Evidence of meeting #74 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was state.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Sadia Groguhé NDP Saint-Lambert, QC
Okay.
I will continue with my second question. One word in your answer caught my attention; you talked about a minority of people. I think it is important to go back to the concept of minority. Quite clearly, it is out of the question to extend this concept to all immigrants and communities.
Here is my second question.
We are really concerned about the two-tiered citizenship that this bill could create. Obviously…
Conservative
NDP
Sadia Groguhé NDP Saint-Lambert, QC
Okay.
That can also create concerns for immigrants.
Given that this bill applies to people who have dual citizenship and there are a lot more naturalized Canadians who have dual citizenship, do you think that this bill is discriminatory to some extent?
President, Muslim Canadian Congress
Your question has several answers, if I may say so.
First of all, I don't see it as two-tier, as Asif has said.
President, Muslim Canadian Congress
One answer? Okay. Then you should have stopped her, with all due respect, because I'm not going to be able to answer the whole question.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
I understand that. My problem is to control the time and we're well over.
President, Muslim Canadian Congress
Okay. I hope that's not being taken from my one minute.
President, Muslim Canadian Congress
Let me answer, with all due respect, sir.
Conservative
President, Muslim Canadian Congress
Thank you so much.
The fact is, if we are talking about a minority we don't have to be afraid of anything. The minority that chooses to do this is doing harm to us, too. As we have said, it's not going to have an impact because it is a minority doing it. We don't want it to become a majority. That goes not only for the Muslim community, but it goes for every community. We have Sikhs who are into that. We have the Irish. We have everybody. It's not a matter of just the Muslim community.
Conservative
Chungsen Leung Conservative Willowdale, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just want to finish a thought that was brought up earlier regarding radicalization. His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad cautioned political leaders in Canada to be vigilant in screening out who we let into the country so that we can protect ourselves against the entry of extremism.
I want to take a look at the other side. In order to first understand radicalization, we need to understand i from their side, why they would want to perpetuate something like this, that is, terrorist acts and so on against any country.
Perhaps you can share your thoughts with us on what you see as the need on the part of a particular Muslim extremist group to commit acts of terrorism.
National Secretary for Public Relations, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at
It could take a long time to answer that question, in the sense that there are probably many reasons.
I'll simply state it as this: the Ahmadiyya community really adheres to the concept that Islam means peace. Unfortunately, those Muslims who are creating this havoc are not following that concept of what Islam is. For whatever reason, those ideologies are setting in and it's creating hate towards the western world. If they were to go back to the root of Islam, these problems would not be there.
Conservative
Chungsen Leung Conservative Willowdale, ON
Is there any truth, in fact, that there are people who pursue the jihad, the holy war, and antagonisms against the west because of our way of life and so on?
National Secretary for Public Relations, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at
Unfortunately, there are various interpretations that these radicals have taken. They have ill feelings towards our way of life over here, our foreign policies, or whatever it might be, which is unfortunate. But again that isn't the concept in Islam, and it shouldn't be.
Conservative
Chungsen Leung Conservative Willowdale, ON
If a young person who is born in a Muslim country comes to Canada and lives here with the benefits of this country, why would he want to turn against us?
National Secretary for Public Relations, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at
I think you're asking to me to give reasons as to why one should hate Canada. Again, as an Ahmadi Muslim brought up and trained as an Ahmadi, I just cannot fathom those reasons. It's just an unfortunate circumstance. It's evil thought. For lack of a better word, it's idiots teaching these people wrong ideas and ideologies.
When I made those comments that caution needs to be taken prior to letting someone into this country, it's because those ideologies are making themselves prevalent. We need to root those out. We need to make sure that doesn't happen.
The whole concept of jihad.... As unfortunate as 9/11 was, our definition of jihad is not a jihad by the sword but jihad by the pen. It's a peaceful jihad. That's been our definition in the Ahmadi Muslim community. We're very grateful that most of the Muslim world is now starting to adopt our definition. We just hope that it will spread further and that these extremist camps, wherever they are, will start to understand this point as well.
Conservative
Chungsen Leung Conservative Willowdale, ON
Let me come back to the question. When MP Shory, appearing in committee as a witness, first introduced the bill, he stated that he would be open to amendments to strengthen this bill. What is your suggestion as to how this bill would be improved?
National Secretary for Public Relations, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at
I'm not a career bureaucrat. I don't craft bills. But what I would suggest, as I did when I made my comments and His Holiness did in his cautionary comments as well, is just to be careful to make sure that we never make this applicable to somebody who is innocent or never do something that would create strife for an individual who is not a bona fide terrorist or extremist. Whatever those provisions are, however bills are crafted, there should be careful consideration.
Conservative
President, Muslim Canadian Congress
I think that question should be left to the people we've elected and our judiciary. If there any amendments—and I've heard from member Shory that he's open to some—I will leave it at that, because I'm not an expert on that.
Conservative
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Thank you, Chair.
I think there are two things that shouldn't be missed here. The first is that Mr. Shory sits next to me in the House and I'm going to take credit for everything good about this bill.