My goodness, it seems like every week the hyperbole gets more extreme.
At issue this time is a motion (M-103) in the House of Commons that seeks to “quell the rising public climate of hate and fear; condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism religious discrimination,” and to study the issues and propose solutions.
Pamela Geller, an American anti-Islam activist tweeted “Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, Smears all Canadians with Islamophobia Lie to Create Sharia State.”
Another tweeter from Toronto, going only by the handle Sharon wrote: “M-103 is nothing more than a ban on free speech. First we can’t say what we think, so what’s next, a ban on thinking?”
Everybody who reads this column knows how much I hate slippery slope arguments, but this kind of thinking is really confounding. First of all, can we start with a simple definition? A motion in Parliament is a proposal for the House to do something.
In this case that something is to condemn a bad thing and to look for ways to fix it.
Even if it the motion is passed, it will not even be close to being a law. And even if it became a law, it would never be a ban on free speech. Seriously, isn’t the fact that “Sharon” can express an opinion publicly that has no foundation in reality whatsoever, evidence in itself that people in this country are still free to say and think whatever they want no matter how delusional?
It is not unreasonable to question whether freedom of speech is eroding, now more so than ever it seems with the current fiasco trying to pass itself off as a democratic administration in Washington, D.C. But that’s actually the opposite fear from what my above-referenced tweeters are experiencing, isn’t it? Fear is red herring, though. No one is trying to stop anybody from saying what they think or thinking what they think. And no one is trying to, or even thinking about instituting Sharia Law in Canada. That is beyond ridiculous.
It would be nice if the fringers would get a grip on reality, however. These conspiracy theories and slippery slope arguments are confounding and they defeat their own purpose in their extremism because we do need to have a frank discussion about religion in this country that gets lost in the shrill.
Freedom of religion (and equally importantly freedom from religion, as most people seem to forget) is a foundational principle of Canada. But our values are secular values, paramount among them being that everyone is equal under the law and the supreme law is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Since so many people don’t seem to get this, let’s start with Section 1, which reads: “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”
Reasonable limits as prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
In a nutshell, that means we get to enjoy our fundamental freedoms of religion and free speech provided we do not use them to infringe on other people’s rights that they are equally entitled to.
That means you don’t get to kill Muslims because you’re afraid of them. That means you don’t get to beat your wife because The Bible says you should. That means you don’t get to stone your neighbour because you catch him working on the Sabbath or throw a person off a building for being gay. That means you don’t get to turn down a qualified person for a job because they have dark skin or pay them less because they don’t have a penis.
It means, at least in theory, that you get to enjoy your rights without fear of discrimination or persecution, although we all know practice lags well behind theory, which is why well-meaning MPs sometimes come out with controversial motions such as M-103.
It does not mean you get to enjoy your religion or your freedom of speech without criticism.
In fact, it goes beyond just criticism. If someone wants to ridicule or disrespect your god or your god’s prophets or your superstitious beliefs and rituals, or your ideas, it may not be polite, but it is their right, as long as they do not threaten or incite hate or violence.
And criticism is important when it comes to religion because so many religious values, not just Islamic ones, run contrary to the Charter.
I think we all need to tone it down a bit, though.
