Message
naming two community
leaders
being probed by police
A message left Monday on the voice mail of the secretary
general for the Muslim Canadian Congress warned that
organization members must "cease from your campaign of
smearing Islam" or "I will slaughter you."
The message mentioned congress founder Tarek Fatah and
current president Farzana Hassan-Shahid by name. Both have
openly criticized the politicization of Islam and alleged
influence of Iran and Saudi Arabia in Canadian mosques.
It's not the first time they've been threatened.
Hassan-Shahid said since publishing her book Islam,
Women and the Challenges of Today, she has been heckled
and had her home vandalized.
"But swearing by God that `I will do this and slaughter all
of you,' that's pretty chilling," Hassan-Shahid said
yesterday.
Canada's Secretary of State for Multiculturalism said he was
deeply disturbed by the threat and had notified Public
Safety Minister Stockwell Day about the case. "Threats of
violence against individuals for their political or
religious views have no place in this country," Jason Kenney
told reporters here yesterday.
"It's totally unacceptable and I would hope the whole
community – both the Muslim communities and the broader
community – would stand in solidarity with those who are
being threatened."
Fatah is well-known for his opposition to Sharia law, having
campaigned against a 2005 effort to introduce the religious
arbitration courts into Ontario law. The Muslim congress has
also lobbied for the right of women to lead prayers in
mosques and against mandatory requirements to don the hijab.
Those who oppose his views accuse Fatah of monopolizing the
media's attention and fostering Islamophobia.
He said a threat last August persuaded him to resign as
communications director for the Muslim Canadian Congress,
but he still writes newspaper editorials, hosts a current
affairs show and is writing a book.
Fatah says both he and Hassan-Shahid will continue to speak
out but are frustrated with the lack of public debate and
the inability to air their views without the threat of
violence.
"It's the youth I'm trying to reach out to with respect to
providing a different perspective on Islam and women's
rights and progress in general and nobody seems very
interested in even entertaining another viewpoint,"
Hassan-Shahid said yesterday.
"It does surprise me a bit because Canada is a very open
society and has always tolerated dissent. I feel that the
subculture among traditional Muslims within Canada seems to
be extremely insular, seems to not want to integrate at
all."
Toronto police Sgt. Jim Hogan, former head of the Hate Crime
Unit, said crimes motivated by hatred for religious or
ethnic groups tend to fluctuate year by year and often
relate to current events either in Canada or abroad. The
unit tallied 15 reports of anti-Muslim hate crimes last
year. That's up from only one in 2000, but down from the
spike in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.
