Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  It will cut the legs out from grassroots support for Hezbollah. It will cut the grassroots support for the Islamic Jihad. The only way to do that is to offer the Palestinian people in the autonomous regions some element of economic emancipation. Hamas has received support by providing schools, medical care and economic opportunities for these desperate people who are crying for improvement in their appalling situation.

Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  A few weeks ago, the decision by the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen the underground gallery leading to the site of the Al-Aqsar Mosque, the third most sacred Islamic religious site, led to riots in which some fifty Palestinians and some fifteen Israelis were killed. We sincerely hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu will re-examine his current hard line with respect to Palestinian autonomy.

Afghanistan  my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. A few days ago, Islamic fundamentalists seized power in Kabul, and the situation for women there has become intolerable. Women are being beaten, enslaved or killed by those who are now in control of the country.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from men and women in my constituency of Islamic faith of several different backgrounds and nationalities who would like to have the concept of guardianship considered as an alternative form of adoption. These people of the Islamic faith believe that guardianship would have equal legal and moral obligations as does adoption.

Foreign Affairs  Ethnic conflicts between different countries have today moved into another realm, namely that of religious wars. We must not lose sight of the rise of Islamic extremism, not only in Bosnia, of course, but also in the former Soviet republics of Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The zone in question extends to China, stretching from Europe all the way to Asia and including the Middle East.

Supply  We can look at the effect of Rome and Constantinople, the Catholic and Orthodox church in the 10th century. We can go through the Islamic expansion of the 14th century. Very clearly we start to see the effects of not only the people but of external forces coming into play. We have to also recognize the way governments rule.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, Canadians of the Islamic faith want the government to consider guardianship as an option to adoption. They point out that guardianship, as they see it, would include the same legal and moral obligations as adoption.

Criminal Code  For example, we recently read in the daily La Presse that, because of this policy, Canada was identified by the world Islamic movement as an ideal place for Muslim immigrants to be exempt from the application of civil laws and instead be subjected to the sharia which, as you know, does not respect at all the principle of equality between men and women.

Supply  This would leave the door open to social ghettoes. I am for integration and against the wearing of the Islamic scarf at school". So far, Bloc Quebecois supporters and the Quebec government have not shown that they were open to visible minorities and, I might add, to anyone who does not share their political views.

Immigration  Rahmani, who is accused of being a religious extremist as well as an active member of the Islamic Salvation Front, the group behind the death threat to this filmmaker?

Immigration  French authorities had expelled him because they suspected him of belonging to the radical wing of the Islamic Salvation Front. Since this individual is strongly suspected of terrorist activities, does the minister intend to take immediate action by launching an investigation and, if need be, deporting him quickly from this country?

Petitions  Madam Speaker, in this petition the petitioners, Canadians of the Islamic faith, want the government to consider guardianship as an option to adoption. Guardianship would include the same legal and moral obligations as does adoption now. These petitioners point out that their request is in accord with their religious beliefs.

Public Security  Yet these two attacks had two very different groups behind them. The attack on the World Trade Centre appears to have been the work of a fundamentalist Islamic group carrying on with its traditional battle against what it perceives as American imperialism. This incident can probably be viewed as a traditional terrorist attack. The nerve gas attack in Tokyo is very different.

Human Rights  In Pakistan, Salam Masih, 14, and his uncle Rehmat were convicted to die for writing anti-Islamic slogans on a mosque wall. I am pleased to hear that the conviction was overturned by the high court. What action has the secretary of state taken on behalf of the Government of Canada to ensure that human rights of minorities are protected in Pakistan?

Religious Freedom  Yesterday, the Quebec human rights commission published a legal opinion concerning the banning of the Islamic head scarf. It ruled clearly that such bans were a violation of freedom of religion. In the same breath, however, it recalled that section 20 of the Quebec charter of rights and freedoms allows non-profit organizations to impose rules consistent with their objectives of a charitable, philanthropic, religious, political or educational nature.