“Be smarter than that,” says Red Deer WIC in wake of Anti-Muslim protest

The Red Deer Welcoming and Inclusive Communities Network is made up of over 50 members who represent the diversity of our community and Red Deer Public Schools is one of our members. We work in a collective impact model to help The City of Red Deer achieve its commitments as a signatory of the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination.

The Red Deer WIC Network supports the Red Deer Public School District in its management of the conflict that occurred between students at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School last week and we stand with them to celebrate the good work Lindsay Thurber has done in celebrating the diversity among its students.

The very, small number of people in Red Deer, in Alberta, across Canada who are trying to promote hatred towards Muslim people, using the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (2. b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression as a right to promote hatred of Muslim people, even stating that their religious freedoms are at risk may not be aware that the same Charter states that freedom of conscience and religion (2. a) are also fundamental rights. That means their religious freedoms are protected, but it also means that the religious freedoms of everyone else are also protected including Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, and yes, Muslim people. The parts of Sharia Law that are being opposed will always be illegal in Canada under Criminal Code of Canada so people don’t need to continue fear mongering around that. The best thing for everyone to do is learn more about each other rather than buying into incorrect rhetoric. We’re asking Red Deerians to be smarter than that.

Those who spread misinformation, who are not willing to educate themselves on the truth, and ALL of the laws in Canada, who would rather buy into the fear mongering, end up standing for something that isn’t true, like what we saw here in Red Deer Tuesday morning. It is nothing short of disappointing and is exactly what The Red Deer WIC Network is working against.

For more information about the Red Deer WIC Network see our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/RedDeerWIC/ and also see The City’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities site: http://www.reddeer.ca/about-red-deer/diversity/ which has information about the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination.

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On behalf of the Red Deer Welcoming and Inclusive Communities Network we are respectfully,

Andrea Lacoursiere
Co-Chair

Pamela Taylor
Co-Chair