"BC Municipal Elections, Opportunity for Muslims"

As Monday was the polls-day for the Municipal elections in Ontario, I had to drive to cast my precious vote. And, upon reaching the polling station, I noticed unusual bumper to bumper traffic. After parking at a distance, I had to stand in the long lineup waiting for my turn for at least 40 minutes outside a local school designated for the purpose.

The voters’ turnout was impressively great during those particular after-work hours. The number of Muslim voters was slightly up compared to previous elections, yet it wasn’t enough to show an impressive turnout.

Fortunately, Councillor Max Khan in Oakville ON and Councillor Zeshan in Milton ON were re-elected.

There are a lot of factors adversely affecting the Muslim community in Canada: When it comes to the Canadian political system, the Muslims tend to lag behind, thus, they end up being under-represented or un-represented at all levels of government including Municipal, Provincial and the Federal.

In reality, our concerns as members of the Muslim community remain voiceless at the proper forum - most of the time for lack of representation. This attitude adds salt to the misery of Muslims in general who already have hard time coping with the ongoing Islamophobia in the country.

Furthermore, the main stream media hardly misses out any chance to hurt the Muslims’ sentiments; it never hesitates creating anti Muslim hype. This has been going on in the past and still continues. But, there is hardly anyone available to sell our side of the story which is none but innocence.

When we are blamed for the criminal wrongs committed by the unknown in proxy or otherwise, we are in trouble in the eyes of general public.

Unfairly, the non-Muslims build a negative opinion against Islam, as there is no one at the proper forum to advocate for our helplessness.

Admittedly, a large majority of Canadian Muslims seem to be politically immature while some are fearful due to their historical background, also, many Muslims suffer from laziness, hence involvement is conveniently avoided in the latter case. Consequently, the whole community remains voiceless in legislatures and the city councils.

Nevertheless, among the Muslim community, there is a lot of ongoing bickering that the authorities are not doing this or that - which does not make sense at all after what they have omitted carelessly or intentionally.

Naturally, they have to pay the price of their willful negligence. If they don’t care about the electoral system, they cannot do home work essential for evaluating credentials of the potential candidates. So they have to keep suffering. Hence, the after-shocks are irrelevant.

Furthermore, ignoring to elect the right candidate clearly means taking chances, whereas, a wrong person may end up in the electoral office. This surely is madness because you can’t have voice as said above.

Clearly, it’s only through active participation which ensures that you will be heard. Certainly, through participating you shape your world around you.

So, please be warned! If the wrong guys manage to get elected because of low turn-out, the office is likely to be occupied by the abusers. That is why, getting involved is crucially important as it means taking part as a candidate (if qualified) and exercising right of vote if so qualified.

Rightly said, “There is always light at the end of the tunnel:”

Thank God! There is some change for the better which has been noticed with regard to Muslim turn out in other locations in the recent days as mentioned above.

Furthermore, it’s encouraging to note that the Muslim youths are gradually turning towards political awakening, yet the slow pace won’t help much as there is a lot of catching up to do in order to enter the mainstream political arena.

Obviously, change of attitude is not easy, so it remains the toughest challenge for the Muslim community.

Technically speaking, it’s not only about claiming our rights as Canadian citizens but also about sharing in the responsibilities and obligations as being part of the Canadian democracy. In other words, one must share the great experiences and learn new skills that will come in handy for the ethnic and multicultural society; this includes school, work and life, of course.

The municipal election is the democratic process of selecting the City’s political representatives indeed.

 As the Municipal Elections in BC are fast approaching, let’s do our home work through thoroughly evaluating the track record of all the available candidates to help the best candidates to reach the public office.

We, as Muslims do feel that the social values and domestic policies of the current political parties fail to accurately represent and reflect our values and valid concerns. However, despite all odds, the Muslims have to struggle smartly to have their voice heard and that is through getting involved in the political system.

Most probably, the Muslims can benefit from the lower turn out of the (non Muslims) to elect the right Mayor, Trustees and the councillors.

Currently, the BC Muslims have the golden opportunity to make a meaningful difference on the outcome of the upcoming elections. But, the only way to impact on all the municipalities with regard to policies and the political scenery is only through voting for the right candidate on the basis of merit alone.

Let me stress upon the importance of an increased Muslim participation in the electoral process, as that only will help Muslims.

The qualities to be seen in the potential candidate are integrity, efficiency, dedication, motivation and the past performance. Beyond doubt, the candidates’ presentations, mayoral debates including questions and answers help the electors (audience) make the brilliant choice in the polls.

Finally, it is about time to review our reasons of inaction and remove the hurdles in order to move on along with the main stream before it’s too late.

Importantly, it’s our duty to ensure that Muslims play an active role in all upcoming elections

Defuse Extremists' Mindset, a Better Option

On October 23rd, a wave of grief swept across the country after Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was gunned down while he was guarding at the National War Memorial near Parliament Hill. The gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau made his way to centre block but was shot dead by the Parliament Hill security personnel. At the time, parliament was in session, all parliamentarians panicked and the prime minister hid himself in a closet.

Sadly, this was a second deadly attack against a Canadian soldier just in three days. On the previous Monday Martin Rouleau ran down two soldiers in Quebec with his car. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, 53, died of his injuries. Rouleau was also shot dead by police.

With regard to Ottawa shootings, no Islamic State link was found. And, there is no evidence so far about the links to Middle Eastern Islamist extremists, the government has said. Courtesy BBC NEWS

Our Deep condolences are for the families of slain soldiers, friends and colleagues of Cpl. Cirillo; we pray for the faster recovery of the injured ones.

Obviously, there is a lapse in Canadian security system that led to failure in Quebec and Ottawa. Most probably, the insufficient security or the ongoing security related flaws need an urgent attention. Even the military base entry points must be guarded effectively by arming the security personnel for obvious reasons. Otherwise, without enough precautions we are merely sitting ducks.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Harper issued a statement, so did Mr. Justine Trudeau.

Only a few lines out of Justin Trudeau remarks are reproduced as follows: “We have remained Canadians and this is how we will carry on. We will get answers to how and why this happened. They will be vital in preventing any future attack. And to our friends and fellow citizens in the Muslim community, Canadians know acts such as these, committed in the name of Islam, are an aberration of your faith. Continued, mutual cooperation and respect will help prevent the influence of distorted ideological propaganda posing as religion. We will walk forward together, not apart.” 

Beyond doubt, both the quality and tone of Justin’s remarks are impressive and praiseworthy. He seems to be having the capability of capturing the feelings of a nation and giving expression to it.

Jumping conclusions: Amid the ongoing Islamophobia/ Islam bashing, some groups/individuals loved the incidence as they were anxious for blaming the Muslims and the religion of Islam.

The evidence shows the drug addict gunman was having trouble with the law and parents; he suffered from social/psychological issues as he was involved in robberies and other criminal activity. He insisted to be jailed. As a recent convert to Islam, he maintained his stand of finding some rehabilitation religiously.

Aasim Rashid, spokesman for the B.C. Muslim Association, said not everyone at the Burnaby mosque had a good opinion of Zehaf-Bibeau, but that if he was becoming radicalized, he didn't let on. (CBC)

"He apparently was not a very well-mannered person," said Rashid. "The people who have interacted with him described him as kind of rough and maybe a little rude."

"At one point, he raised an objection at the Burnaby mosque that he was sort of floating in and out of for a period of three to four months," Rashid said. "He didn’t like the fact that the mosque was so open and welcoming." He objected to Masjid al-Salaam and Education Centre in Burnaby, B.C., allowing in non-Muslims

According to Rashid, eventually, mosque administrators sat down with Zehaf-Bibeau to explain that the facility was open to other groups in order to work together on common issues. He was told to leave if he had problem but he didn't raise similar concerns again. He started sleeping in the mosque premises without permission. "When the mosque administration found out, they asked him to leave immediately and asked him never to do that again. 

"He stole the keys, and when they found out he had keys, they changed all the locks," he said. Ottawa shooting: Full CBC coverage

The Government of Canada takes a principled approach in responding to the threat of terrorism. Canada’s counter-terrorism efforts at home and around the world are grounded in respect for the rule of law and human rights. Human rights are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and protected by mechanisms of accountability. The need to ensure respect for human rights also stems from applicable human rights and humanitarian law. The Government of Canada is committed to promoting the safety and security of Canadians, and of our international partners, without undermining these rights and eroding the very values that Canada strives to protect. Source: Public Safety Canada’s 2013 Report on the Terrorist Threat

Good thing is the religious scholars believe their mission now is to reveal the true intentions and dangers of IS (Islamic State), as a party that is using Islam to recruit people, especially the youth, to carry out its nefarious agenda.

The Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia has done the right thing by labeling IS a criminal and terrorist movement.

The IS phenomenon requires a response on religious and ideological levels. However, it is also clear that there is a certain immaturity in a society that does not have the capacity to reject illogical and irrational acts.

Therefore, the parents too need to keep an eye on the behaviour and company of their children.

Indeed, Islam is a religion of moderation and peace, whereas, extremism, terrorism and suicide attacks are un-Islamic hence are forbidden acts.

And Now the Modiism

It’s vastly believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a unique phenomenon in Indian politics. Admittedly, his love for India is quite obvious, so is his hatred for Pakistan and Muslim population.

Aside from his inherent flaws, Modi’s transformational leadership is inspirational beyond doubt. It’s usually thought that Modi goes a step ahead of Indira Gandhi because Ms Gandhi had an ideology, whereas, Modi is focused on-----power, power and more power. With more power, Modi should be able to resolve the toilets issue: By one estimate, some 300 million women and girls in India defecate in the open. Most of them belong to underprivileged sections of the society and are too poor to afford toilets. "Ending open defecation is an urgent priority that needs to be addressed, for the benefit of women and girls who live in poverty and without access to privacy and a decent toilet." Experts believe that India needs to scale up its war on sanitation with a special emphasis on women. But for a country which aspires for superpower status, lack of toilets is an enduring shame. On his stump, the new Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist BJP had promised,"Toilets first, Temples later". He needs to do that sooner to save lives of more women (source Indian media)

Coming back to Modi’s attitude regarding Pakistan and the Muslim population: Most probably, Muslims on both sides of Indo Pak border are hardly comfortable with the moody personality of ‘Modi in power.’ Historically, Modi’s passive support for anti Muslim Gujarat riots and Samjhota express bloodshed of unarmed innocent Muslim men, women and children was highly brutal and shameful act.

On the contrary, people in large number regardless of ethnicity, color or creed find a high quality in Modi’s administrative ability and his genuine delivery to his nation during his tenure as Chief Minister is praiseworthy. Furthermore, as Prime Minister he has passion to take India to the maximum height for providing financial prosperity to his people.

Other “good thing” is Modi is a “bad news” for the lazy Indians but the worst of all is Modi appears determined to be denying right of self determination (Plebiscite) otherwise available to the Kashmiri Muslims under original UN resolution.

Other problem is he is not doing anything to stop the ongoing cross border bombing which was initiated by the Indian forces on Eid ud Duha. Pakistani forces are only firing in defence and not targeting civilian areas. Furthermore, his anti Pakistan rhetoric make him look like Hitler. The irony is he employs anti Pakistan attitude just to gain more political mileage.

Moreover, firing along the disputed and working boundary between India and Pakistan has left at least 17 civilians dead.

The Himalayan territory of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan by the UN-monitored de facto border of LoC but is claimed in full by both the countries. “Pakistan considers that United Nations resolutions must be the base for any solution of Kashmir," Sharif remarked. He further said that, "People of Kashmir should be part of any solution of Kashmir. UN should honor its own resolutions. Any solution which is endorsed by all parties including Pakistani, India and Kashmir will be the only acceptable solution.”

Conclusion: India offers a good model of governance under Modi and the Pakistani ruling elite must adopt simplicity and avoid the infamous VIP culture. The corruption will automatically come to an end if the top man is simple, fair, motivated and enjoys command and authority as truly mandated democratically. And, Modi should rid himself of anti Pakistan feelings for the sake of regional peace and prosperity. Non resolution of Kashmir issue is clear evidence of failure of United Nations. So Kashmir issue must be resolved amicably sooner the better.