كندا: المجتمع الإسلامي يعرب عن قلقه بسبب تشويه صورة المسلمين

أعرب المجتمع الإسلامي بمدينة "أوتاوا" الكندية عن قلقه وأسفه بسبب الصورة التي ترسمها المؤسسات الحكومية عن مسلمي "كندا"، وخصوصًا عقب حملة أمنية لاعتقال بعض النشطاء الإسلاميين، وهو ما يعتبر إساءة وتذكية للخلفية الخاطئة عن المسلمين بالمجتمع الكندي، التي تعرقل مساعي المجتمع الإسلامي على إثبات وطنيته وبحثه عن التآلف مع مختلف عناصر المجتمع.

وقد أكد "إحسان جردي" - المستشار التنفيذي للمجلس الكندي للعلاقات الإسلامية الأمريكية "كير" في "كندا" - أن المجلس الإسلامي قلق بسبب وضع المجتمع الإسلامي عقب الاعتقالات الأمنية لنشطاء إسلاميين، وبالرغم من أن اللقاء يقوم على بحث سبل دعم علاقة المسلمين بغيرهم في المجتمع الكندي، إلا أن "صلاح سلامة" - المتحدث باسم منظمة التواجد الإسلامي - انتقد غياب بعض القادة وأئمة المساجد عن اللقاء.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

Muslims concerned about image following arrests

The Ottawa Muslim community has made great strides in establishing itself as an integrated and understood part of the city’s fabric but recent high-profile arrests threaten to hinder that progress, say some Muslim leaders.

That was the impetus of a grassroots meeting Monday to discuss how to further establish trust and promote understanding about city Muslims.

Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN), said it was a meeting of minds to discuss the implications of the arrests.

“We got together to express concerns in the wake of the arrests, including how Canadian Muslims are being portrayed and how to address the issues that the arrests raised,” he said. “There were concerns raised about how inflammatory rhetoric and sensational headlines could divide Canadians and create the impression that Canadian Muslims were anything but loyal and patriotic citizens.”

Gardee said it’s a growing concern to ensure that people are able to understand the difference between the few and the many.

“People have expressed a lot of support, saying that they recognize these are charges against individuals and not against a community or faith group, but there’s natural concern about how the community would be perceived.”

Another Muslim leader agreed that some now view the community in a different light because of the arrests.

“There are suspicions of the community,” said Salah Basalamah, spokesperson for the organization Muslim Presence.

“But what I see since 9/11 is that a we’ve all come a long way. We have progressed a lot. In the media, things are less accusatory than they were.”

But while the meeting was a good first step, it was one of many more to come.

“I think there are still a lot of things to do, lots of bridges to build between Muslims and other Canadians. I think that I could spend my whole life doing it without thinking one time that I’ve done a lot. There’s still so much to do.”

Still, he was frustrated that not every group participated.

“I can’t explain it. It was an Ottawa-wide invitation to attend and participate and unfortunately we didn’t see a single Imam or a single Mosque represented, which I think is a shame”.