Muslim Council of Montreal to appear before Commission on Racism and Discrimination in Quebec City

September 27, 2006

Montreal, Quebec, Sept. 27, 2006- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) will be appearing before the Quebec National Assembly’s Commission on Racism and Discrimination on Wednesday September 27th, in Quebec City.

MCM will be presenting a number of proposals, to combat the problem of racism and discrimination, namely the implementation of a governmental policy to effectively eradicate racism and discrimination from all fronts of Canadian society. MCM also calls for greater representation of minority community groups within Quebec public services and stricter punishment of hate crimes.

MCM highlights the media as a key factor in combating racism, hate and discrimination within Canadian society, noting that many media outlets frequently present a hostile generalization of Muslims in their reportage. MCM calls for stricter accountability within the media for propagating hate and stereotypes against minority communities and for an establishment of checks and balances to regulate media fairness, especially within Canadian media outlets that are publicly financed.

“We believe that education is key in eradicating the ills of racism and discrimination from our society,” Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM, said. “The government is taking an encouraging first step with these commission hearings, but the work is far from over. All Canadians must come together to discuss these issues and progressively work towards a solution together.”

For more information regarding the appearance of MCM at the commission, please call (514) 748-8427.