Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Canadian Council for Refugees statement |
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| amatullah |
| 09/14/01 at 16:40:08 |
| Bismillah and salam, I think it is important to raise awareness that the arab and mulsim refugee and most recent immigrants are most likely to feel the effects of the discimination resulting from this last few days. We must do something and offer our help. We should as well educate how not all what they define terrorism is in terms of immigration is in fact so. According to such definitions Mandella would be a terrorist and wouldn't have been let in!!! Also, within our muslim community we should support the teens and the younger who haven't developed their faith properly and are on shaky ground right now from everything they hear and the pressure that is being put on them. Statement of the Canadian Council for Refugees in response to the attacks on the U.S. 14 September 2001 In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks this week in the United States, the Canadian Council for Refugees offers its condolences to the victims and their families. As an organization committed to the protection of human rights, the CCR condemns these attacks on civilian lives and urges Canadians, as well as immigrant and refugee communities, to speak out against violence and intolerance in our society. These terrible violations must not be answered by further violations of human rights. Reports of attacks on Canadian Arab and Moslem communities are extremely disturbing. Many new Canadians came to this country to escape from violence and persecution on the basis of religion, race or nationality. Refugees and immigrants are as horrified as anyone by the events and condemn the violence. Canadians need to work together to ensure that our country is a haven from hatred and discrimination. Those in authority and the media have a particular responsibility to combat intolerance. Talk is already beginning on what changes in the immigration system might be needed to protect ourselves against terrorist attack. Much of this talk focuses on the refugee claim system. The Canadian Council for Refugees notes: – Refugee claimants make up only a tiny percentage of the visitors and immigrants that enter Canada every year (only one-tenth of 1%). While everyone shares the concern that terrorists not be allowed to use the refugee claim process, it is misguided to look only at this part of the immigration system. A sophisticated terrorist is surely more likely to enter, say, as a visitor than as a refugee claimant (since the latter are fingerprinted and interviewed). Furthermore, a focus on refugees alone risks leading to measures that penalize innocent refugees, who themselves are victims of violence, including terrorism. – Canada already has in place laws that clearly exclude from admission to Canada anyone who is likely to engage in terrorism. There is no need for stricter laws (on the contrary, the current laws throw too wide a net and catch people who in no way represent a security threat). The implementation of the laws is inevitably challenging and calls for sophistication on the part of the government, since active terrorists obviously don’t say that they belong to a terrorist organization. – There are limits to what can be achieved through the immigration process. The problem of terrorism in North America and elsewhere is not going to be solved by focusing on this one small issue. To do so would cause harm to immigrants and refugees, who are already a vulnerable community, without getting at the true solutions. The Canadian Council for Refugees supports efforts to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice, but notes that those efforts must not compromise the fundamental principles of due process and human dignity. These principles must be basic components of any action in order to avoid an escalation of violence. The only way to make real the dream of permanent world peace is for all humanity to work permanently for justice. |
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