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May 29, 2010
Massacre of Ahmadiya Muslims in Pakistan:
Islamic organizations must
repudiate the label of 'heresy' hurled at Ahmadiya Muslims
MCC urges Ottawa to add Jamaat-e-Islami and
Muslim Brotherhood to list of
terrorist organizations
TORONTO - The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) has urged Islamic organizations
in Canada and the USA to declare without any ambiguity that Ahmadiya Muslims
are part and parcel of the Islamic fabric and just one more sect among the
hundreds that make up the Ummah.
In a statement condemning the slaughter on Friday of nearly one hundred
Ahmadiya Muslims in two mosques in Pakistan, the MCC said, the time for
ritualistic denunciations of terrorism is now over. "It is time for Muslims
in Canada to step up to the plate and recognize the fact that by demonizing
minority Islamic sects as non-Muslim, they have contributed to the crimes
against humanity being committed by death-cult jihadi terrorists acting in
the name of Islam," said MCC vice president Salma Siddiqui.
On Thursday--one day before the massacre--Siddiqui and MCC founder Tarek Fatah met with leaders of
the Canada's Ahmadiya Muslim community to discuss questions of security and
safety in light of rising anti-Ahmadiya propaganda, not just in Pakistan, but
right here in Canada. "It is sad that within hours of our meeting we were
faced with the nightmare unfolding in the so-called Islamic republic of
Pakistan," Ms. Siddiqui added.
The MCC statement said Islamic leaders in Canada have not only declared the
Ahmadiya Muslims as heretic, they also refer to the Ismaili Muslims as not
real Muslims and mock their practices as unislamic and unworthy of respect.
The MCC statement said, "it is a pity that the only two sects of Islam that
have committed themselves to peace and reconciliation are today labelled
'unislamic' by the mainstream mosque establishment in North America and
their mentors in Saudi Arabia and Iran."
In the statement, the MCC also blamed the major media outlets in Pakistan
for inflaming the rhetoric against Ahmadiya, Ismaili and Shia Muslims. In
particular, the MCC pointed out GEO Television that is seen across the USA,
Canada and the UK. This network has become the voice of al-Qaeda and the
Taliban and spreads hate against these communities as well as against
non-Muslims and is spreading this message inside Canada. GEO Television has
created an incendiary climate of fear among Pakistan’s Muslim minority sects
as well non-Muslim religious minorities.
The MCC statement said it is also deeply troubled by the links between
Pakistan's fanatic jihadi outfits and the Muslim Brotherhood, the
Jamaat-e-Islami who have affiliates in the USA and Canada. It called upon
the Canadian government to declare the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim
Brotherhood along with Jaish-e-Muhammad, Sipah Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
as terrorist organizations for their support of Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
The
MCC urges Ottawa to bar the entry in Canada of anyone associated with these
groups and to ensure their Canadian affiliates are monitored to ensure they
do not pose a threat to liberal and progressive Muslims as well as Ahmadiya
and Ismaili Muslims in Canada. The Jamaat-e-Islami in particular has a
network across Canada and is spreading a harsh and hostile attitude among
Muslim Canadian youth towards non-Muslims and Canada.
"The Canadian affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Jamaat-e-Islami
are no less hostile towards minority Muslim sects and the West, but have
developed the ability to watch what they say as they build their power base
through their infiltration of the media, political parties and their
takeover of this country's mosque establishment," said Ms. Siddiqui.
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For more information:
In Toronto call Tahir Gora at 905-320-0906
In Ottawa call Salma Siddiqui at 613-864-4306
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