"Muslims Standing Tall for Multiculturalism in Canada" by Dr. Mohamed Elmasry

June 16, 2006

Source: Canadian Islamic Congress/The National Post

[canadianislamiccongress.com/fb/friday_bulletin.php?fbdate=2006-06-16#2]

On June 16, 2006 The National Post reported ran an opinion piece by Dr. Mohammed Elmasry, national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. He writes, "Canadian Muslims are proud Canadians... But we are living in a post 9/11 era and Muslims are being seen through a dark and clouded lens. Realizing this impediment to peace and progress, the Canadian Islamic Congress called on the federal government three years ago to fund Canadian university researchers to study the psycho-social impact on the self identity of Canadian Muslim youth of a long list of factors starting with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. These included: the Bin Laden tapes; the impact of ongoing cycles of violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Darfur; the human rights violations at the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons; (now add the Haditha Massacre to the list); and last but not least, the unrelenting media smearing of Islam and the negative stereotyping of Muslims. Despite the severity of each and every factor enumerated here, we were turned down. Today, our Canadian government spends zero dollars on well documented university research concerning these and related issues. Two years ago, after waiting in vain for the government to fund such research, the CIC launched its proactive 'smart integration' project, using its own limited resources. The message was this: we are living in a liberal democracy, and as a significant religious and cultural minority Canadian Muslims must be active participants in this society."