Muslim community shocked over arrests; urges for calm and restraint

August 26, 2010

Montreal, Quebec, August 26th, 2010- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) expressed its shock over the recent arrests in Ontario on terror-related charges. RCMP officers arrested Canadian citizens Misbahuddin Ahmed, Hiva Alizadeh and Khurram Sher on Wednesday and Thursday.

 

“We stand united with all our fellow Canadians against all criminal acts and in the ongoing efforts to safeguard the security and well-being of our nation,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “However, we must remember that everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the accused have the right to be tried in a transparent and fair court of law, with the protection of their constitutional rights. Civil rights and charter protections are not forfeited to target individuals on mere suspicion, nor can we pass judgment and conviction without concrete evidence and due process.

 

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Muslim community thanks the federal government for their aid commitment to Pakistan and urges all Canadians to donate generously to help in the relief efforts

August 24, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montreal, Quebec, August 24th, 2010- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) thanks the Canadian government for its pledge to match all donations made to Canadian registered charities earmarked for the Pakistan flood relief efforts.

 

“We applaud the generosity of our government and encourage all Canadians to donate abundantly,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “The victims of the floods remain in critical need of emergency assistance and with each passing day the need for food, clean water, shelter and medical aid increases drastically. There is no time to lose.”

 

The federal government announced this weekend that it will match dollar-for-dollar all eligible donations made by individual Canadians to registered charities between August 2nd and September 12th, in addition to the $33 million already pledged to the Pakistan flood relief efforts.

 

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Humanitarian crisis in Pakistan: UNICEF says it is “probably the biggest emergency on the planet today”

August 18, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Montreal, Quebec, August 18th, 2010-
The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) urges all Canadians to donate generously to help the relief efforts in Pakistan, following the monsoon rains and massive floods that devastated the country over two weeks ago.

 

“The extent of damage caused by these floods is beyond anything we can imagine,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “The UN has said that the number of people affected from the floods could exceed the combined total of those from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. These are not just cold facts, but behind each of these statistics is a child who lost her parents or a family that lost their home and livelihood. We implore all Canadians to open up their hearts and wallets and not be blind to the suffering of so many innocent millions.”


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Muslim community disagrees with Angus Reid poll over national support for niqab ban

March 27, 2010
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Montreal, Quebec, March 27th, 2010- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) finds the recent Angus Reid poll indicating the general support of Canadians for Bill 94 to be misleading and reintegrates the need for more balanced and informed discussion on the matter.

 

“This poll is hardly accurate of the views of all Canadians, as it would suggest that the majority of Canadians are against the values of our Charter,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “From the beginning, a rationed, reasonable discussion over the issue of the niqab has been forgone in favour of a emotionally charged hysterical debate that lacks the basic facts and information. The niqab is being presented as a symbol of oppression and radicalism, which is naturally turning people away from it and not allowing them the opportunity to understand anything substantial about what it really is, as well as diverting their attention away from the real question.”

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Muslim community concerned about the long-term consequences and precedents set by Bill 94

March 24, 2010
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Montreal, Quebec, March 24th, 2010- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) expressed its fears today of the beginning of a slippery slope eroding the human rights of minority groups in Quebec, with today’s introduction of Bill 94. The bill requires both public servants dispensing government services as well as citizens receiving the services to have their faces uncovered while doing so.

 

“In many ways the Bill represents a knee-jerk reaction by government officials in order to appease a certain sector of our society, at the expense of others and at the expense of our basic fundamental rights,” Elmenyawi said. “Instead of resolving such delicate issues by means of discussion and mediation, the government has resorted to take it upon themselves to legislate the dress code of its citizens, without regard to future repercussions resulting from the Bill or from any misinterpretations over its ambiguous language.”


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Muslim community expresses thanks for support and encouragement received over niqab issue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montreal, Quebec, March 24th, 2010- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to the abundant support from citizens and journalists across the country in regards to the recent controversy over the niqab.

 

“We are overwhelmed by all the messages of support we have received from citizens around Canada, and also by all the letters to the editors, op-eds and editorials we have read in various Canadian newspapers,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “It is refreshing and uplifting to see such conscientious Canadians with a genuine concern for human rights and religious freedoms warning against the dangers of the state infringing on civil liberties by enforcing a ban against certain religious clothing. They have shown that this issue isn’t just about the niqab, rather it is about the values and freedoms guaranteed in our Charter.”

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Muslim community calls for harsher penalties against hate crimes as vandals target mosque and synagogue

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Montreal, Quebec, March 24th, 2010- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) strongly condemned the recent hate crimes against a Waterloo mosque and a Montreal synagogue.

 

“Such hate crimes are heinous attacks on the values of respect, peace, tolerance and freedom that we all hold dear in Canada,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “We call on Waterloo and Montreal police authorities to act swiftly to investigate these hate crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice. In addition to strengthening the application of current laws, new policies and laws are needed to effectively fight hate, racism and discrimination within our society. A clear message must be sent out that hate crimes are atrocious acts which absolutely will not be tolerated.”

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