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Comment: Canadian Muslims uneasy about Bill C-51

Democratic governments are not only responsible for protecting their citizens’ national security, but equally responsible for safeguarding their cherished democratic civil liberties.

Democratic governments are not only responsible for protecting their citizens’ national security, but equally responsible for safeguarding their cherished democratic civil liberties.

That is why the introduction of Bill C-51 by the Harper government has evoked so much spirited debate. The proposed bill has not only riled the advocates for lesser state intrusion and control, but it has created a sense of unease among many Canadian Muslims.

Are the acts of terrorism, perpetrated by few in the name of Islam, a justification to introduce what some believe to be draconian security measures in the name of protecting national security? Or is the bill nothing short of a blatant attempt to stifle legitimate opposition, and win political advantage during an election year?

Undoubtedly, terrorist threats are real, as seen over the recent past, and the government is constitutionally responsible for the protection of the safety of Canadians. But equally important is the need to protect democratic governance. This includes society’s right of oversight of all intelligence and security operations to prevent the government of the day from exploiting the new powers for political objectives under the guise of fighting terrorism.

C-51 is proposing to water down — in fact, undermine considerably — the vital component of oversight, and compromise, in the process, the principle of checks and balances in its approach to national security.

The domestic implications for Canada’s involvement in overseas U.S.-dominated military involvement in Muslim and Arab countries are tangible. Apart from the human and material price of military involvement Canada has expended, the government has to deal with an expanding opposition to its anti-terrorism bill, not to mention dealing with a sizable domestic Muslim constituency with potential friction points.

In 2011, the number of Muslims in Canada topped the one-million mark (about 3.2 per cent of the population). Canadian Muslims have become the second-largest religious denomination in the country and the fastest-growing established religion in Canada. Additionally, the percentage of Muslim immigrants to Canada over the past few years (2006-2011) represented 17.4 per cent of total immigrants. Any Canadian government, regardless of its political stripes, has to incorporate this Muslim factor in its political and security policy formulations.

There is no doubt that an extreme and virulent brand of Jihadi-Wahabbi interpretation of Islam has infiltrated Muslim communities in Canada and the West in general. It is wrong to conclude, however, that all Muslims in the West follow or support such regressive and anti-modern interpretation of their faith. It is important, therefore, to avoid turning Islam into the “enemy” and Muslims into a dangerous “fifth column” on behalf of international terrorism.

But equally important is that policy-makers avoid succumbing to political correctness and ignore the duty of protecting the rights of minorities for fear of insulting religious or cultural sensibilities. Human freedom everywhere is indivisible and no excuses should be allowed to diminish the fundamental human rights and equality of all backgrounds and genders in Canada.

It is equally important for Canada and Western democracies to come out clearly against radicalization and combat its destructive reach, using all legitimate weapons at their disposal. The inevitable accusations of racism, discrimination and Islamophobia must be balanced by Western societies’ right — indeed, duty — to protect their own heritage of human rights and democratic freedoms. A co-operative, respectful approach by governments and immigrants alike has to evolve to overcome such problems.

Hanny Hilmy is a research fellow at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies.