Thank you, Chair, for including me today on this important issue.
Omar, Ali, Shaffni, Hamza and Maryam, assalam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, and welcome to the committee.
I'm sorry to hear all these factual stories about what has happened, about the suffering. Especially in Canada, it hurts to hear that we still have to deal with these issues, although we believe that we live in a world that is different from what we've experienced in past decades. There is no lack of evidence. There is no lack of incidents happening. I think there's a lack of action.
Dr. Islam, you've mentioned a few things. You said that the government message is not efficient. You believe that there are still things not being acted upon as far as how to tackle and deal with this issue goes. You examined what you call the “disease”, and then you mentioned that there are many types of Islamophobia, which we realize. It could be regional. It could be ethnic. It could be religion- or sect-based. It could be any type or form.
We are facing a big challenge. I know that the Muslim community is not alone. There's anti-Semitism on the rise in the country too.
Dr. Islam, what is the action plan? We need a short-term plan and long-term solutions in this work in progress we are faced with. You're a community representative and you're attached to a family that went through this hardship. How do you see the solution? How can everybody work together? Is there a plan in your mind and in the community's mind? Do you think that's going to put things in a perspective that helps tackle this issue?