This guy should be out of public office on his ass. I note that Greg Almighty is silent on the subject.

Tue Mar 12 2013

Kathleen Wynne stands by Yasir Naqvi over controversial book endorsement ‘Any acceptance of violence against women is not acceptable to me,’ she says



Yasir Naqvi
Handout photo

Ontario’s first female premier is standing by a rookie cabinet minister who appeared to endorse a book that condones Islamic men striking their wives.

“(Labour Minister Yasir Naqvi) is going to reinforce that he does not support the position of the book,” Premier Kathleen Wynne said Tuesday, as opposition parties raised questions about his judgment.

“Any acceptance of violence against women is not acceptable to me.”

Naqvi scrambled to distance himself from remarks that appeared in the “reviews” section of a book on Islam that states a case for men physically punishing their wives for being lewd or disobedient.

“I strongly condemn violence against women,” Naqvi said in a statement.

“I believe that abuse of any kind is unacceptable and I do not share the views expressed in this book.”

Naqvi said he received a letter about the book from author Suhail Kapoor in 2009 at his Ottawa Centre constituency office, and replied to acknowledge the effort.

Those remarks were reprinted in the “reviews” section of Kapoor’s Islam: Balancing Life and Beyond. Naqvi was quoted as saying: “I admire your drive to reach out to the public and promote values of tolerance, understanding and respect.”

Naqvi, who noted he twice proposed private member’s bills to combat domestic violence as a backbench MPP, said he did not authorize the use of his comments in the book.

“I have not read it, which is clearly evident in the wording of the letter,” Naqvi added, referring to a chapter on wife beating that outlines when it is suitable for a man to lightly strike his wife’s wrist with a wooden stick.

In London, Ont., Wynne said she was satisfied with Naqvi’s response.

“It was quite clear to me that Minister Naqvi had not read the content.”

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said he was shocked at Naqvi’s remarks in the book.

“It’s very disturbing that any member of the assembly, let alone a cabinet minister, would endorse this kind of garbage,” he told reporters.

Torstar News

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