A U.S. ban on immigrants and refugees from predominantly Muslim countries is everyone’s problem.
That’s the message from Aurangzed Qureshi, spokesman for the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council. He said he has seen support from Edmonton and Alberta already.
“We can stand up for each other, we can continue to fight for each other,” he said. “It’s not just about Muslims, it’s about humanity. It’s about acting locally and thinking globally.”
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that included a 90-day travel ban to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen.
There is also a 120-day suspension to the U.S. refugee program. The president said the ban was necessary to stop “radical Islamic terrorists,” the Associated Press reported.
On Saturday evening, a temporary, partial stay filed by the American Civil Liberties Union was granted by a federal judge in Brooklyn, barring the U.S. from deporting travelers with valid visas. The stay does not say they need to be admitted to the country.
Following the executive order, several people were detained in U.S. airports, including Hameed Khalid Darweesh, a translator and assistant for the U.S. military in Iraq for 10 years now fleeing death threats over his U.S. ties.
“It’s a troubling concept that his can happen in this day and age,” Quershi said. “It’s 2017 and people have been banned from entering the United States based on their faith.”
Qureshi called the democratic deficit an attack on the bedrock of what makes America successful and he predicts blow back from terrorist organizations.
Qureshi said actions like the ban from the president legitimize and justifies bigotry, racism and Islamaphobia — previously considered universally wrong.
The move will help Daesh recruit fighters against the West, Qureshi said.
“(Terrorists) don’t want co-existence,” Qureshi said.
The ban on Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East also perpetuates the narrative that Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East are a monolithic entity that must be kept at bay.
“It’s a sad day in America,” Qureshi said.
The fallout from a legal perspective and an activist perspective remains to be seen, he said, adding the province and Edmonton are tolerant. He said there was anti-Muslim sentiment and race-baiting in the Canadian federal election, which was rejected.
“We’ve had a lot of messages of support sent to us, churches writing to us,” he said.
Alberta politicians sent messages of support through Twitter on Saturday evening.
Premier Rachel Notley said Alberta welcomes people with open arms.
“All people, no matter where they are from, deserve to live in peace,” she Tweeted.
Likewise, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson Tweeted his support of immigrants and refugees.
“The success of Canadian cities depends on diversity and openness – which we strive for everyday,” Iveson wrote.
Each time a similar incident has happened including turning away of Sikhs on the Komagata Maru ship in 1914, the denial of Jewish refugees during the holocaust, or Japanese internment camps, Canadians have looked back with regret, but it continues to happen.
“We’ve seen what’s happened throughout history to a number of groups, faiths in the past,” Quershi said.
Edmonton and area Tweets:
Former Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and current PC leadership candidate Jason Kenney wrote a Twitter essay on the decision.
1/ Just spoke to a former staffer of mine who was raised in Iran. Immigrated to Canada at 14, he ran as a Conservative for Parliament at 19.
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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2/ He is so Canadian he has a maple leaf tattoo. He despises the Iranian dictatorship & would be thrown in jail if he returned there. He has
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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3/ renounced Iranian citizenship, & is one of the most hawkish people I know on national security & integration. He is running a successful
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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4/ startup in the USA. As a result of yesterday’s Executive Order, he is now barred from entering USA, where he has created dozens of jobs.
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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5/ Yazidi refugees from Daesh’s genocide, US military officers of Iranian origin & countless others join him in being inadmissible to the US
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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6/ Meanwhile, Wahabi militants from Saudi Arabia are unaffected by this EO. This is not about national security. It is a brutal, ham-fisted
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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7/ act of demagogic political theatre. Now we are hopelessly polarized between the false choice of open-border naïveté and xenophobia.
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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8/ The Government of Canada should immediately facilitate temporary residency for bona fide travellers stranded by the EO, e.g. by issuing
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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9/ministerial instructions to visa officers for issuance of Temporary Residence Permits under Sec 25 of Immigration & Refugee Protection Act
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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10/ Republicans in Congress who (rightly) challenged President Obama for making law through EOs should now challenge President Trump’s EO.
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 29, 2017
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Premier Rachel Notley Tweeted her support on Sunday evening.
Alberta will welcome you with open arms. All people, no matter where they are from, deserve to live in peace. #ableg#WelcomeToCanada
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) January 29, 2017
I came to Alberta, Canada as a Refugee & was welcomed & cared for, I became a Citizen & I am now a Cabinet Minister #WelcomeToCanada #ableg https://t.co/Za0sFj1o3W
— Ricardo Miranda (@_RicardoYYC) January 29, 2017
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Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson retweeted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and used the hashtag #WelcomeToCanada in his message.
The success of Canadian cities depends on diversity and openness – which we strive for everyday. #WelcometoCanada #cdnmuni #yegcc
https://t.co/3CLJlBb0fk
— Don Iveson (@doniveson) January 28, 2017
St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse agreed with Iveson.
You are right @doniveson + society is strongest + teams are strongest + provinces are strongest + countries are strongest when most diverse
— Nolan Crouse (@Nolan_Crouse) January 29, 2017
-With files from the Associated Press
cgriwkowsky@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/CGriwkowsky
