In a story on former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi talking about Islamophobia, CBC News omitted his comments that Canada must fight the "radicalization of white people in this country.".The story was on the former mayor urging politicians to stand up for Amira Elghawaby, Canada's first special representative on combating Islamophobia, at the Senate Committee on Human Rights. .The CBC article mentioned Nenshi was asked to give three recommendations the committee should make to the government to address Islamophobia.."I would love to see from this committee a straight up condemnation of religiously bigoted laws across this country, including Bill 21 in Quebec," he said..But Nenshi also said Canada must combat the “radicalization of white people" in the country. “When do we start talking about the radicalization of white people in this country?” Nenshi asked..“When do we start talking about the fact there are generations — not students, but the next generation up — people in their 20s and in their 30s and older who are feeling dispossessed, who are wondering about change in their community, who are very, very susceptible to radicalization messages?”.Nenshi added he doesn't "love the term ‘Islamophobia’ because it’s not about a phobia,” he said. “It’s not about a fear. I often talk about religious bigotry, but it doesn’t matter what we call it. The same people are going to attack us anyway.”“What recommendations do you think this committee should make to the government?” asked Senator Mobina Jaffer (BC). “Number one is, we need a strong statement from this committee that across this country the importance of the dignity of Muslim people matters and that Muslim people cannot be used as political footballs,” replied Nenshi. “It’s a hard thing to say.”“Some, not all, of the Islamophobia we see is manufactured,” said Nenshi. “It is by design. It is because political calculus has been done that targeting Muslims has greater benefit than costs from a political perspective, from a fundraising perspective, if I can be that crass, and that this stuff didn’t just happen. People across the country didn’t wake up and say, ‘I’m going to send death threats.’”“Growing up in Calgary I never for a moment thought there was any job in the community, except maybe priest or rabbi, that was unavailable to me because of my faith,” said Nenshi, the first Muslim elected mayor of a major Canadian city.“Things got worse.”
