As three of the victims of the Quebec mosque shooting were being mourned at a memorial service in Montreal on Wednesday, -- part of a disturbing trend of Islamophobia shaking a country that prides itself on being a place of equality and inclusion.
Such an image of Canada was espoused by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the memorial, which was attended by thousands.
鈥淎s a community and as a country, together we will rise from this darkness, stronger and more unified than ever before,鈥� the Prime Minister said on Thursday. 鈥淭hat is who we are.鈥�
But is it? Trudeau鈥檚 rosy pronouncement masks a seemingly un-Canadian fact: according to several experts, hate crimes and acts of intolerance regularly take place in our country.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a difference between which Canada we鈥檙e talking about,鈥� Shirley Steinberg, a University of Calgary researcher and the co-editor of the book 鈥�,鈥� told 麻豆影视 Channel on Thursday.
People in isolated and homogenous areas, Steinberg said, are more susceptible to extreme right-wing ideologies. She points to pockets in the prairies and British Columbia as prime examples.
鈥淚 would say there鈥檚 also a very important conversation about the fact that Quebec has outwardly nurtured Islamophobia for at least 10 years,鈥� Steinberg said. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a conversation, also, about the difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada.鈥�
In the aftermath of Sunday鈥檚 mosque massacre, Montreal鈥檚 hate crimes unit reported a .
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think people are more racist than they were,鈥� Maxime Fiset, a reformed neo-Nazi who now works with Montreal鈥檚 Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence, told 麻豆影视 earlier this week. 鈥淚 think they鈥檙e just more outspoken -- and social media gives them a perfect platform to organize.鈥�
It also gives such people a platform. The Quebec City shooting suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, allegedly .
For years, moreover, Quebec鈥檚 political leaders have focused on race and religion in campaign rhetoric, including the former Parti Quebecois government鈥檚 call for a , a proposal that critics said was meant to target hijab-wearing Muslim women.
"People listen to every word," Quebec鈥檚 Liberal premier Philippe Couillard said in the aftermath of Sunday鈥檚 attack. "Badly chosen words hurt, sometimes for life, and we have to be conscious about that."
Hate crimes, however, are not limited to Quebec.
鈥淲e have been talking about this for many years,鈥� Amira Elghawaby, a spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, told 麻豆影视 Channel on Thursday. 鈥淲e鈥檝e noted a rise in hate crimes targeting Muslims in this country. It鈥檚 doubled over the past three years, the most significant increase against any religious group in this country鈥� It manifests on a daily basis in people鈥檚 lives. Absolutely, there is definitely a crisis here.鈥�
Safwan Choudhry, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama鈥榓t religious movement, agrees.
鈥淚t is on the rise,鈥� Choudhry told 麻豆影视 Channel. He sees parallels between violent fringe groups such as Islamic extremists and white nationalists.
鈥淭he underlying objective of both these groups is very identical: it is to divide society.鈥�
In Canada, however, conversations about domestic security seem to exclusively focus on the former group.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not talking about right-wing extremism,鈥� Elghawaby said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not having those conversations when in fact, according to security agencies, right-wing extremism is growing in this country.鈥�
There has been plenty of evidence of that this week. In addition to the Quebec City attack and the spike in hate crimes in Montreal, on Tuesday, of a Muslim man who received an Islamophobic note on his car -- the first time he had ever encountered racism in his 25 years in the city.
In June, moreover, a on Sunday -- a highly offensive gesture towards a community that is religiously forbidden to consume pork. Following the U.S. presidential election, .
For all of our rosy rhetoric about diversity and inclusion, Steinberg says that more needs to be done for Canadians to truly internalize the message we project to the world.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have honest conversations about race and about understanding otherness and diversity,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e like to pretend that we do.鈥�
Choudhry agrees.
鈥淐ome meet your fellow Muslims,鈥� he challenged Canadians. 鈥淎sk them questions. That鈥檚 how we elevate each other.鈥�
With files from CTV Montreal, CTV Edmonton, 麻豆影视 Channel and The Canadian Press
