In the Face of Compelling Demographics, the G&M Shills For Islam

I still get the Globe and Mail delivered to my doorstep every morning, so I can see how the hard copy differs from the online version. In today's online paper, for example, there's an article headlined "The new Islam comes with a reluctance to label orthodoxy." The paper paper, however, puts a whole different spin on it, featuring the smiling face of a be-hijabed lass with the header "TIME TO LEAD"  and this palaver under the photo:

For some young Canadian Muslims, an 'us and them' mentality persists. They are bearing the burder of correcting misconceptions among their peers and, and their parents.

And among us too, apparently. For, as the Globe scribbler informs us, Islam is the coming thing in Canada, and we had all better get used to it:

But regardless of what other Canadians think of them, it’s getting harder to ignore Islam, and young Muslims, in Canada. Islam is Canada’s fastest-growing major religion. According to a Statistics Canada estimate, the Muslim population will soar to 2.9 million by 2031 from its 2006 base of 884,000 adherents.

A population shift alone may not be enough to close the gap between the solitudes. Ms. Raja is optimistic that attitudes will change, but said the responsibility also lies with her and her fellow Muslims.

“I guess people gravitate towards their own community, but for me, I feel like it’s extremely important to engage with the larger Toronto community,” she said.

High-profile stories, including the Toronto 18 terrorism bust, the murder of Mississauga, Ont., teenager Aqsa Parvez by her father and brother, and tales of radical youth travelling overseas on jihadist missions, have left many non-Muslims with a skewed understanding of the religion – a faith whose diversity, especially within Canada, is immense, with differences across sect, ethnocultural or national origin, and levels of adherence.

The same narratives also make some Muslims pessimistic about engaging in community work while representing themselves as Muslims, Rizwan Mohammad said. “They felt almost like, ‘We’re fighting a losing battle.’”

In 2009, Mr. Mohammad set out on a two-year cross-Canada project with the Canadian Council for Muslim Women to better connect young Muslims with their communities. The more than 800 Muslim youth who participated in workshops shared one gripe in particular: their portrayal in the media as an isolated, alienated and – in the case of females – oppressed group...

 "A losing battle"? Oh, pshaw, Ms. M. Not when the G&M is around to take up the cause and sprinkle its "diversity" fairy dust in our eyes (for more on Islam's "diversity," see this explanation by Turkey's p.m.); not with leftists who think that "Dar al Harb" v. "Dar al Islam" stuff is something non-Muslims came up with; not with "experts" such as the one quoted in the article who insist that despite Muslim reluctance to come to terms with the extremists among them, the way to make them feel more at home is for public schools to redefine "reasonable accommodation" and accommodate Islamic practices. (Yeah, that should do the trick.)

But wait--it gets better. This puffery is merely part one of a three-parter. Coming up tomorrow: "How Canadian artists draw on Islam." Can't hardly wait for that one.