Council issues recommendations ahead of Islamophobia summit
Provinces asked to add to school courses, create accountability system for police hate crime units
A national strategy to fight antimuslim hate across society is one of 61 recommendations released Monday by the National Council of Canadian Muslims ahead of a summit on Islamophobia to be held later this week.
The organization hosted events on Monday in cities that have experienced crimes targeting Muslims in recent years, including Quebec City, the Greater Toronto Area, Edmonton and London, Ont., where last month four members of a family were killed while out for a walk. It used the events to unveil its 61 recommendations for policy-makers ahead of Thursday’s national summit.
Mustafa Farooq, chief executive officer of the NCCM, told reporters in southwestern Ontario the recommendations target every level of government and were compiled following consultations with members of the Muslim community across the country.
“We need to see action and we need to see it now,” Farooq said. “Governments attending the summit must know that we want more than their attendance, we want to see their commitment to timelines.”
The group suggested Ottawa create a special envoy to deal with Islamophobia and to investigate alleged profiling within the Canada Revenue Agency and national security agencies, Farooq said.
Other recommendations consist of amending the Criminal Code to include specific penalties and dedicated prosecutors for hate crimes involving assault, threats, mischief and murder.
For provinces, the recommendations include teaching about Islamophobia in schools, an accountability system for police hate-crimes units and the prohibition of white supremacist rallies.