Canada lawmakers pass motion to take steps to combat Islamophobia

Ottawa: Lawmakers in Canada's House of Commons, with strong encouragement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, passed a motion paving the way for future measures to combat Islamophobia. The motion, which passed easily yesterday, asks the government to "recognise the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear" and "condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination". In the wake of the January attack on a Quebec mosque that left six Muslim men dead, Trudeau's government has come under pressure to denounce all forms of religious discrimination. In recent months, several mosques and synagogues have been vandalised in towns across Canada. Nearly all of the deputies from Trudeau's Liberal Party and the leftist New Democratic Party approved the measure. AFP