Close X
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Indian-origin MP says Canadian Hindus 'soft targets', urges them to be calm, vigilant

Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Sep, 2023 10:55 AM
  • Indian-origin MP says Canadian Hindus 'soft targets', urges them to be calm, vigilant

Toronto, Sep 21 (IANS) Stating that Hindu Canadians are 'soft targets', Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya on Thursday urged the community to stay calm, vigilant and report incidents of Hinduphobia in the face of a recent video by a Khalistani leader threatening and asking them to leave the country.

Emboldened by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a designated Khalistani activist in India and leader of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), asked Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave the country, leaving the community shocked and terrified.

The Hindu MP said that Pannun is trying to provoke the Hindu-Canadians to react and divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada that are connected through family relationships and shared social and cultural ties.

"Let me be clear. Vast majority of our Canadian Sikh brothers and sisters do not support the Khalistan movement. Most Sikh Canadians may not publicly condemn the Khalistan movement for several reasons but they are deeply connected to the Hindu-Canadian community," Arya, who hails from Karnataka said.

According to him, the "direct attack" on Hindu-Canadians by Pannun is a further escalation of the recent attacks on Hindu temples and public celebration of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Khalistanis. 

"Canada has high moral values and we fully uphold the rule of law. I can’t understand how glorification of terrorism or a hate crime targeting a religious group is allowed in the name of freedom of speech and expression," Arya said.

He further pointed out that there would be an outrage in Canada if a white supremist attacked any group of racialised Canadians asking them to get out of our country. "But apparently this Khalistani leader can get away with this hate crime," he said. 

Further, Arya said that it is because Hindu Canadians keep a "low profile, they are considered a soft targets", adding that the community's success cannot be digested by the anti-Hindu elements.

Citing his own case, Arya said he has been repeatedly attacked for raising a flag with Hindu religious sacred symbol Aum on Canadian Parliament hill. 

"Two well-organised groups claiming to represent their faiths have been attacking Hindu-Canadian community leaders, Hindu organisations and even me. For over ten months, I have been attacked for raising a flag with our Hindu religious sacred symbol Aum on our parliament hill," the Hindu parliamentarian stated.

Members of the Hindu community started coming to Canada 100 years ago. The community has people who migrated from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Southeast Asia and even Africa.

According to Statistics Canada, as reported in the 2021 Census, Hindus rose from 1.0 per cent to 2.3 per cent (close to 830,000 people) of total Canadian population from 2001 to 2021.

November is celebrated as Hindu Heritage Month in Canada. Arya's strong statement comes as Pannun announced that protests are slated to take place outside Indian consulates in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver on September 25, calling for expulsion of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma.

Pannun's SFJ will be holding a referendum in Canada on October 29, which will ask voters whether Verma was responsible for the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey in June this year.

Timeline of events surrounding killing of B.C. temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in Parliament Monday that there is "credible" intelligence linking agents of the Indian government to the shooting death of a Sikh temple leader in Surrey, B.C. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and a leader in the Sikh independence movement in Canada.

---

July 22, 2022: Indian authorities announce a cash reward for information leading to Nijjar's arrest, accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India.

June 18, 2023: Nijjar is shot dead in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, sparking a large protest outside the temple.

June 19: A close associate of Nijjar's says the temple leader had been warned by Canadian intelligence officials about possibly being targeted before the shooting.

June 21: Police say they are searching for two suspects who may have escaped the scene on foot through a nearby park, where they met a getaway vehicle.

June 24: Protesters gather outside Vancouver's Indian consulate, shouting slogans advocating for an independent Sikh state in India.

June 25: Nijjar's funeral is held at the gurdwara, reportedly attended by thousands.

July 4: Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly denounces posters blaming Indian diplomats for Nijjar's death as "unacceptable."

Aug. 16: Homicide investigators say they are seeking a third suspect in the case who may have been the driver of a getaway car.

Sept. 3: The Surrey School District cancels the rental of a local school for the Sikh referendum and organizers threaten legal action.

Sept. 10: A referendum vote is held at the Surrey gurdwara where Nijjar was killed, and organizers say the large turnout led to the scheduling of a second vote on Oct. 29 for those who could not vote.

Sept. 18: Trudeau addresses the House of Commons saying the allegations of Indian involvement in Nijjar's killing is "credible," and Joly says Canada is ordering one diplomat to leave.

Sept. 19: The Indian government expels a senior Canadian diplomat, citing growing concerns over "interference" in the country's internal matters.

Sept. 20: India warns its citizens in a travel advisory to "exercise utmost caution" in Canada due to "anti-India activities," hate crimes and violence. It directs the message particularly at Indian students.

Sept. 21: India halts all visa services for Canadian citizens, saying it anticipates Ottawa will reduce its diplomatic presence in India. Global Affairs Canada says its high commission and all its consulates in India are open.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

German plane airlifts 58 Canadians out of Sudan as Canadian plane readies for more

German plane airlifts 58 Canadians out of Sudan as Canadian plane readies for more
Global Affairs Canada has provided very little information on efforts to get Canadian citizens, or even its own staff, out of Sudan. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau provided a limited update Monday afternoon at a photo-op with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Ottawa.

German plane airlifts 58 Canadians out of Sudan as Canadian plane readies for more

Public service union to picket at locations with more impact as strike enters Day 6

Public service union to picket at locations with more impact as strike enters Day 6
The Public Service Alliance of Canada says more than 100,000 of its staff remain on strike, some of whom are expected to move their picket lines Monday to strategic locations more likely to have an impact on the federal government.   

Public service union to picket at locations with more impact as strike enters Day 6

89 year old woman assaulted at Metrotown

89 year old woman assaulted at Metrotown
They say the elderly woman, who was shoved to the ground by the assailant, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Images from security video released by the R-C-M-P also appear to show that the man has a full beard.  

89 year old woman assaulted at Metrotown

Surrey RCMP investigate weekend crash

Surrey RCMP investigate weekend crash
Mounties in Surrey, B-C, say they are looking for witnesses and dashcam footage after a car crashed and rolled over this weekend. They say the vehicle was travelling north on 192nd Street on Saturday night when it went off road into a ditch, causing the vehicle to roll.

Surrey RCMP investigate weekend crash

Port Moody, B.C., police arrest five suspects in alleged kidnapping

Port Moody, B.C., police arrest five suspects in alleged kidnapping
The Port Moody Police Department says it received multiple 911 calls after a man was reportedly pulled into a vehicle in the city's brewery district on Murray Street around 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Port Moody, B.C., police arrest five suspects in alleged kidnapping

B.C.'s Terminal 2 Roberts Bank project gets federal approval; 370 binding conditions

B.C.'s Terminal 2 Roberts Bank project gets federal approval; 370 binding conditions
The Canada Pacific Gateway area is the country's most important trade corridor, with more than $275 billion in trade passing through the port authority each year, it said in a statement. The project is a three-berth marine container terminal located at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C., about 35 kilometres south of Vancouver.

B.C.'s Terminal 2 Roberts Bank project gets federal approval; 370 binding conditions