Of Niqabs, Neo-Cons and the New Prime Minister | Canadian Elections and the Muslim Vote
By Waleed Ahmed
Canada’s new Prime Minister is hijab-friendly.
Too friendly, as some evidence seems to suggest. (Seriously, who kisses the PM? And this isn’t the first time. I recall the elders rolling their eyes in disappointment as young girls chased Trudeau down the hall after his talk at the RIS convention a few years ago).
Jokes aside, Canadian Muslims are breathing a communal sigh of relief this week. After a dark decade of living under Stephen Harper’s draconian rule, Justin Trudeau offers a refreshing change that brings Canada back to its tradition of multiculturalism and inclusivity.
While Harper had essentially shut out any kind of the engagement with Canada’s million Muslims (he’s never known to have set foot in a major mosque), Justin Trudeau is no stranger to the Muslim community. He has frequented mosques, iftars and other community events ever since assuming leadership of the Liberal Party in 2012. His party boasts a sizable number of Muslim MPs and he recently named Maryam Monsef has the new Minister of Democratic Institutions; Monsef, to this writer’s knowledge, is the first Muslim women to have been made a cabinet minister.
In addition, the new PM has hasn’t shied away from making his engagement with the Muslim community public. Despite immense pressure from right-wing activists to cancel his appearance at the RIS convention in 2012, Trudeau didn’t flinch and honoured his commitment even after the bad publicity. In his acceptance speech on election night, his decision to explicitly mention the story of a Muslim woman only confirms his bona fide belief in multiculturalism (pioneered once by his father) and his vision for a pluralistic society.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau