Thursday, January 15, 2015

Rental Accomodations Offered "By Muslims to Muslims": Call Me Crazy, But Isn't That Verboten Under Ontario's "Human Rights" Legislation?

One of the reasons why Canada's "human rights" system was established back in the 1970s was to ensure that people would not be discriminated against when they wanted to rent an apartment.
 
Indeed, the right to be able to rent the accommodation of one's choice remains a crucial component of our "human rights" codes. You can find some examples of the sort of discrimination that is not acceptable here, in the Ontario Human Rights Commission's policy on human rights and rental housing:
Here are just a few examples of the many ways people can experience discrimination in housing:
  • A landlord proceeds with an eviction even after learning a tenant has been in hospital for a long time after a work accident.
  • A superintendent makes unwelcome sexual gestures and suggestive comments to a female tenant about how she wears her clothes and hair.
  • While building security quickly investigates harassment complaints involving most tenants, they never follow up when a transgender tenant raises similar concerns.
  • A landlord streams new immigrants and single mothers into older buildings and units that need fixing, because he wrongly thinks these groups are less responsible than other tenants.
  • A neighbourhood residency group lobbies for zoning by-laws to keep social housing for psychiatric survivors out of their neighbourhood.
  • A woman, who is White, but who has two racialized children, is deeply offended after trying to rent an apartment from a landlord who comments that one of her “house rules” is that tenants not associate with “coloured people.”
  • A rental ad reads “suits a working person” implying that people who receive social assistance or are unable to work due to a disability, or other Code ground, are not welcome or need not apply.
What about a rental ad that reads as follows (my emphasis)?
Islamic Rentals (www.islamicrentals.com) is a New Website connecting Muslim Renters, Roommates, and Tenants. Post a Free Rental Ad on our website or Search for Great Rentals yourself. Find Rooms, Apartments, Condos, and Houses offered for Rent by Muslims to Muslims. 
Visit www.islamicrentals.com to post a FREE AD. 
Help spread the word by Sharing Islamic Rentals with your Friends and Family. The more Muslims find out about Islamic Rentals, the more Rentals will be available in the near Future Insha’Allah!
Um, I don't know about you, but "human rights"-wise, that doesn't sound kosher to me. Mind you, our current--albeit outgoing--chief "human rights" commissar has already weighed in on the subject of Muslims renting to Muslims (and only to Muslims); she has no problem with it, natch.

Gee, I wonder if her successor, whomever he/she turns out to be, will feel the same? I'm betting he/she will.

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