Conference Defies Canadian Values

Since 1875, B’nai Brith has been the leading voice of the grassroots Jewish community of , advocating for the rights of all Canadians against the forces of antisemitism, hatemongering, and xenophobia.

We would like to thank you for your recent stance in support of Canadian values Liberal leadership rival Justin Trudeau at the ‘Reviving the Islamic Spirit’ conference on December 22. As you noted at the time, one reason you would not attend the conference was due to IRFAN Canada’s sponsorship of the event.

“As an MP I’m ready to meet with any group at any time to talk about our shared values of peace, tolerance and equality,…In this case, I have concerns. One reason I wouldn’t attend myself is because I’m not sure (these people) share those same values.”

It is truly unfortunate that Mr. Trudeau has steadfastly refused to meet with leading Canadian Jewish and Muslim groups who have serious and legitimate concerns regarding his upcoming appearance at the ‘Reviving the Islamic Spirit’ conference in Toronto.

As you are aware, IRFAN Canada was exposed in a Canada Revenue Agency audit as having used "deceptive fundraising" to support Hamas. In fact, a report stated that "IRFAN-Canada is an integral part of an international fundraising effort to support Hamas", a listed terrorist organization in , the , the EU and elsewhere.

We note with regret that -CAN, the Canadian branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, has taken you to task for your principled commentary.

While IRFAN Canada’s conference sponsorship, many reasons persist as to why this conference remains as controversial as ever.

One fact -CAN conveniently did not disclose in its open letter to you is that it has a direct link to the ‘Reviving the Islamic Spirit’ Conference. Dr. Jamal Badawi, a featured speaker at the conference, is alsoa Board Member of -CAN on its website, where he proudly solicits donations for that organization.

In his book, Gender Equity in Islam, Jamal justifies the circumstances where and how a husband may beat his wife. writes,

“Instead of divorce, the husband may resort to another measure that may save the marriage, at least in some cases. Such a measure is more accurately described as a gentle tap on the body…”

and there must be zero tolerance for speakers that advocate otherwise.

Another keynote speaker, Zaid Shakir, delivered a lecture entitled “Jihad or Terrorism,” at the Zaytuna Institute in 2001 where he stated,

“What are the consequences of so-called ‘Jihad in ?’ What are the consequences of acts like the bombing, which of course was aided and abetted by our good friends at the FBI?”

is another conference sponsor and Zaid Shakir, one of its co-founders, his anti-American and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories.

In 1993, he in the first World Trade Centre bombing, writing,

“Considering the available information, it is the view of some observers that the WTC bombing was undertaken by the Zionist forces to give proof to their allegations concerning the magnitude of ‘Islamic fundamentalist’ terrorism, and as a pretext to intensify their anti-Islamic propaganda campaign in the U.S. media.”

A third example of the extreme Islamist views that Mr. Trudeau is aligning himself with at this conference is Hamza Yusuf.

In a speech to the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Mr. Yusuf was quoted as stating,

“But Allah is calling us to jihad. And I, in all honesty, have to say that if Islam is not a threat to this society, than I am in the wrong religion. I don’t believe that. I believe that Islam is in fact a threat to this society.”

Mr. Garneau, your earlier remarks were made at a area mosque. mosques often receive community newspapers such as Meshwar, an Arabic language newspaper based in .

Earlier this year, Meshwar published both a love poem to a Palestinian suicide bomber and a blatantly antisemitic cartoon based on the traditional blood libel. The cartoon featured a faceless “Jew” drinking the blood of an innocent Arab/Palestinian at his dinner table. blood libel rampant across the today, and now being imported into by community newspapers papers such as Meshwar

This example is meant to contextualize how deeply the Jewish community is alarmed when prominent Canadian politicians lend their legitimacy to events with historically radical leanings.

Politicians have a choice when deciding which events to support, and which to avoid. By stubbornly choosing to support these conference speakers and sponsors – while steadfastly refusing to meet with whistleblowing human rights organizations over their legitimate concerns – Mr. Trudeau will no doubt be seen by many as emboldening those that promote a radical agenda that is contrary to Canadian values. This will indeed be a harsh blow to the many moderates within the Muslim community, and the supportive organizations who try to build bridges with them, who are all fundamentally opposed to the imposition of a radical Islamist agenda in .

It is disingenuous for -CAN and its supporters to brush off sincere critics of this conference as anti-Muslim.

The truth is that Canadians of all faiths have good reason to be worried that impressionable youth, of any background, may be exposed to such loathsome views this weekend.

Yours truly,

Frank Dimant
CEO, B’nai Brith

c.c. The Honourable Bob Rae, Interim Leader, The Liberal Party of Canada