Canada will continue to fight against anti-Muslim hate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, but faced criticism from a Muslim advocacy group which said he has failed to act against Islamophobic policies.
"Sadly, Islamophobia is a lived experience for many Canadians," Trudeau said in a statement marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. "That's why last year we appointed the first special representative on combatting Islamophobia.
"We are ensuring Canadians of all faiths can freely and safely practise their religion."
But not everyone agrees that Trudeau's government has done enough to battle Islamophobia. The activist group Canadians United Against Hate paints a contrasting picture, accusing the government of not taking action against anti-Muslim acts in Canada and abroad.
"Canadian Muslims have now seen that the Canadian government cares little about their views where it concerns Muslims being persecuted and oppressed," said Fareed Khan, the group's founder.
"We've seen it with the refusal of the Canadian government to act against Quebec's 'secularism' law, which primarily targets Muslims, and their willingness to back Israel as its military assault on Palestinians, which was initially claimed to be an act of 'self-defence' against Hamas (but) has turned into a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 90 per cent of the victims are Muslim."
The Quebec law prohibits most public service sector workers, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab at work.
In his statement, Trudeau skirted the Israeli-Hamas war, which has killed over 31,000 Palestinians in Gaza, but he did admit Canada needs to be vigilant against Islamophobia.
"Canada has come a long way, but we have more to do," he said.
