Editor's Note: At an event held in April to unveil the “2017 European Islamophobia Report” produced by a Turkish government organization, Turkey’s foreign minister called on European Union governments to criminalize Islamophobia. As Uzay Bulut reports, Mevlut Çavuşoğlu used hyperbolic language in describing the alleged Islamophobia in Europe, but was silent on the atrocities committed in Europe by Islamists and on the mistreatment of religious minorities in Muslim countries. While Çavuşoğlu’s request to European governments will rightly strike most people as ludicrous, it reveals the serious intent behind the use of the word “Islamophobia” and should serve as a caution to governments about p
Editor's Note: The Netherlands will not to take legal action against Geert Wilders’ PVV party for producing an anti-Islam video, to be released before local elections. It decided that the video did not incite hatred, discrimination or violence because it focused on the religion of Islam and not the followers of Islam. Would the government of Canada ban a similar video in this country if Motion M-103 ever leads to a law? Motion M-103 condemns “Islamophobia,” a term which is undefined in Canadian law but has been interpreted to include criticism of Islam. Public prosecution says video put out by PVV party not illegal because it is aimed at the religion of Islam, not adherents. Geert Wilders Th
Editor's Note: An internal report from 2015, marked “secret,” reveals that Status of Women Canada (SOWC) was taken to task by the Immigration Department for its “distorted” claim that immigrant women are “marginalized” in Canada. The SOWC had claimed that “Muslim women [are] far more likely to be victims of a hate crime.” In reality are Muslims not only less frequently the target of hate crimes than Jews or blacks, but most anti-Muslim attacks are against men. Furthermore, fewer than one in 1000 reported incidents of common assault are religion-based. Such false perceptions, perhaps driven by political purposes, also underlie Motion M-103. There is simply no evidence to support the need for
