Jawed Anwar

IT is a pity to note that Liberals brought the Conversion Therapy bill (C-4) third time in the Federal Parliament on November 29 and expedited it fast to approve.

And it is disastrous to note that MPs of all parties are unanimously agreed to pass the Bill. 

The first Bill (Bill C-8) died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament in 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak (wrath of Allah). A second version (Bill C-6) introduced didn't pass the Senate long after before the legislative agenda was cleared by Trudeau's election call last summer.

Now, the minority Liberal government presented the revamped Bill and got immediate support from NDP.

Conservative Party of Canada leader Erin O'Toole allowed his caucus to have a free vote on the Bill. He further pledged that his MPs would work to get it passed quickly. 

David Lametti urged Conservative MPs to ensure Bill's swift passage through the House. Half of the previous Conservative caucus — 62 MPs out of 119, some of whom lost their seats in the last election — voted against C-6 in June despite the leader's efforts to demonstrate more liberal stance on LGBTQ issues.

At that time, numerous Conservative MPs — namely those who hail from its social conservative wing — complained the wording of the Bill was overly broad and could criminalize conversations about sexuality between children and their parents or with religious leaders.

Now all the Conservatives' stance changed. 

Conservative MP Rob Moore introduced a motion to do so, and Bill C-4 was fast-tracked through the legislative stages in the House of Commons. It got unanimous consent from all MPs after. 

O'Toole said he's an ally of the LGBTQ community, which he accused Trudeau of using "in a way that's not appropriate, politically."

O'Toole proved a big disappointment for all those who adhere to social, traditional, and religious values. Conservatives showed again that they were not different than Liberals and NDP on any social issue.

Erin O'Toole put the last nail on the social conservative coffin.  

What is "conversion therapy"?

According to the definition provided in the text of the Bill, conversion therapy is "a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior."

In the past, conversion therapy was a term used for electroshock therapy, which some psychiatrists are infrequently used in the treatment of same-sex attraction.

It has not been used in decades for same-sex attraction. Today, therapists who provide counselling for those with unwanted same-sex attraction use narrative or talk therapy.

Talk therapy exists for those who want to try to change a specific behaviour. People with unwanted same-sex have successfully used such talk therapy attraction and gender dysphoria. Why not give Canadians this option if they want it?

Facts and Observation:

1. The Bill makes it a crime to make anyway undergo conversion therapy on gender liquidity and identity issue. It includes counselling from the parents and religious leaders. It means no one can try to counsel the changed sexual orientation of LGBTQ individuals to heterosexuals again. You can't coerce those questioning their gender identity to align with the sex assigned to them at birth. It is a punishable crime of up to five years imprisonment. 
2. Bill C-4 would make it a crime to make anyone undergo conversion therapy, regardless of consent. The Bill would also make it a crime to remove a child from Canada for conversion therapy, promote or advertise the practice, and receive financial "or other material benefits" from providing conversion therapy. It would also allow courts to order that advertisements for conversion therapy be removed.
3. Bill C-4 has a broad scope of eradication of constitutional rights. Whether directly or through the back door, it is outlawing any kind of clinical therapy, spiritual counselling, prayer or parental guidance to help a person (or child) overcome unwanted gender identity, confusion, or same-sex attraction. 
4. Experts say that the proposed legislation's definition of "conversion therapy" is so broad that if parents try to discourage their young children from being at peace with their biological sex and dissuade them from identifying as the opposite sex, they will be guilty of the crimeof "conversion therapy," and could be jailed for up to five years, 
5. Clinical psychologists, priests, pastors, religious leaders who provide counselling support to young persons seeking help for unwanted gender confusion or same-sex attraction may get five years in prison if they dare to help that patient or parishioner who comes to them voluntarily, seeking help. Pastoral counselling and clinical talk therapy for adults will also be outlawed under this Bill through the back door. 
6. Bill C-4 criminalizes "advertising" of so-called "conversion therapy" services and profiting directly or indirectly from the provision of those services. Religious leaders, priests, pastors and therapists will receive up to two years in prison if they advertise or profit from providing this type of healing service. Therefore, no pastor or religious will dare to call people out of homosexual sin from the pulpit and Minbar; it can be deemed "advertising" of conversion therapy. No psychologist, counsellor or psychotherapist will offer support to patients who ask for it since it'll be a crime to advertise that service and receive payment. In essence, spiritual guidance and talk therapy for unwanted gender confusion or same-sex attraction will be de facto illegal, even for adults.
7. This government and lawmakers insanity is happening due to the radical, well-organized, and resourceful LGBT lobby. Those have been working on this plan for a long. They have full support from the media, liberal radicals, and anti-religion forces. The media relentlessly spread out fake news propaganda stories about gays and transgender people being forcibly confined, electroshocked and tortured by "conversion therapy." It's all lies. 
8. The media knows full well that there are thousands of former transgenders and ex-gays who have left the LGBT lifestylewith the help of clinical therapy or spiritual counselling, and are living happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives as a result, in harmony with their faith. But the media refuses to let the Canadian public hear their stories. 
9. The Bill is anti-religion, anti-social and anti-family values. It has nothing to do with protecting children or improving health. 
10. The architect of Justin Trudeau's conversion therapy ban is Mr. Kristopher Wells. This law was written in consultation with Mr. Wells, and it is, in fact, his brainchild. He has clear agenda of silencing religious teaching and all public expression of religious beliefs about homosexuality.
11. Bill C-4 opens the door to a whole new level of censorship and thought-control. It may even lead to censoring – and banning – the religious and divine books. 
12. Bill C-4 is designed to eliminate certain politically incorrect ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints from Canadian society by entrenching a totalitarian law in the Criminal Code. This law will discriminate against all religious groups, social conservatives, and anyone who holds traditional social and family views on sexuality and gender. This law will also discriminate against ex-LGBT individuals. It is a form of thought-control, political, social and religious suppression. It is totalitarianism in practice and is being advanced by those who will stop at nothing to promote the triumph of radical gender ideology.
13. It is unacceptable and un-Canadian to seek to legislate the control of private conversations, even family conversations, under the misleading guise of a ban on conversion therapy.
14. Bill C-4 will usher in an era of legislative child abuse, and the number of human tragedies it will create is unthinkable. 
15. This Bill will make ruining the lives of children easier while at the same time eroding the rights of those who would protect the children.
16. Bill C-4 is also an unprecedented assault on every Canadian's civil liberties and religious freedom.
17. Muslims all know well that changes in the biological creation of Allah and same-sex relationships are one of the biggest sins that invite the extreme wrath of Allah.
18. Majority of Muslim leaders, religious scholars and Imams kept silent on almost all of the evils of the society. They "voluntarily" withdrew themselves from the Quran's assigned duty of "Amr Bil- Ma'roof wa Nahi Unil Munkar" (Enjoining/ordering/guiding right and forbidding wrong/evil). 
19. All the Muslim Charity organizations and Islamic Centers are not speaking on any evil in fear of losing the charity status. They feel that they are duty-bound to protect their charity at all costs, even its own fundamental religious and moral cost. 
20.  All Muslims supported "Muslim" MPs supported not only this bill but all the Gender Apostasy and Sexual Disorientation bills passed in provincial and federal parliaments in the last 16 years.
21. The Islamic leaders and organizations should ask themselves what excuse they will present in the day of judgement on keeping silent on evils and evildoers. In many cases, we witness these leaders even collaborate with the evil law makers.
22. Keeping silent at the stage of lawmaking in the Parliament, and when the law is made, preaching to the community to obey government rules and laws is dangerous. Following any authority above the obedience of Allah will bring disaster to the community and nation.

The truth has power. We have the truth that must be said in all circumstances.

We are all accountable for not doing enough to stop these bills and laws and "Amr Bil- Ma'roof wa Nahi Unil Munkar" (Enjoining/ordering/guiding right and forbidding wrong/evil).

(Jawed Anwar can be reached at jawed@seerahwest.com)

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