Canadian Heritage committee  Shortly after 9/11, British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology opened a major exhibition about Islamic culture in Canada and the values that Muslims bring. These are important bridges to building understanding in our society.

National Defence committee  From the perspective of when we do establish a truly democratic and independent state there, I'm wondering what your opinion is. Based on the fact that it is mostly an Islamic state, the concept of Sharia law comes in, and I'm wondering what your opinion is on what our exit strategy should be. Are we looking for a democratic western state or should we be allowing the Afghans to decide for themselves what...?

Baha'i Community  The people in the Baha'i community in my riding and elsewhere in Quebec and Canada are very concerned about the persecutions of members of the Baha'i faith living in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition to being persecuted, they are being deprived of the most basic rights, such as the right to higher education for young people and the right to own property.

Foreign Affairs  Speaker, I appreciate the intent of the question, but to pre-emptively call in somebody and express dismay over an allegation would be nothing short of irresponsible. The Islamic fashion legislation has not become law and we are unaware of the specific content of the draft legislation. Surely, as has been expressed by the parliamentary secretary, we would condemn in the strongest possible terms if in fact this were to happen, but we will be following this issue very closely and responding appropriately in a measured way.

Canada's Commitment in Afghanistan  I will continue my list: huge arms stockpiles, despite the demobilization of a number of militias, the potential denial of the Islamic legitimacy of the Afghan government by a clergy that feels marginalized, ethnic detention, and so on. I will stop there. There was a long list. Why such a long list? Because this mission in Afghanistan cannot be thought of solely from the perspective of Canada’s interests.

Darfur  African farmers and nomadic Arab herders have been vying for what little sustenance the land can provide, and the creeping desertification of Darfur has exacerbated this competition. The Arab Islamic government has ignored threadbare Darfur's needs for decades. In February 2003 Darfur insurgents attacked several army outposts to draw attention to their demands. Senior military officials in Khartoum, feeling emasculated by their failure to win the civil war with Sudan's Christian south, reacted in Darfur with ferocity.

Darfur  This is above all an African conflict and the African Union must have leadership in the talks and in implementing the mission to help these people. We absolutely must not get involved in the power struggle of the Islamic extremists in Khartoum by giving the impression that the West is telling the Africans and the Muslims what to do. That said, Darfur has been in the battleground in a civil war for more than three years and a serious humanitarian crisis has so far resulted in nearly 300,000 deaths, 2.4 million displaced persons and 200,000 refugees in Chad.

Darfur  Second is that we make the contributions to make-up the $500 million deficit that the World Food Programme needs for foods. Third, we need to challenge Islamic nations to make the contributions that they have not made. And fourth, we need to support the International Criminal Court to arrest and prosecute the 51 people identified by the United Nations for crimes against humanity.

InterParliamentary Delegations  Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-Japan Interparliamentary Group representing parliamentarians' visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan from November 12 to 15, 2005.

Canada's Commitment in Afghanistan  We are in Afghanistan, frankly, for the best of reasons: freeing the people from an oppressive form of Islamism, allowing a form of government that allows people to make choices, reducing opportunities for international terrorism, and giving young Afghans, particularly girls, an opportunity for education.

Canada's Commitment in Afghanistan  As long as we stay and help them until they are ready to stand on their own against this force, it will be even better when we leave. I am pleased that my colleague raised the question of the person who converted from Islam to Christianity. I can tell the House what would have happened to that person if it had been six years ago. He would have been killed. Something horrific would have happened to him even before he was killed.

Canada's Commitment in Afghanistan  I also want to ask him about a situation that was publicized about a convert to Christianity who was on trial in Afghanistan recently for converting from Islam. This man was facing imprisonment and even the death penalty for having done this. The international community avoided the whole issue by whisking him out of Afghanistan to Italy. Could the minister comment on the state of human rights in Afghanistan, which we as Canadians are now defending, given these kind of examples?

Eid  Since its inception, the association has been actively pursuing its mandate of building bridges of understanding between Muslims and other faith groups and projecting the proper image about Islam and its values. On behalf of Canada's official opposition, may I finally add to all my brothers and sisters of the Islamic faith, “Eid Mubarak”.

Tsunami Relief  Mano Kanagomany organized People Helping People which collected clothing and food to be sent to the region. The Integral Yoga Centre made its premises available as a staging centre. The Islamic Foundation of Toronto sent a team of doctors to Indonesia, and hosted a fundraising dinner with 10 other Islamic mosques that raised over $1 million. The Laxmi Narayan Hindu Temple raised over $23,000 and sent a container of clothing to Sri Lanka.

Criminal Code  In 2001, the Taliban, Afghanistan's ruling party, destroyed two giant Buddhas in the Bamiyan Valley in its quest to wipe out all signs of pre-Islamic culture in that country. This was an act of brutality by a regime that has time and again proven its disregard for culture. The president of the World Monuments Fund has termed this an act of cultural terrorism.