04 September 2017

Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (MPP) Jagmeet Singh, who eyes leadership of the New Democratic Party (NDP) was disrupted by an anti-Muslim protester, who mistook the Sikh MPP as Muslim and made hateful comments during an event in Brampton.

Footage of the incident shows Singh preparing to address an audience as part of an outreach event titled "Jagmeet and Greet," and was interrupted by a woman, who identified herself as Jennifer Bush.

"When is your Sharia going to end? We know you're in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood!" Bush told Singh, who did not allow the woman to provoke him.

The young politician told the audience that he does not want to be intimidated by hate or ruin a positive event by hatred.

"We welcome you, we love you, we support you" he told Bush, who ended up leaving the hall.

Sing released a statement on his Twitter account following the incident, saying that his ideology focuses on love and courage.

"Many people have commented that I could have just said I'm not Muslim. In fact many have clarified that I'm actually Sikh. While I'm proud of who I am, I purposely didn't go down that road because it suggests their hate would be ok if I was Muslim," Singh said, adding that his response to Islamophobia has never been 'I'm not Muslim.'

"Once allowed to grow, hate doesn't pick and choose, it spreads like fire. Once we say it's ok to hate someone based on their religion, we're also opening the door to hate based on race, gender, sexuality, and more."

Jennifer Bush also published a video on YouTube, saying that she knows Singh is not Muslim. She is a supporter of Rise Canada, which opposes Muslim prayer accommodations in Peel schools and has attended rallies and events with far-right groups such as Pegida.

Jagmeet Singh is currently running to become the national leader of the NDP and has been seen as a major opponent of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He was featured on GQ Magazine and attracts crowds where he goes.

Like the rest of the world, Islamophobia has become a problem in Canada. There has been a surge in Islamophobic attacks in the country and mosques have been targeted. In January, a gunman killed six people attending prayers at a mosque in the French-speaking Quebec City.

Mosque President's Car Deliberately Set On Fire In Quebec

Six month after a deadly shooting at a Quebec City mosque, its president's car was deliberately set on fire, officials said Wednesday.

"Another hateful act" targeted the mosque and its president Mohamed Labidi in addition to "a long series" of other incidents, the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec said in a statement.

The fire was set on August 6 but was only made public on Wednesday in order to allow police to investigate.

Mosque officials and the mayor linked the fire to an August 4 announcement of the upcoming opening of the city's first Muslim cemetery.

"It would be a strange coincidence" if the two were not somehow related, said Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume.

Police are not ruling out any motive, whether it was a hate crime against Muslims or just a random act of vandalism, said police spokesman Jean-Francois Vezina.

Labeaume had championed the new Muslim cemetery as a sign of support for Quebec City's relatively small Muslim community following an avowed white supremacist's killing of six worshippers at a local mosque in January.

The "increase in hateful gestures" toward the Muslim community in Quebec City is "worrying," Labeaume commented.

These incidents come as nationalist or right-wing extremists in the Canadian province have become more vocal against immigration and "radical Islam."

In June, a group left a pig's severed head at the entrance of the mosque targeted by the lone gunman.

Police are investigating these incidents but no suspects have been named so far. 

©  EsinIslam.Com

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