 Muslim leaders pleaded for help Thursday in their struggle against extremists in their midst, saying they can't fight a small minority of radicals alone. "We're not here to say we don't have an issue," said social worker Shahina Siddiqui, president of the Islamic Social Services Association. "Of course we have an issue," she told a news conference on Parliament Hill. "But we can't deal with it ourselves. We're part of the Canadian society and so we demand that the Canadian society come forward, help us root out this."
| Demand? Awfully cheeky, eh? |
Her group joined the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association and several other agencies pushing for a related summit by the end of June. They hope the meeting would bring together Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller and a host of community and youth groups. The Ontario government and Miller's office were quick to say they would take part. There was no immediate response from Harper's office, but Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has asked the Muslim groups for more details. |