BARRIE

MPP applauded for response to Islamophobic remarks

CTV Barrie staff The Canadian Press
Published Monday, September 2, 2019 12:23PM EDT Last Updated Monday, September 2, 2019 12:35PM EDT

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (left) and his brother Gurratan Singh pose for a photo at the party offices in Ottawa, Wednesday, October 25, 2017. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- An Ontario legislator is racking up online praise for his response to Islamophobic remarks directed at him at MuslimFest over the weekend.

A video posted online and viewed more than 250,000 times shows NDP Gurratan Singh, who represents the riding of Brampton East, responding to a man's anti-Muslim remarks at the event in Mississauga, Ont. In the video, Singh tells the man that he condemns racism.Singh, who is Sikh, tweeted that he will never respond to Islamophobia with "I am not a Muslim."

He says that instead, he will stand with Muslims and say that hate is wrong.Singh's brother is federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who made headlines in 2017 for responding to a woman's racist diatribe by saying that he supported her rights but wouldn't be deterred by hatred.

In both cases, the Singhs were asked whether they support Shariah law.Online, some Twitter users are applauding Gurratan Singh for refusing to point out that he isn't Muslim.