Prime Minister Stephen Harper blurts an ill-considered reference to a little-worn item of Muslim dress as representing “anti-woman culture.”

A Tweet under Minister for Multiculturalism Jason Kenney’s name circulates a photo of women acting in a religious rite that depicts an ancient bondage and misrepresents it as enslaved Muslim women today.

Then backbench MP Larry Miller tells Canadian Muslim women — half of whom were born here — who wear a veil that they should “stay the hell where you came from.”

And that’s all it takes for Canada’s bigots to grant themselves permission to vent.

Now every atrocity in war-torn regions seems destined to be cited as proof of Islam’s inherent vice.

Yet if the violence in parts of the Middle East and Africa can be simplistically linked to the faith where it occurs, what about other places with other religions?

Is Northern Ireland’s half century of civil strife irrefutable proof of the inherent viciousness of Christianity?

If 83 per cent of American citizens profess to be Christian yet shoot 100,000 of their fellow citizen dead in a decade is that proof that Christianity is inherently murderous?

What about Christian warlords and their atrocities in central Africa?

If the beheading of hostages by Lord Of The Flies adherents to fascists seeking power in destabilized Syria, Iraq and Libya is proof of the essentially barbarous nature of Islam, what should we make of Christian Mexico where severed human heads are left in coolers along highways or delivered by the dozen to city hall to make a point in the media?

Drug warlords aren’t true Christians, right? Indeed, and mainstream Muslims say the same of the savage fascist zealots at their religion’s ultra-orthodox fringe — which is why there’s an edict in Canada condemning and excommunicating them.

Nonetheless, assertions that the constitutionally protected religious choices of a tiny minority of Muslim women — 90 per cent choose not to wear a veil — are impossible to reconcile with “Canadian values” pound into my inbox with depressing regularity.

Media comment boards bristle with ignorant clamour.

In addition to anti-Muslim vituperation, the anti-Asian gang comes howling in behind, aggrieved by everything from Chinese signage to the attack on western civilization symbolized by gai lan on supermarket shelves.

This country has been marked by the intersection of different cultural traditions for hundreds of years. Hybrid vigour, cultural fusion and diversity are preferable to the fusty, never-were monocultures held up as exemplars of Canadian values.

Canada’s vitality derives from constant change; it has never been frozen in amber. Once upon a time, the Cree controlled an area from northern Quebec to the Rockies. Cree was the lingua franca of North America’s biggest business. Economies evolve; times change. Get over it.

Canada has absorbed waves of French, English, Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Scots, Irish, Ukrainians, Germans, Russians, Finns, Belgians, Greeks, Swedes, Italians, Hungarians, Lebanese, Tamils, Punjabis, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Doukhobors, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus. All changed and were changed by the country to which they came.