Islamic Info Road Show

In which we converse with three friendly Haligonian Muslims as they hand out pamphlets.

by Miles Howe

Scapegoating is never fun. Throughout history, scapegoating has been used as a tactic to divert attention from actual, root causes of issues, and instead blames an easily identifiable target, and incites fear and anger against them.

On September 7th, Stephen Harper mentioned that Islamicism is the greatest threat to Canadian safety. This statement was made, even though there has never been an Islamic terrorist attack on Canadian soil. In light of the fact that Canada has participated, or is currently participating, in the violent invasion of numerous countries where Islam is the predominant faith, it would appear that Stephen Harper is completely backwards in his logic, and it is more precise to say that Stephen Harperism is a threat to Islam. But with the blood of many Islamic people, as well as many Canadian children already on his hands, it is of little wonder that while in the process of bankrupting this country both morally and economically, Stephen Harper would like us to divert our attention away from real issues, and instead focus our growing unrest upon a scapegoat.

Canada's Islamic community, however, is reacting, peacefully mind you, to the charge. The Islamic Supreme Council of Canada has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Harper. The Prime Minister's office is not giving one, and one can only hope that Canada's Islamic population remembers this slant come next election.

On a local note, many of Halifax's Muslims have decided amongst themselves to take to the streets, in an educational campaign. I had the opportunity to converse with several friendly Muslims as they handed out pamphlets and information about their religion on the corner of Spring Garden road and South Park. For many, it was their first political action, and their excitement at engaging the community at large on a sunny Sunday was palpable. The following is a brief segment of three interviews with the pamphleteers.

Halifax's Muslim community urge you to visit Islam20questions.org, or to come and converse with them for the next few Sunday afternoons, weather permitting, at the corner of Spring Garden and South Park.

bar baz