The Islamic Social services Association held the first national Muslim-Indigenous Solidarity Conference, which is occured at the Hilton Suites Airport Hotel on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26,2025.
On Saturday Dec 14, 2024 at the CMHR there was a pro-Palestinian event in which Indigenous and Palestinian speakers and one speaker spoke about standing up against genocide and also justified the violence of the Hamas attacks as being the result of “occupation.” The event was entitled “Uncensored Dialogues: Indigenous and Islamic Knowledge Keeper Conversation.
The event was put on by Focus Hub, which according to its website is “a non-profit organization dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of Manitoba’s Indigenous peoples and new immigrants through films, documentaries and digital storytelling. https://www.iamfocus.ca/It also indicated that the event was supported by Heritage Canada. The event had been scheduled to be put on at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on Nov 24,2024 but was cancelled.
In response to the above conference and event, my suggestion is for our Jewish community leadership to organize counter-programming by bringing in Indigenous leaders who maintain that Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel, and absolutely reject the notion that Israel is a settler, colonialist state which is illegitimate to the region, or which has committed genocide against Palestinians.
There are Indigenous leaders who affirm that Jews are indigenous to Israel, as in the Bible, God promised Israel to the Patriarchs of the Jewish people.Harvey Yesno, a Grand Chief of the Ojibwe tribe from Thunder Bay, northwestern Ontario, Canada, believes in countering the misinformation about Israel not being indigenous.
He told the Times of Israel while in Jerusalem recently, that, “We believe that Israel is indigenous to this land,” he said. “History proves it. Archeology proves it.”
The Jewish community should also look into bringing to Winnipeg, Harry LaForme and Karen Restoule, who refer to themselves as “Anishinabe Zionists” who believe Jews are Indigenous to the land of Israel and reject using the words 'colonizer,' 'settler' and 'decolonize' to justify Hama’s terror, violence, kidnapping and rape on Oct 7. LaForme is a member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), a retired appellate court judge and practicing lawyer. Restoule, a member of the Dokis First Nation, has a law degree from the University of Ottawa, and specializes in public affairs and is currently a vice president with Crestview Strategy.
As Laforme and Restoule wrote an article in the National Post:
‘As Anishinaabe, we are troubled by the expressions of hatred against Jews and Zionists, and the disappointing ignorance, fuelled by misinformation coming from universities. Ignorance about the indigeneity of the Jewish people in the region that is Israel. Ignorance about the values that Israel, as a democracy, stands for — as imperfect as it is. Ignorance about the rights and responsibilities Israel has as a nation state and member of the United Nations. Ignorance about Zionism — its compatibility with Palestinian self-determination, a two-state solution, and the fact that the vast majority of Jewish people identify with Israel. Ignorance about the current reconciliation efforts of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Ignorance about our shared history and the intentions of our original relationship. And how quickly the sadistic savagery of Hamas’ invasion of Israel and its promises to repeat October 7 again and again and again are forgotten.” (https://nationalpost.com/opinion/opinion-we-are-anishinaabe-zionists-hateful-anti-israel-camps-disrespect-our-lands)
They continued, ‘Erroneous false narratives are coming out of universities about current reconciliation efforts led by Indigenous peoples to justify divisive hateful conduct that overwhelmingly targets and isolates Jewish and Zionist Canadians.”
Laforme and Restoule reject the notion of a correlation between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East and the reconciliation work led by First Nations in Canada in the West. As they wrote in the National Post, “ We hear the words “colonizer,” “settler” and “decolonize” to justify terror, violence, kidnapping, rape and targeted civilian massacres. These words are used to assert revolutionary violence “by any means necessary” and that “all forms of resistance” are justified. We unequivocally reject these assertions and any ally ship with those who hold such views.”
Speaking out against pro-Palestinian encampments on university campuses, Laforme and Restoule wrote…” we see hate, antisemitism, and weak leadership on university. Equally dreadful are the measures that target Jewish and Zionist students and faculty — people who are welcome on our Treaty Lands and are deserving of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all.”
The two Indigenous leaders stated “The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism must be applied by all who fall within areas of federal oversight, influence, and authority.”
The two Indigenous leaders also reject the chant in pro-Palestinian rallies, “There is only one solution Intifada revolution,” stating, “The phrase Canada used in the 1910s and the Nazis in WWII has been carefully adapted and callously adopted. Any Indigenous person and non-Indigenous Canadian aware of our shared history should shudder to hear it chanted and see it on our campuses. As Anishinaabe, we find the term, in all of its iterations, offensive, hateful and racist. It takes us back to a dark chapter in our shared history here in Canada; marked by the death of more than 6,000 Indigenous children. It also reminds us of the tragic loss of six million Jews across Europe during, and in the period leading up to, the Holocaust. These calls for the death of Jewish people are unequivocally anathema to The Seven Sacred Teachings.”
Our community may also be able to apply for funding from Heritage Canada to pair a Jewish artist and Indigenous artist to explore common themes such as experiencing genocide and displacement.
