Canadian MP submits notice of motion for protecting religious freedom

Ottawa, July 29 (IANS) Canadian MP Jamil Jivani has submitted a notice of motion to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, calling for the protection of the freedom to worship without fear of violence or criminal intimidation.

The motion, submitted on Monday, called upon the Standing Committee to acknowledge that religious communities in Canada have faced increasing violence and criminal intimidation since 2021 and mentioned incidents involving attacks on Hindu Temples, churches, mosques and synagogues.

Additional security measures and legal protections are needed to stop criminals from targeting religious communities and attacking the freedom to worship in Canada, Jivani said.

The motion called upon the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to recognise that protecting the freedom to worship without fear of violence or criminal intimidation is a fundamental part of Canadian Heritage and acknowledge that religious communities in Canada have faced increasing violence and criminal intimidation since 2021.

It said over 100 churches were burnt down or desecrated, Hindu temples targeted by violent protestors, Jewish schools and synagogues targeted by fire bombings and shootings, and mosques targeted by assaults and vandalism.

The motion asked the Standing Committee to study threats to the freedom to worship without fear of violence or criminal intimidation in Canada since 2021, consider the impact of bubble zone laws for places of worship and the impact of increasing the criminal penalty for arson and other crimes targeting places of worship.

Jivani urged the committee to conduct a study on threats to the freedom to worship in Canada since 2021.

The motion called for considering the impact of bubble zone laws for places of worship and increasing the criminal penalty for arson and other crimes targeting places of worship."

It also sought two meetings on the issue, and a report of its findings be submitted to the House of Commons.

In April, the Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Surrey was defaced with pro-Khalistan graffiti in what is now the third reported act of vandalism at the same site.

In November last year, a protest by Khalistani extremists near the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton escalated into violence, with attendees of the temple reportedly attacked.

Earlier, a Hindu temple in Windsor suffered defacement with anti-India graffiti, sparking widespread condemnation and calls for action from both Canadian and Indian officials.

Earlier incidents in Mississauga and Brampton saw temples similarly targeted, drawing strong reactions from the Indian community in Canada.

--IANS

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