Muslim Canadian Congress denounces anti-Muslim hysteria being whipped by Canadian Coalition for Democracies

TORONTO - The Muslim Canadian Congress has asked the Peel Regional Police and the Attorney General's office to investigate the role of the Canadian Coalition for Democracies in whipping up anti-Muslim hysteria after a contested Liberal Party nomination meeting in Mississauga.

Unfortunate remarks made by some members of the crowd have been attributed falsely to Omar Alghabra, a Muslim candidate in Mississauga Erindale and the issue has taken an unacceptable racist tone.

Atique Azad, a member of the MCC Board, said, "I attended the meeting and was there when Alghabra spoke. At no stage during this time did Omar Alghabra utter any words that he is being accused of saying. The attack on Omar Alghabra by the Canadian Coalition for Democracies is a thinly disguised attempt to portray Muslims as the evil bogeyman in Canadian politics."

Azad said that someone in the crowd did raise Islamic slogans and speak about the rise of Muslim power, but neither Omar Alghabra nor Canada's Muslims should not have to be held responsible for the stupidity and irresponsible remarks of an individual. "Law enforcement agencies must intervene and put an end to this attack on Canada's Muslim community," Azad added.

Tarek Fatah, a founding member of the MCC said that the sad developments in Mississauga Erindale are the direct result of political parties using ethnic and religious communities to win nomination battles. "Sooner or later this mixing of religion, race and politics would have exploded in our face. What has happened in Mississauga Erindale is the chickens coming home to roost," he added.

For too long Canada's political parties have manipulated mock ethno-religious conflicts in nomination meetings to generate membership funds and give the false sense of political participation of marginalised minority communities said Fatah.

"Across this country mainstream politicians have played one community against another in a classic orientalist style to win nomination battles. This encouragement of tribalism must end," said Fatah. The role of the so-called Canadian Coalition for Democracies has been shameful and despicable, he added.

"We must be supporting political parties and candidates on the basis of their platforms and principles, not their race or religion. Unfortunately, in Mississauga Erindale Liberal Party nomination meeting, the politics of ethnicity, religion and tribalism triumphed over policy and platform allowing Islamophobes to flex their muscle," said Tarek Fatah.

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For more information, please call Atiq Azad at 416 822-4949 or Tarek Fatah at 416 953-1798