An Edmonton Imam praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his openness to Islam in Canada, calling him “the saviour of Islam of this century.”
Imam Sheikh Shaban Sherif Mady, an Egyptian immigrant to Canada, made his comments in Arabic during a sermon that has sparked controversy even within the Muslim community in Edmonton.
Sherif Mady also lauded Trudeau’s acceptance of massive amounts of Muslim refugee populations while also attempting to de-link Islamic terrorism from Islam.
He further said that Trudeau’s frequent visits to mosques and attendance at Islamic events convinces him that he is open to Muslims. He called Trudeau a man of wisdom, comparing him to Turkish Islamist dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Imam’s statements at the Edmonton mosque drew criticism from Canadian Islamic journalist Eric Brazau, who said Trudeau’s efforts of pandering to Muslims are meant to “reform Islam and modernize it to accept LGBTQ rights”.
Trudeau’s record of pandering to minority communities including Muslims are unprecedented, perhaps best highlighted with his creation of a new bureaucracy, the special representative for Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby.
Elghawaby, another Egyptian Muslim immigrant, has benefited from Trudeau’s policy, in her case to the tune of over $162,000 per year salary. Last year, she was criticized for urging universities to hire more Muslim, Palestinian and Arab professors.
