Recent Coverage
Should Quebec City mosque killer Alexandre Bissonnette have been charged with terrorism?
By Graeme Hamilton
National Post | April 17, 2018
MONTREAL – It was a carefully planned assault on a Muslim place of worship triggered — the attacker acknowledged to police — by news that Canada was prepared to accept more refugees from Muslim countries.
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The National Council of Canadian Muslims, though relieved Bissonnette pleaded guilty last month to six counts of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder, worries about a double standard when it comes to terrorism charges.
“The NCCM does have continuing concerns around the way in which ...
Proposed police uniform changes set off alarm bells in Quebec
Montreal politician’s call to adapt city’s police uniform for Sikh and Muslim officers is reviving a long-running debate in Quebec over the reasonable accommodation of religious minorities
By Allan Woods
Toronto Star | April 4, 2018
MONTREAL — Suggestions the Montreal Police should change its uniform to accommodate Sikh and Muslim officers have stoked the embers of a fiery debate in Quebec.
Montreal politician Marvin Rotrand is urging the city to allow Sikh cops to wear turbans and Muslim officers to wear hijabs while on duty in order to attract more ...
Quebec mosque shooting suspect Alexandre Bissonnette pleads guilty
By Les Perreaux
The Globe and Mail | March 28, 2018
In the 48 hours after Alexandre Bissonnette stood in court to own up to the mass murder of six Muslim worshippers, a bloody act that showed Canadians an unexpected face of extremism, a question was asked repeatedly among the small group of people who knew about the plea, including the judge: Why would he admit guilt now?
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“The reality is he went to a mosque, a place of worship, and admitted to first-degree murder with intent to kill people,” said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council ...
Mosque shooting: Relief at the guilty verdict, but the grief remains strong
Montreal Gazette | March 28, 2018
QUEBEC — For the Muslim community in Quebec City and the families of the many victims, Alexandre Bissonnette’s guilty pleas brought a measure of relief Wednesday.
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“You have to take (his denial of Islamophobia) with a grain of salt, and you have to wonder about that,” said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. “He deliberately chose a mosque, a place of worship, to go in and attack a group of unarmed civilians, essentially shooting them in the back as they were standing in ...
Letter: Neither censorship nor hate is acceptable
Vancouver Sun | March 2, 2018
Re: Criticism of religious groups is good for religion, Opinion, Feb. 12.
David Haskell’s recent piece misrepresents positions taken by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
The NCCM in no way seeks to shield the Islamic faith, or any other belief system, from criticism. Moreover, the NCCM didn’t endorse the initial definition of Islamophobia used by the Toronto District School Board in its educator’s guidebook. In fact, our organization advised that the definition used by the Ontario Human Rights Commission should be ...
Parents, Muslim group welcome budget’s $81 million for federal no-fly fixes
By Jim Bronskill
The Canadian Press | February 28, 2018
OTTAWA — Parents of young children and a national Muslim group are welcoming a federal budget commitment to address fairness and privacy concerns with Canada’s no-fly list.
The budget sets aside $81.4 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, and $14 million a year ongoing, to remake the much-maligned no-fly program. The money will go to the Canada Border Services Agency, Public Safety and Transport Canada.
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The National Council of Canadian Muslims called the federal plan “a welcome step ...
Fundraiser for Quebec man paralyzed in mosque shooting reaches $400,000 goal
By Morgan Lowrie
The Canadian Press | February 9, 2018
MONTREAL – A fundraiser launched to help finance a new home for a man paralyzed in last year’s Quebec City mosque shooting surpassed its $400,000 goal on Friday.
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Reached for reaction, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims said he “couldn’t think of any better news to get on a Friday.”
“It has really shown what Canada is really about, and the values of inclusivity and acceptance and standing up to hatred and division,” Ihsaan Gardee said in a phone intervie...
Opposition to anti-Islamophobia proposal proves its merits
As with last year’s absurd debate over M-103, the federal anti-Islamophobia motion, the opposition to a National Council of Canadian Muslims’ proposal appears to be a proxy for, or an attempt to pander to, more disturbing views.
By Editorial Board
Toronto Star | January 11, 2018
The Quebec politicians now fighting against a proposal to commemorate last year’s massacre of six Muslim men at a Quebec City mosque as an annual day of action against Islamophobia provide clear proof of the idea’s merit.
As with last year’s absurd debate over M-103, the ...
While Quebec Muslims mourn, politicians play word games
By Editorial Board
The Globe and Mail | January 10, 2018
Linguists call it semantic change, whereby a word evolves to represent something other than its original meaning. An obvious example from our current political discourse is "Islamophobia."
It's a noun, and not an especially inventive one, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force."
Sounds straightforward enough, until someone asks the Coalition Avenir Québec, currently leading the polls ahead of next fall's Quebec provin...
Muslim group asks for Jan. 29 day of remembrance for 2017 mosque shooting
CBC News | January 5, 2018
One of Canada's most prominent Muslim groups is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to designate the anniversary of the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting as an official day of remembrance.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims wants Trudeau to endorse Jan. 29 as a national day of remembrance and action on Islamophobia.
In a letter to the prime minister released today, executive director Ihsaan Gardee says such a designation would help enhance public education about hate, bigotry and Islamophobia.
Last January, six Muslim men were ...