By Cyril Anderson

 Part One of Two

Within Quebec, in a way much more pronounced, outspoken, and virulent than any other province in Canada, are present extremely negative attitudes toward Muslims.  There is a great amount of misconception regarding Muslims spread around, particularly in the press.  Efforts are being made, with particular fervor in Quebec, to paint Muslim citizens as confrontational, aggressive, excessively demanding, and inflexible, and imposing in their expression of their culture.  Ironically, this is precisely the sort of impression that many Muslims get from the more antagonistic non-Muslim francophones in Quebec society.  Indeed, it seems perhaps that we all have a thing or two to learn about basic human relations.

 The purpose of this brief article is to address some of these misconceptions, and to make an effort, however humble, to open the door to more productive and harmonious dialogue.  It is my hope that this small article can make a small contribution to the currently ongoing efforts to break down misconceptions and build bridges between the Muslim community, and the Quebec society as a whole. 

 The first, and perhaps most problematic misconception held by many in Quebec about Muslims is that Muslim citizens generally wish to be isolated from Quebec and Canadian society, and do not wish to integrate harmoniously within the society.  This is an unfortunate perception, as little could be farther from the truth. 

 Indeed, the general wish of the vast majority of Muslim citizens in Quebec, and in Canada is to work to build our community as integrated parts of a unified society.  Many Muslim citizens came to Canada, and Quebec in particular, seeking a better life from places in which conflict between different groups was a big problem.  Most would like nothing better than to live their lives in as peaceful and happy a way as possible, sharing and enjoying this land with those who came here before them. 

 Our religious community is situated within the general community of Quebec and Canada.  To build our community, we need to help build the nation as a whole, given that we are part of it.  Within our religion, it is considered a supreme duty, as part of our duty to our Creator, to seek the best for the country in which we are living, to work in our own way to build our nation.  That is our wish; to work together with non-Muslim citizens to make the best possible nation.

 We are not looking for conflict or controversy, but simply to live our lives.  Muslim citizens are for the most part quite willing to integrate productively within this society, given that non-Muslims citizens are willing to make them feel welcome as a part of this nation, and given that non-Muslims do not take integration to mean a wholesale abandoning of our identity.  Certainly, the non-Muslims have the right not to have us impose ourselves upon them, and it is not our interest or intention to do so in our efforts to practice our religion in this country.  It is a duty on our part to do our best to make sure that in expressing our identity, we do not make our fellow citizens who do not share this religious identity unnecessarily uncomfortable.

 Similarly, we have a right not to be unreasonably prevented from practicing our religion; that is, we have the right not to have the majority enforce itself on us in an oppressive way.  Integration does not mean assimilation; if we choose to dress and behave in a way that is slightly different from the way you choose to dress or behave, this should not be any concern or business of yours, if you are truly sincere in your promotion of the value of individual rights and freedoms.

 You should be free to live your lives as you see fit, and we should be able to live our lives as we see fit, as long as what we are doing does not excessively impinge on your rights.  In a free society, we should certainly be able to be civil and open enough to calmly share with each other our particular values and cultures and beliefs without resorting to slander or defamation.  Doubtless, we have both made some errors in this regard in the past, and will do so in the future.  This is par for the course in the meeting between cultures and civilizations.

 There is some work to be done in perfecting the balance between the freedoms of Muslim citizens to express themselves and the right of non-Muslims not to feel imposed upon.  The non-Muslims have work to do in this regard, and so do the Muslims.

                                   Part One                  Part Two