Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the member for his speech, and I would also like to thank my colleague from Mount Royal for clarifying that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic.
I have two questions for my colleague.
First, I am a Semite. I am from the Middle East. As someone whose ancestors shared the Semitic language, I am a Semite. Does the term “anti-Semitic” mean anti-Jew or against all Semites? I would like some clarification on that definition. At the same time, does the term “anti-Semitic” refer to all Semites? I am a Semite, but I am not Jewish. I am Christian. My case is rather unusual and I wanted to make that point.
I also wanted to get my colleague's opinion. Has he noticed, like me, that there has been a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism or anti-Jewish sentiment if you will? I was wondering if there was a correlation between the rise in Islamophobia and the rise in anti-Semitism. When it comes right down to it, does the fear of terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism not lead to a sort of Islamophobia? At the same time, I do not believe that all of the debates on the infamous secular charter and reasonable accommodation are pointless, but they have been diverted from their true purpose. It gets to the point where the public and the media are exaggerating—