The chair of the White Rock Muslim Association is demanding that B.C. Conservative candidate Brent Chapman withdraw from the Surrey South MLA race.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Asad Syed unequivocally condemned "the multiple racist statements and Islamophobic attitude expressed by Brent Chapman."
"Our community does not feel safe being represented by someone who would publicly make such hateful statements about Muslims on more than one occasion," Syed commented.
"We demand his resignation and withdrawal from candidacy."
Syed was responding to a series of Facebook posts Chapman made in 2015 that were revealed by media Wednesday night.
In them, Chapman referred to Palestinians as "little inbred walking talking breathing time bombs ... figuratively and quite literally," made multiple references to "Muslim inbreeding" and suggested that Canadians "cannot live with them, Islam."
The posts have been widely criticized as racist and Islamophobic, and were slammed by Premier David Eby as "hate speech" in media conferences on Thursday.
B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad, while saying his party stands against the anti-Palestinian, Islamophopic views expressed by Chapman, said that he was not asking the Surrey South candidate to withdraw. He said he had asked for and received an apology from the candidate.
Wednesday night, Chapman issued a statement to media in which he said: "The language I used and the sentiments I expressed at that time towards Palestinians and members of the Islamic faith were completely unacceptable."
“They do not reflect who I am today or the respect and admiration I hold for the Palestinian and Muslim communities,” he said, adding that he wanted to offer "sincerest apologies to everyone hurt by my past words.”
Syed's statement indicates loudly and clearly that an apology is not enough for the White Rock Muslim Association.
"We call on John Rustad to remove Brent Chapman, this apology was not for him to accept and is evidence of a very troubling attitude prevalent within the Conservative party," he said.
"Such rhetoric has no place in our society and undermines the values of equality and respect that we stand for. "
Syed said that Chapman's apology "rings hollow, as these statements were made multiple times as an adult in a public arena."
He added that the line of thinking Chapman's statements represents is "pervasive and deep" and often continues "behind closed doors."
"Fake sentiments are expressed in response to a slap on the wrist from leading party officials," he said. "Remaining on the ballot is lip service without action."
Syed said allowing those in power to retain such attitudes and statements "leads to a culture of hate and emboldens individuals to become radicalized and enact atrocities such as the Quebec City Mosque Shooting, one of the deadliest in Canada’s history."
