‘We were not segregating or promoting’: Quebec zoo president dismisses Muslim prayer ‘blowout’

The president of a Quebec petting zoo insists it is a place that welcomes everyone, despite calls for a boycott after the park hosted a large Muslim celebration. Parc Safari, in Hemmingford, Que., about 60 kilometres south of Montreal, has been the target of some angry comments since a video was posted to Facebook Tuesday, showing a large group of Muslims praying on the weekend. The woman who posted the 40-second clip writes in the caption that she finds it inappropriate to have to hear prayers on loud speakers at the park. Two women, speaking in French on the video, are heard saying that Quebecers are too “conciliatory” and that people should not be praying in public. The video has been viewed more than 100,000 times and attracted hundreds of comments, with some calling for a boycott of the zoo. But Jean-Pierre Ranger, Parc Safari’s president, says the video has been taken out of context. He says no prayers were broadcast over loudspeakers and that the group used a public address system for only a few seconds. “At 5 p.m., using their own P.A. system for five seconds, they did a call to prayer,” he said. “It was a call to prayer that lasted three seconds.” Ranger says the group had called ahead to inform the zoo that as many as 1,000 people would be coming to celebrate. The zoo made arrangements to cordon off an area for them and set up picnic tables, just as they have done with dozens of other groups who have reserved space at the park in the past, Ranger said. “We were not segregating or promoting,” he said. “We are just a family recreation park that caters to everyone. And what happened here is what has been happening for 45 years.” Parc Safari issued a statement on their Facebook page Tuesday, saying that the group respected all their guidelines regarding noise and disruption. The zoo also emphasized that they are a multicultural facility that accommodates and welcomes everyone. “Safari Park is sorry that freedom of religion may offend people,” the zoo said in their statement. “ A zoological institution is by definition a multicultural place where small and large can discover the wonderful diversity of nature and animals and thus develop affection and respect for this diversity, these differences, and their intrinsic beauty.” Asked for his take on the outburst of anger that has greeted the video, Ranger sums it up this way: “Fake news.” He says the reaction has been “totally blown out of proportion” and that the park has been the victim of the hatred of a few people who have “some form of dislike to what is occurring worldwide.” “We regret sincerely the blowout of this unexplainable situation,” he said. Source: CTV News