Canada: Moderate Muslims support bill to strip treasonous dual nationals of citizenship

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"If you are a Canadian citizen who's a dual or multiple national and you are convicted of a terrorism-related offence with a custodial sentence of five years or more, that would be considered a renunciation of citizenship."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Sun News | QMI Agency
By Jesica Hume | March 26, 2013

OTTAWA - Moderate Muslim groups expressed their unwavering support for a bill that would strip dual nationals of Canadian citizenship if they are convicted of treason.
Tory backbencher Devinder Shory's private member's bill C-425 has been making its way through the House of Commons and was before committee Tuesday, which heard testimonies from non-expert witnesses including the Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) and Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, which bills itself as a "revival" movement that endorses a "separation of mosque and state."

One of the main concerns put forward by opposition MPs has been the creation of what they call a two-tier citizenship system, where dual citizens are treated differently than single-nationality Canadians.

MCC president Salma Siddiqui said she didn't see it that way and appeared to address the opposition when she said the bill wasn't cold-hearted toward immigrants bur rather about taking "pride in our citizenship."

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney reiterated Tuesday that the bill will be amended to include terrorism.

"If you are a Canadian citizen who's a dual or multiple national and you are convicted of a terrorism-related offence with a custodial sentence of five years or more, that would be considered a renunciation of citizenship."

Also before committee were two representatives from the UN High Commission on Refugees, who fear the bill could potentially leave individuals stateless.

"(Our concerns is that this creates a) situation in which there's different treatment for different groups of people," Furio De Angelis, Canada rep for the UNHCR, told committee.

But asked whether he would support the bill as long as it would not leave anyone stateless, De Angelis' answer was a simple, "Yes."



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