Canadian Arab Federation

The Canadian Arab Federation was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of Arab Canadians with respect to the formulation of public policy in Canada. It presently consists of over 40 member organizations.

In discharging its political tasks, it relies on building media and government relations. CAF builds its grassroot support through various capacity building projects within the Canadian Arab community, also promoting the richness of Muslim and Arab culture.

CAF objectives include protecting civil liberties and human rights as well as combating racism and hate within Canada. It has been most vocal against recent anti-Arab and anti-Muslim activities in Canada, and has issued many position papers to the government with respect to its policies in the Middle East and its domestic policies dealing with immigration. CAF, in cooperation with the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, presented before the Arar Commission, a Canadian special commission set up to investigate the extraordinary rendition and torture of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen of Syrian origin. Arar was detained by American immigration officials at a NY airport when his flight to Toronto from Geneva had a stopover there. He was sent to Syria where he was imprisoned and tortured for a year before finally being released.

In a press release responding to the recent stepped up Israeli attacks on Gaza known as Operation Summer Rains, CAF urged the Canadian government to "join Canadian churches and unions by boycotting Israeli goods, divesting from Israeli companies, and imposing sanctions until Israel withdraws from all the occupied Arab territories, dismantles all settlements and tears down the Apartheid Wall."

The current president of the CAF, Khaled Mouammar, was elected to the post in early 2006. Mouammar was also president of the CAF in the 1970s, and again from 1980 to 1982. The current executive director is former journalist Mohamed Boudjenane.

2006 Controversy

During the Liberal Leadership contest (where delegates met to vote for the new leader of Liberal Party of Canada), a flyer was circulated electronically among convention delegates denouncing candidate Bob Rae for having once delivered a speech to the Jewish National Fund, a group the flyer said was complicit in "war crimes and ethnic cleansing."

The flyer stated that “"Rae's wife is a vice-president of the CJC (Canadian Jewish Congress), a lobby group which supports Israeli apartheid."

The Canadian Jewish Congress blamed Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation, for circulating the flyer. Mouammar accused the CJC of making "a pitiful attempt to discredit" and denied he or the CAF had any role producing or distributing the flyer.

However, Mouammar was apparently caught in a lie when the Canadian Press revealed that it had obtained an email that Mouammar had sent out in which he forwarded the flyer to others. Mouammar has not responded to this allegation. In addition, Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, wrote in the Globe and Mail that Mouammar "forwarded a mass e-mail to Muslim delegates" that included the flyer..

In addition, in a news release the CAF supported the content of the flyer, stating that “CAF believes that Canadians have the right to know the factual information provided."

Attack on the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC)

Khaled Mouammar has stated that the Canadian Jewish Congress, one of two major Jewish Organizations in Canada (the other being Bnai Brith) is “an ardent supporter of Israel, lam basts (sic) anyone who dares to criticize Israel and resorts to undermining human rights and civil liberties to protect Israel's war crimes."

2007 Award to Zafar Bangash

In June of 2007, the CAF honoured Zafar Bangash at a gala dinner for his anti-Israel activities. Bangash is an Islamist writer who has stated that Canada is a "fully paid-up member of the Anglo-Saxon mafia" (an interesting view since Canada is Bangash's adopted home.)

In February of 2004, Bangash wrote that the vast majority of Canadians -- that being non-Muslims -- are "kuffar or kufr", which means non-believers and infidels, calls on all Muslims to either commit and "prepare ourselves to make the kinds of sacrifice that were required of Ibrahim (sacrificing his son) ... or we rely solely on material resources and sink to the level of the kuffar," (Feb. 2004).

In a posting in April of 1999, Bangash wrote: "Most importantly, few Muslims realize that Allah demands of his guests that they openly declare their dissociation from the kuffar and mushrikeen (the Noble Qur'an, 9:1-3)."

In a posting in July of 1999, Bangash wrote "As Allah says in the noble Qur'an, 'Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and those who are with him are harsh towards the kuffar but kind and compassionate towards each other,' (47:29)."

Bangash is also a devout supporter of Hezbollah and Hamas, organizations that Canada has banned due to their terrorist activities.

Mouammar, however, defended Bangash, dening that he ever wrote the above comments (despite the fact they are all online at Muslimedia.com) and stating that "He's [Bangash] a man of dignity. He has no blood on his hands like those Israeli war criminals who come to Canada and are received by our politicians, like Ariel Sharon."

Other Awards

The CAF, under Mouammar, has also given awards to CUPE Ontario president Sid Ryan who pushed his union to support to boycott Israel.

Another award CAF award winner is Ehab Lotayef, a Montreal activist who led a boycott of Chapters and Indigobook stores because the owners are Jewish and support Israel."

External links

• The Canadian Arab Federation. http://www.caf.ca/.