Close X
Sunday, September 29, 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

Applications open for dental care benefits

Applications open for dental care benefits
The benefit, to be used toward dental services, is available for children under 12 in families that earn less than $90,000 a year and ranges from $260 to $650 per child depending on net income.

Applications open for dental care benefits

Canada gains on U.S. in permanent resident race

Canada gains on U.S. in permanent resident race
It's a record that will likely be beaten more than once in the coming years, as a Canadian federal immigration plan released earlier this month aims to admit 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023 and 500,000 a year by 2025, with a particular focus on bringing in people with needed skills and experience.

Canada gains on U.S. in permanent resident race

How $10-a-day child care is rolling out in Canada

How $10-a-day child care is rolling out in Canada
British Columbia was the first to sign on, inking a $3.2-billion deal in July 2021 with plans to create 30,000 new child-care spaces within five years and 40,000 within seven years. B.C. started a $10-a-day program at select facilities in 2018 and plans to double those spaces to 12,500 this month. 

How $10-a-day child care is rolling out in Canada

B.C. public school teachers ratify new contract

B.C. public school teachers ratify new contract
It boosts annual salaries for new teachers as much as $8,500 by the end of the third year while B.C.'s highest-paid educators will earn up to $13,500 more over the same period, which Johnston says pushes them above the $100,000-per-year threshold for the first time.

B.C. public school teachers ratify new contract

Arctic cold descends on parts of B.C.

Arctic cold descends on parts of B.C.
Arctic outflow warnings have been posted for B.C.’s central and northern coasts, with the wind chill predicted at minus 20. Special weather statements are also up for most of Vancouver Island and the south coast, with icy conditions and wind chills near minus 10.

Arctic cold descends on parts of B.C.

Street drugs kill another 179 people in B.C.

Street drugs kill another 179 people in B.C.
The coroner says the October statistics show that illicit drugs caused the deaths of 1,827 people in B.C. in the first 10 months of this year. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says the increased toxicity and variability of street drugs has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk.  

Street drugs kill another 179 people in B.C.