Muslim Canadian Congress demands apology from the Israeli Consul General

"Most Terrorists are Muslim," remark angers Toronto's Muslim community
MCC wants Foreign Minister Pettigrew to seek explanation from Israeli Embassy

TORONTO - The Muslim Canadian Congress has expressed anger at the remarks of the Israeli Consul General who told a Jewish-Muslim dialogue that "most terrorists today are Muslims" and that the majority of Muslims support extremism.

Calling the remarks provocative and hateful, the MCC demanded the Israeli Consul General apologize to all Canadians Muslims, Jews, Christians and other people, who have worked hard to bring better understanding between the two communities. In a statement, the MCC also asked Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew to investigate the remarks and seek an explanation from the Israeli Ambassador.

The Israeli Consul General's remarks were made on May 4, 2005 at the Temple Har Zion Synagogue to mark a special evening titled the Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding.

During his speech, Israeli Consul General Ya'acov Brosh criticized the Muslim community and said that even though most Muslims are not terrorists, most terrorists are Muslim. He went on to say that moderate Muslims are a minority while the majority is supportive of extremism and terrorism. Elaborating his point, the Consul General said the support of extremism is evident in the fact that the second most popular name in the Muslim world is "Osama."

The Muslim Canadian Congress is deeply troubled by this stereotyping of the Muslim community. Tarek Fatah, a founding member of the MCC said, "The Israeli Consul General's remarks are a manifestation of the contempt with which successive Israeli governments hold Muslims. There is no parallel between support for Islamic extremism and parents' desire to name their sons Osama. The ridiculous parallel drawn by the Israeli diplomat has no foundation as many men named Osama, are in fact not Muslim, but Christian."

Fatah said, "Most men named Osama were born long before Osama Bin Laden came to limelight. Osama was the name of one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad and to ridicule this name and associate people named Osama with extremism, is to stoke the fires of Islamophobia in Canada."

"I advise Consul General Ya'acov Brosh to watch the award winning CBC documentary 'Being Osama'. The documentary illustrates the fact that the name 'Osama' has nothing to do with extremism. It is a name just like any other name given to boys before and after 9/11," Fatah said. Fatah said this debate should have ended when Alexa McDonough of the NDP stood in the House of Commons, just days after 9/11, and declared, "Osama is a Canadian name." However, as is obvious from the Israeli Consul General's remarks, boys and men named Osama, along with their parents, are still being labeled as extremists, he added.

Farzana Hassan-Shahid, an Inter-faith activist, said she was shocked to hear the comments by the Israeli Consul General. "We came to a Synagogue in the spirit of goodwill and understanding, but what we heard from the Israeli diplomat was hate against Muslims and stereotyping us as terrorists," she said. Ms. Hassan-Shahid said, "What was more disturbing about the Israeli diplomat's speech was the fact that he was lustily cheered by the audience. If this is how Muslims are denigrated in their presence, I am worried what happens behind closed doors."

Raheel Raza, Director of the Forum for Learning, and a leading proponent of improved Jewish-Muslim relations, said the event at Har Zion Temple was about bridge building and dialogue, but the Israeli Consul General's speech violated the spirit of the evening. Ms. Raza said, "His remarks were inappropriate, ill-timed and smacked of intolerance and bigotry. He ruined what was set out to be an evening of peace. The Israeli Consul General should immediately apologize to all Canadian Muslims, Jews, and others who have worked tirelessly to bring a better understanding among the two communities. In one evening, the Israeli diplomat has set the clock back many years and has sowed the seeds of suspicion."

Mahitab Labib, an Egyptian-Canadian who had an exchange with the Israeli Consul General at the closing of the event, said she was deeply angered at his remarks.

Responding to the Israeli Consul General's claim that the popular slogan in the Arab World that "Islam is the solution" is actually an endorsement of terrorism, Labib said the Consul General's words reflected his hostility towards Islam. She said Ya'acov Brosh is oblivious to the fact that real terrorism in the Middle East stems from the continued violation of Palestinian Human rights, targeted assassinations, destruction of homes and the armed occupation of Palestinian lands in defiance of United Nations resolutions.

The Muslim Canadian Congress has urged Jewish Organizations in Canada to condemn the remarks of the Israeli Consul General. "Hate and stereotyping has no place in Canada and certainly not in religious institutions, be they Synagogues, Churches, Mosques, Gurdawaras or Temples. What makes this incident worse is the fact that Muslims were invited as guests to a synagogue where they were accused of being supporters of extremism," said Tarek Fatah.