Harper Holds Closed-Door Meeting With Muslim Leaders
Posted June 11, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Just over a week after 17 alleged terror suspects were rounded up in police raids across the G.T.A., Prime Minister Stephen Harper held a closed-door meeting with Canadian Muslim leaders.
Those in attendance Saturday reportedly shared some very frank exchanges with Harper, who took detailed notes and reassured the group that he recognizes their concerns.
On Saturday, imams and other Muslim leaders from across the city outlined their plan to deal with the “handful of radical elements” within their community. They called on mosques to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to those preaching hate and intolerance.
They also urged the government to take a bigger role in combating the problem.
Farzana Hassan-Shahid of the Canadian Muslim Congress said Saturday’s meeting with the Prime Minster was a positive step, but she feels more empathy needs to be developed between the government and the Muslim community.
“Government policies, especially, should reflect that,” she said.
Tarek Fatah, also of the Canadian Muslim Congress, said there was a good mix of people at the meeting, including imams, academics, authors, and activists from the conservative right to the secular left.
And each had very different ideas on what may have inspired a group of young Muslim men to allegedly plot attacks against their own country, Hassan-Shahid said.
- The 17 suspects will appear in court again Monday for bail hearings.
