Sen. Salma Ataullahjan said that the word “barbaric” is “incendiary and deeply harmful, as it targets a cultural group as a whole rather than individuals who commit the specific acts.”

How does it do that? Are FGM, polygamy and forced marriage barbaric or not? If they are, they are no matter who practices them. If any culture sanctions them, they are sanctioning barbarism.

“Through conversations with my community, I heard from most that they felt the short title was directed solely at them and that from their perspective it served only to further stigmatize and alienate them from the community at large.”

It is clear which community Salma Ataullahjan is talking about. There is only one “community” that feels “stigmatized” and “alienated” by efforts by non-Muslims to preserve and defend their own cultures and mores, and protect themselves from jihad terrorism.

This is not just a matter of removing some offensive language. It is a retreat from Canada’s stand against these practices, and will make it more difficult to prosecute those who engage in them. This is, in short, a capitulation to Islamic supremacism and another opportunity to reinforce the principle that wherever Islamic law and Western law conflict, Western law must give way.

“Senate passes bill to remove mention of ‘barbaric cultural practices’ from Harper-era law,” by Marie-Danielle Smith, National Post, December 12, 2017: