Montreal Gazette – September 8, 2011
A majority of Canadians say society has become less tolerant of various ethnicities and faiths since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a new study shows. Over half of Canadians surveyed in an Ipsos Reid poll for Postmedia News and Global TV said that Muslims are discriminated against more now than they were 10 years ago. However, Canadian Muslim groups say the impact of 9/11 was good and bad on the Muslim community.
“On the good side, there has been the ability for Canadians to access their fellow citizens with Muslim backgrounds, to get to know them more, and essentially have the ability to get accurate information about Islam in the Muslim community which has been a great thing for those who want to have that information,” said Kashif Ahmed, a national board member with the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Other findings include: 74% of Canadians agree that “our society has become less tolerant of others since the 9/11 terrorist attacks”; 60% think that Muslims in Canada are discriminated against more than before the attacks; and 59% say the 9/11 attacks have given them a negative impression of certain ethnicities and religious faiths.
