Muslim Council of Montreal dismayed over singling out of Canadian Muslims for attack

December 19, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montreal, Quebec, December 19th, 2011- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) expressed its concern over the increased targeting of the Canadian Muslim community, specifically in the media and by certain members of the National Assembly.

“Recently one of our local Imams, Mr. Foudil Selmoune, was seriously maligned in the media, after his comments in a news interview were severely distorted and taken wholly out of context,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “After first asking him to explain certain aspects of the penal code in Islamic jurisprudence, his response was unfairly twisted in le Telejournal Radio-Canada and Le Devoir, and he was attacked as being a ‘propagandist’ for Sharia law in Quebec, when in fact at no time did he ever suggest that the Sharia penal code should be imposed anywhere in Canada. It is not the first time we have seen such sensationalist reporting and yellow journalism targeting members of our community and it is completely unacceptable and unjustified.”

MCM encourages all Canadians to practice critical thinking and discernment when reading, listening or watching the news and to question and challenge the assumptions and messages being made, especially when they single out a group of people for attack, as well as to remember that all media is a construction of reality and all statements must first be verified before being accepted as fact.

“We also remind all our politicians to respect their office and the National Assembly of Quebec’s history, democratic status and its representation of all Quebecers,” Elmenyawi said. “It is time to stop passing motions without first seeking public consultation and to stop passing motions and bills singling out minority groups for attack and suspicion. This is not conducive to social harmony and a prosperous future for our society and they would do well to stop indulging groups intent on promoting intolerance and prejudice.” 

MCM invites all members of the media, National Assembly and the general public to make an effort to understand the Canadian Muslim communities better and to feel free to visit their local mosques for more information or any questions they may have.


CONTACT:

Salam Elmenyawi

Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM)

Ph.: (514) 748-8427

E-mail: info@muslimcouncil.org

Website: http://www.muslimcouncil.org

 

The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) is an umbrella organization representing a number of Islamic institutions in the Montreal region. There are over 275,000 Muslims in Montreal, about 1,200,000 in Canada and 1.9 billion worldwide.

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