Canadian Sikh Politician Explains Response to Anti-Islam Remark

“We will not be intimidated by hate,” said Jagmeet Singh.

(Photo: Video Screengrab)

Indo-Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh had the best possible response to a woman who started ranting about Islamic Sharia law at an event in Ontario, mistaking the Sikh politician to be a Muslim.

Singh was speaking on Wednesday at the Professor’s Lake Community Centre in Brampton when the woman interrupted him.

“When is your Sharia going to end?” the woman asked the Sikh politician in the video of the incident, which is being shared widely on social media.

After initially trying to avoid the situation, Singh responded to the woman: “What this is – we don’t want to be intimidated by hate. We don’t want hatred to ruin a positive event, so let’s show people how we treat people with love.”

“We welcome you, we support you and we love you.”

The politician also posted a statement on Twitter, explaining what was going through his mind when he was faced with "angry, hateful and Islamophobic comments".

In the same statement, he mentioned his reasons for not informing the woman that he was a Sikh and not a Muslim. “I purposely didn’t go down that road because it suggests their hate would be ok if I was Muslim,” he wrote.

He further explained that his response to Islamophobia has never been “I’m not Muslim” but that “hate is wrong.”

Singh is an NDP leadership contender, and can become the first non-white person to lead a major federal party in Canada if he wins.

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