Bill C-9 and Canada’s Religious Freedom at Risk - Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi

Friday Juma KhutbaDecember 5th, 2025- Canada’s Liberal government may remove the “religious exemption” from hate speech laws in Section 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code.- Bill C-9 aims to amend the Criminal Code regarding hate propaganda, hate crime, and access to religious/cultural places.- The current exemption protects good-faith expressions or arguments based on religious beliefs or texts from prosecution.- NCCM warns this change could criminalize sermons or discussions from the Qur’an, Bible, Torah, Bhagavad Gita, or Guru Granth Sahib.- Canada has historically protected good-faith theological discourse; removing this risks censorship of faith and scholarship.- Without the exemption, reciting religious texts, teaching, or quoting scriptures could lead to investigation or criminal charges.- Muslims support hate speech laws against incitement to violence but oppose removing the good-faith religious exemption.- Advocates are encouraged to join NCCM’s letter-writing campaign to defend religious freedom and promote justice.- Religious freedom defenders are united: Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Bar Association, CMPAC, United Church of Canada, and ~50 other organizations.- United public opposition may prevent the removal of the exemption.- Example of interfaith unity: Pope Leo’s trip to Turkey and Lebanon focused on peace and dialogue with Muslims and Christians.- Shi‘a representation in Lebanon: Shaykh ‘Ali al-Khaṭib welcomed the Pope on behalf of the Supreme Islamic Shi‘a Council.- Shaykh ‘Ali emphasized Islamic principles of human fraternity and equality from the Prophet Muḥammad and Imam ‘Ali.- He highlighted that true religion promotes peace, honour, and dignity, and conflicts in religion misrepresent faith.Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)