Prime Minister visited on Monday, September 12, 2016 the Ottawa Mosque to greet the Canadian Muslim community on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to Allah’s command. During Eid al-Adha Muslims slaughter animals (goat, sheep, cow, bull, buffalo or camel) to seek Allah’s pleasure and reward by consuming the meat and sharing it with others. The sacrifice is called Qurbani.
“This is an opportunity for us to come together and reflect on what makes Canada extraordinary as a country.
“We are a place that has figured out that diversity can be a source of strength not just a source of weakness and as I look at this beautiful room with the sisters upstairs, everyone here, the diversity.
“We have just within this mosque, within this Islamic community, within the Muslim community in Canada, the diversity across our country, as we all know, can and must be, an opportunity for us to grow, to challenge ourselves, to improve and to create a stronger more peaceful society.
“But the Canada we live in today didn’t happen by accident and it won’t continue without effort.
“We were a country defined on shared values, values that go beyond religion or ethnicity or language, values that we all share, openness, respect, compassion, a willingness to work hard, a desire to be there for each other, a search for justice, for equality, for opportunity. And it is that challenge around opportunity that we see so much anxiety in the world.
“When we see fear, when we see movements where societies look to turn in, one of the fundamental building blocks of that anxiety of that fear is a sense that the future isn’t bright for you or for your family, that your kids might not have the best possible future. And that worry leaves people to close in.
“And what we need to do instead is to make sure that we are redoubled in our efforts to create opportunity, to create inclusive growth, to create prosperity for all for the middle class and those working hard to join the middle class.
“This is the project we need to work together on as we build a better future for ourselves for our neighbors for our children.
“And at a time where the world is often torn by strife, fear and angst, Canada can and must show that there is a better way, that by pulling together, by listening to each other, by respecting each other, we can build the kind of world that we all dream of.
“It is a true pleasure to be here amongst you this morning.”
Speaking with reporters in Sudbury, Ont, on August 22, 2016, after attending a two-day retreat with members of his cabinet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented his belief in multiculturalism based on a tolerant approach towards other cultures and choices individuals are making in accordance to their faith.
The following is Trudeau’s answer to a question regarding the integration of Muslims in the Canadian society (originally in French):
There are countries in the world where tolerance is essential. You have to be tolerant towards your neighbors.
“I think in Canada we should go beyond tolerance, being tolerant is accepting some people, but you don’t want to be too bothered, but you have to have an openness,comprehension, understanding, and this is what do we are aiming for, this is what we see every day when we see diverse communities enriched by their communities. This is what they have to aim for.
“Obviously there are small controversies here and there. We will continue to have those, but I think that the respect for rights and the choices of individuals has to be central to our publicdebate.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes that the most effective tools to counter radicalization is developing a more inclusive society that welcomes Muslims and give them an equal chance to succeed.
The following is an excerpt from Trudeau’s interview to The Daily Show (published on May 19, 2016):
Question:
“Minster Prime Minister, we’re sitting here in the wake of so many terror attacks. How can you be sure, letting all these refugees, that even if 0.1 percent become radicalized, you could be living with 25 different Paris attacks, 25 Belgium attacks. how can you go to sleep at night knowing that that risk is imminent?”
Justin Trudeau:
“We live in a world where there are always risks. The question is how much do you want to live in fear of these risks. The best counter to the kind of radicalization and marginalization, as we’ve seen in other parts of the world is to create an inclusive society where everyone, especially Muslim Canadians, have every opportunity to succeed just like anybody else.”
(Via)
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