Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Canadian Politician Praised For His Response To Heckler's Islamophobic Remarks

Canadian Politician Praised For His Response To Heckler's Islamophobic Remarks
@mohashim/Twitter

Gurratan Singh, a Canadian Member of Provincial Parliament from Ontario, is being lauded for his response to a racist heckler who confronted him on the street during MuslimFest over the weekend in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.


Singh, who is the brother of federal New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, was confronted by a man while walking outside on the sidewalk.

The heckler, who was holding a phone the whole time as if he were recording the confrontation, repeatedly asserted "I'm not racist," while peppering Singh with questions about Sharia Law and devolving to personal attacks against Singh when he refuses to engage with him.

Instead of engaging the man, Singh responds with "I condemn your racism," and "We don't need that kind of racism in Canada."

You can view the video for yourself below:

Singh has responded to the video, crediting his brother with teaching him to always confront racism when he sees it, saying:

"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. ✊🏾"

The Singh brothers are Sikh, practitioners of Sikhism, which is a religion that originated in the Punjab area of India. Sikhs are often targeted by racists who don't know the difference, so often deal with the same treatment from these people as Muslims.

The heckler has since been identified as Stephen Garvey, leader of the newly formed minor political party National Citizens Alliance (formerly known as the National Advancement Party of Canada). The party platform calls for a full moratorium on immigration into Canada, followed by severely limited immigration while also rescinding Canada's Multiculturalism Act (a law from 1988 meant to promote Multiculturalism in Canada).

Garvey, himself, is facing criminal charges for circumventing election contribution limits during a 2015 race.

Lots of folks on Twitter were not surprised to learn that someone who acted like this was part of a racist, nationalistic organization.

Many were quick to condemn him for his hate.


Most focused on the important part of this situation, congratulating Singh for his commitment to fighting racism and Islamophobia.





NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has also commented on the incident, praising his brother's response.

"I gotta admit, I'm proud of my brother for responding with strength, responding clearly that that is wrong. For so many Canadians this a reality, that what happened to my brother yesterday is not a one-off incident."
"Any time I've been faced — or any time my brother clearly has been faced — with Islamophobia, the response hasn't been, 'Hey, I'm not a Muslim,' it's, 'Hey, hate is wrong and we've got to stand together."
"People, because of their gender, because of their sexuality, because of the colour of their skin, because of their language, because of their religion face that on a regular basis. I want to say to you, don't give up, believe in who you are, be confident, be strong. But it's all our responsibility, collectively, to make sure you don't have to take this on your own."

Islamophobia is a growing problem in Canada, as it is in much of the world. The world needs more folks like the Singhs that commit to confronting Islamophobia and racism when they see it.

The book Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence is available here.

********

Listen to the first two episodes of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!', where we explore the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.

Be sure to subscribe here and never miss an episode.

More from News

Sabre; Nancy Mace
@bottleneckloser/Instagram, Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project

Trans Influencer Speaks Out After She's Randomly Targeted By Nancy Mace Online

A trans influencer fired back at MAGA Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina for mocking her about her trans identity on social media and subsequently making her vulnerable to attacks.

Sabre, whose Instagram handle is @bottleneckloser, posted a video stating that the lawmaker "bullied" her recently for being "hot on Twitter.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

YouTube Becomes Unlikely Hero After Play Button Is Perfectly Placed Over Musk's Face

Call it kismet or divine intervention, but sometimes the fates align to inadvertently create something wonderful.

Or hilarious.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk and Jim Jordan
Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

GOP Account Hit With Blunt Reminder After Shaming Dems For Celebrating Tesla's Downfall

Minnesota Democratic Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz joined many Americans in a bit of schadenfreude regarding White House advisor Elon Musk’s recent reversal of fortune.

Musk, the self-described leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has seen protests against his actions on behalf of Republican President Donald Trump. Part of those protests include Tesla owners getting rid of their vehicles, buyers boycotting the brand, and stockholders dumping their shares.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Zegler
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/GettyImages

Rachel Zegler Claims 'White Executives' Questioned Her Latina Heritage During 'West Side Story' Casting

Actor Rachel Zegler claimed that skeptical producers questioned her Latina heritage during the casting process for the 2021 West Side Story remake directed by Steven Spielberg.

In the remake of the classic 1961 film adaptation, Zegler starred opposite Ansel Elgort as the star-crossed lovers, Maria and Tony.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Hilariously Melts Down Over Awful Portrait Of Him Hanging In CO State Capitol—And People Can't Stop Trolling Him

People can't help but troll President Donald Trump after he complained about a truly awful portrait of him hanging in the Colorado State Capitol building.

On Sunday night, Trump lashed out against Colorado Governor Jared Polis for hanging what he called a "purposefully distorted" portrait of him in the Colorado State Capitol building.

Keep ReadingShow less