Left to right: Imam Mazhar Mahmood, Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo NDP candidate Bill Sundhu and the President of the Kamloops Islamic Association Faisal Siddiqui.
(DANA REYNOLDS / iNFOnews.ca)
May 02, 2015 - 10:34 AM
KAMLOOPS – Kamloops federal NDP candidate, lawyer Bill Sundhu, told the audience at the Ayesha Mosque the proposed anti-terrorism legislation, Bill C-51, will allow the federal government to usurp the charter of rights and freedoms in the name of anti-terror actions.
Sundhu was invited by the Islamic Association of Kamloops to speak to the congregation at the mosque in the Knutsford-area on Friday, May 1 about human rights — particularly human rights under the proposed legislation.
Sundhu said human rights belong to every human being, they are the foundations of peace and justice, but in the same breath he spoke of injustice, listing armed insurrections around the world. “Particularly minorities have suffered the most, particularly Muslims; we know that," he said.
“The national lawyers association that I belong to, 37,000 lawyers in Canada, university and all law professors, human rights organizations say this is a very bad and dangerous bill.”
Sundhu used the example of Maher Arar, and how Bill C-51 gives law enforcement the right to detain and send Canadian citizens to hostile countries. Arar's wife, Dr. Monia Mazigh, will be speaking at Thompson Rivers University later this month.
He said it was because of issues like these that he felt the need to run for office.
“(Terrorism is) a meaningless word. Crimes are crimes.”
Sundu said the other political parties use the “T” word, or terrorism, loosely, adding there is not one group — especially not one religion — which holds dominion over this word.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015