Sikh-Canadian politician goes viral for powerful response to an Islamophobic attack directed at him

JESSICA AYA HARN

Canadian politician Gurratan Singh, who represents the district of Brampton East in Ontario, has gone viral after a video of him calmly responding to an anti-Muslim attack directed at him surfaced on Sunday at the MuslimFest in Mississauga.

Responding to the Islamophobic and racist attack, Singh has been widely praised for his calm and powerful response. In the video, which first surfaced on Twitter, Singh can be heard calmly telling the man who attacked him, “I condemn your racism. This has no place in Canada.”

Gurratan Singh later took to Twitter, stating:

I will never respond to an Islamophobe by stating, ‘I am not a Muslim’. Instead, I will always stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters and say hate is wrong.”

Gurratan Singh

✔@GurratanSingh

My brother @theJagmeetSingh taught me to always confront racism.

I will never respond to an Islamophobe by stating, "I am not a Muslim".

Instead, I will always stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters and say hate is wrong . https://twitter.com/mohashim/status/1168319828823871489 …

Mohammed Hashim@mohashim

Wow. Incredible vid captures Brampton MPP @gurratansingh & NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s brother, facing down a racist hater spewing Islamophobia at #Muslimfest2019. “I condemn your racism.”

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06:36 - 2 Sep 2019

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The Islamophobic man who instigated the verbal abuse has been identified as Stephen Garvey, the leader of a small federal political party called National Citizens Alliance (NCA), famous for their anti-immigration policies.

While Garvey verbally abused Singh, the NCA apparently live-streamed the attack to Facebook, stating that “the National Citizens Alliance’s agenda is Canadian first, and opposition to political correctness and third world migrant populism”.

Singh has also since posted a video to Twitter, in which he condemns hate in all its forms and encourages the power of love and courage. He explains that this incident is “bigger than one person and one single event”, and instead is about the “rise of Islamophobia, racism, and hate”.

Gurratan Singh

✔@GurratanSingh

Thanks for all your love & support, I am truly humbled

But this is bigger than one person & one single event

It's about the rise of Islamophobia, racism & hate

And how Canada & the world could use a lot more of @theJagmeetSingh's love & courage in confronting it

&

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06:32 - 3 Sep 2019

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Although Singh’s powerful response to an Islamophobic attack like this remains incredibly inspiring, it also remains deeply worrying that the rise in right-wing extremism has taken an open front to harassing those who support multi-cultural societies. Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, and hatred towards minorities are taking a dangerous turn towards open practice at both the state and ground level, and it is up to citizens like us, supported by politicians like Singh, to call out all forms of hatred wherever present.

Jessica Aya Harn

Deputy Editor here at The Muslim Vibe

Let’s talk Palestine! (Part 1)

By Afreen Rizvi

In the following month, Zionists and their sympathisers are celebrating 100 years since the Balfour Declaration was signed – a declaration that legitimised the oppression of the Palestinians. A declaration that essentially allowed the Zionist state of Israel to emerge on a land already belonging to Palestinians. A mere 67 words within a letter that eliminated the culture, history, and freedom belonging to the indigenous people of Palestine. There is not a single day that goes by where a Palestinian is left to live freely – children are followed by Israeli soldiers on their journeys to school, targeted, snatched from their parents and imprisoned. This is the stark reality – a reality purposely distorted by Zionist funded media outlets and international bodies.

What was the Balfour Declaration? 

In simple terms, the Balfour Declaration was a statement issued by the British government during World War 1 that gave support to the Jewish community to essentially steal the land belonging to the Palestinians and call it “home.” The declaration was within a letter dated 2nd November 1917 from the foreign secretary of UK, Arthur Balfour to Lord Walter Rothschild – Rothschild was known to be a favoured leader of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.

The declaration read:

“His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

 

Retrospectively, the ghastly declaration led to heinous consequences that exist till present day. Balfour gave a green light to Israeli terrorism. Balfour authorised the murder of innocent civilians. The British government played a key role in perpetuating the atrocities against innocent Palestinians.

Earlier this year over 14,000 people signed a petition calling on the British goverment to apologise to the Palestinians and this was the response…

“The Balfour Declaration is an historic statement for which Her Majesty’s Government does not intend to apologize. We are proud of our role in creating the State of Israel.” [1]

So, 100 years have passed and the British Government is proud of having indigenous people ethnically cleansed from their own land. When you hear of Palestinian children being brutally attacked on their way to school, or Palestinian women being raped in the presence of their family members, or of Palestinian fathers being incarcerated or when you see images of dead Palestinian babies attacked by Israeli rockets – this is what Great Britain is “proud” of.

Theresa May, the British PM, has stated she wants Britain to celebrate the centenary of the Balfour declaration, but any human with a conscience should not only condemn May, but vow to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians until their rights and freedom are returned. This month especially, activists – regardless of faith and ideology, have a responsibility to be the voices for the voiceless, and under no circumstances should we feel the need to crack under pressure and ignore the struggle of the Palestinians to appease others. We can never forget the struggle. 

100 years on…

100 years have passed and the vast majority of the global population have stood by silently allowing the Zionists to incarcerate, terrorise, target and murder the owners of the promised land. Although the declaration was signed by Britain, why did the entire world fail to condemn this? Bodies such as the UN have given Israel a platform, and media outlets and politicians ave strengthened their ties with Israeli politicians and personalities despite the violence and terror inflicted on Palestinians. Further to this, whilst Israel labels itself as the “only democracy in the Middle East” – let’s not be afraid to state the facts – that over 4.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank have no say in deciding which political party will come into power and control every single aspect of their lives – thus Israel is far from democratic.

Upon reflection, the global community did not question Arthur Balfour, and till today – 100 years on – how many countries are effectively assisting the people of Palestine? In fact, how many Muslim nations, other than the Islamic Republic of Iran, are working to free the people of Palestine? or providing some form of aid to the Palestinians?

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, has eloquently stated “Our standpoint is that Palestine belongs to the Palestinians and that continuing its occupation is a great and intolerable injustice and a major threat to global peace and security.” [2]

100 years may have passed and Israel may consider itself to be a powerful force, but the power of resistance is unimaginable and no force is greater than God.

(Part two of this series shall look at the roots of Zionism)

Author: Afreen Rizvi