Mosque threats gain national attention

Threats focused on a Charlottetown mosque became the subject of discussion at the House of Commons in Ottawa Tuesday.

The topic also made it to the national radio show As It Happens.

Joe Daniel, Conservative MP for Don Valley East in Ontario raised the subject in a statement Tuesday to the House.

"Mr. Speaker, we woke up this morning to disturbing reports about criminal acts targeting a mosque in Charlottetown," said Daniel. "First, during the construction of the mosque in June, a pig's head was nailed to the post at the construction site.

"Then, a truck parked in front of the mosque was torched.

"Last week, a wine bottle containing gasoline and a poster that read “Defeat jihad” was left on the doorsteps of the Masjid Dar As-Salam Mosque."

The gasoline bottle last Thursday was the final straw in propelling the P.E.I. Muslim community to go public with the events, Zain Esseghaier told The Guardian this week.

“At this point we were thinking this is getting too close, this is getting too threatening,’’ Esseghaier told the Guardian on Monday.

“We're concerned not only about the mosque itself but we are more concerned about the people inside…so we are very concerned. That made us a little bit nervous.’’

Charlottetown Police Services is investigating.

"Our government strongly condemns these attacks that have been terrorizing the whole community," said Daniel. "We are deeply disturbed by the acts of individuals who promote this type of hatred.

"Canada is recognized as a peaceful and tolerant country where people from around the world aspire to live," he said. "This peaceful society we have built is a source of pride for all Canadians.

"The individuals who are threatening the Muslim community in P.E.I. have betrayed our national pride.

"Shame on them," said Daniel.

At the same time, news reports out of British Columbia show a similar kind of criminal activity in that province.

"Mounties are investigating the possibility of a hate crime after several piles of bacon were found outside a mosque in Port Coquitlam, B.C.," says a report Tuesday from The Canadian Press.

"Police say it’s the second such act of vandalism and mischief at the Islamic Society of British Columbia mosque and Islamic Centre in the last 18 months.

"Muslims consider pork a symbol of impurity," said The Canadian Press report.

Islamic

Infidel is an English language word commonly used to translate the equivalent Arabic language word for non-Muslims; kafir, literally the one who "covers", is usually translated as "disbeliever"; i.e. in English translations of the Quranic verse, 109:1,[16][17][18] In the Islamic doctrinal sense, the term only refers to a person who does not recognize the one God (Allah) such as atheists and polytheists. However, since Islam considers Jews and Christians as fellow believers they are called "People of the Book (Ahl al-kitab)" instead.[19][20][21]

Kafir, like infidel, has also come to be regarded as offensive,[22] thus some Muslim scholars discourage its use due to the Quran's command to use kind words.[23][22] It is even a punishable offense to use this term against a Jew or a Christian, under Islamic law.[22] Some contemporary Muslim extremists, however, have applied the term to all non-Muslims.[19]

Phil

So a couple of mouth breathers commit a couple of crimes and you equate that to the whole Island somehow being off?
I don't see what you hope to gain by disparaging the whole Island based on the acts of these mutants.