October 14, 2005
A chill on progressive Islam
by Tarek Fatah and Munir Pervaiz

The words were chilling: "In the midst of our community we have members who are bent upon smearing Islam, ridiculing the Koran, badmouthing Mohamed."

Canadian Islamic Congress chairman Mohamed Elmasry was writing about Muslims who oppose Sharia law in Canada (including us), and reacting to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's September decision to end provincially sanctioned religious arbitration in family-law disputes. Stung by a political defeat he had not anticipated, Elmasry accused his Muslim opponents of being traitors to their faith -- an allegation that is read as a charge of apostasy, with all its ugly consequences.

Elmasry is not alone. After labelling such Canadian luminaries as Margaret Atwood, June Callwood and Maude Barlow "Islamophobes", the proponents of Sharia have turned their attention to co-religionists. Through articles on their Web sites, speeches at Muslim conferences and, most recently, on the doorsteps of the Ontario Legislature, fundamentalists have declared that Muslims who do not support Sharia courts in Canada are opposed to Islam itself.

The accusation that we are smearing Islam is without foundation. It is also dangerous. Such rhetoric is commonplace in the Muslim world, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan, where allegations of apostasy are used to silence critics and human rights workers. In some societies, apostasy charges are followed by inquisitions, expulsions from the community and physical violence.

Some interpretations of Sharia call for apostates to be killed. Such views have forced many Muslims to flee their countries of birth and take refuge in tolerant Western nations such as Canada. To now find ourselves harassed in Canada by some Muslims here is alarming and ironic. It is especially sad that Mohamed Elmasry and his allies have chosen the holy month of Ramadan to launch their broadside on progressive Muslims.

There are other troubling indicators afoot. Late in September, at the Toronto book festival Word On The Street, another Islamic organization, The Islamic Council of North America, distributed free booklets written by Abu Ala Maudoodi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.

In the book, Maudoodi exhorts ordinary Muslims to launch jihad, as in armed struggle, against non-Muslims. "Jihad is part of this overall defence of Islam", he writes. "This supreme sacrifice is the responsibility of all Muslims."

He then goes on to label Muslims who refuse the call for armed jihad as apostates: "Jihad is as much a primary duty as are daily prayers or fasting. One who avoids it is a sinner. His every claim to being a Muslim is doubtful. He is plainly a hypocrite who fails in the test of sincerity and all his acts of worship are a sham, a worthless, hollow show of deception."

If such hateful and inflammatory literature can be distributed in downtown Toronto, one can imagine what is being said in the confines of private gatherings. Islamic extremists are taking advantage of Canada's liberal democracy to spread fascist ideology.

Despite threats of ostracization, excommunication and hardship, we believe it is the duty of Muslim Canadians to defend the separation of religion and state in Canada. It is our obligation to ensure that "one law for all Canadians" is understood as the foundation of equality that we Muslims desire. It is imperative that we ensure Muslim women, queers, religious minorities, the disabled and the marginalized are protected. As for non-Muslims, they must answer this question: Why do they tolerate hate literature that promotes jihad against non-Muslims and labels progressive Muslims as apostates?

The Muslim Canadian Congress believes there is no place for inquisitions in Canadian society. These threats can only be stopped when accusations of apostasy are listed as the hate crimes they are and made punishable by law. Otherwise, this incitement to violence will have a tragic outcome.

Tarek Fatah is host of the weekly TV show, The Muslim Chronicle. Munir Pervaiz is secretary of the Pakistani Writers Forum. Both sit on the Board of the Muslim Canadian Congress.