muslims are not naive when it comes to examining the government’s motives and its track record.

His organization has been urging Canadians to pay attention to how their representatives, and those seeking to replace them, talk about issues like plurality and diversity in order to make informed decisions in the election.

“The reality is that this event is not occurring in a vacuum. It is an election year all candidates and political parties, including the Prime Minister and Conservative Party, are no doubt looking to burnish their credentials with voters from different communities and that includes Canadian Muslim communities,” said Gardee.

“Alongside this initiative of Ramadan outreach, it’s our hope that the Prime Minister will tone down his government’s rhetoric in relation to Islam and Canadian Muslims and continue to be more inclusive of all Canadians, including those they may disagree with on policy issues.”

Hogben agreed, noting much will depend on what the government does next.

“Nice gesture, but then what will follow? I suppose the government is going to go ahead and ban the niqab,” she said.

Muslims are the fastest growing religious community in Canada, according to the country’s statistical agency, Statistics Canada.

Canada’s Muslim population increased by 82 percent over the past decade – from about 579,000 in 2001 to more than 1 million in 2011.

Muslims represent 3.2 percent of Canada’s total population.

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