Mohamed Elmasry

Mohamed ElMasry (Arabic: محمد المصري) (born December 24, 1943) is an Egyptian-Canadian professor of computer engineering at the University of Waterloo and activist for Muslim causes. He is the current president of the Canadian Islamic Congress.

Born in Cairo, Egypt in 1943, he earned a B.Sc. degree from Cairo University in 1965. After moving to Canada, he continued his studies at the University of Ottawa, and in 1974 earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

His area of specialty is digital integrated circuits and system design. From 1972 to 1974 he worked at Bell-Northern Research (which later became Nortel). Since 1974, he has taught at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers.

As a spokesman for Muslim causes through the Canadian Islamic Congress, he has been a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail. His remarks, especially those concerning the Israel-Palestine issue, are considered extremist in Canadian media. He has also been criticized for accusing his opponents of being anti-Islam, a charge that based on Islamic law could be interpreted as a death threat. He has also expressed support for groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to be allowed to operate and engage in fundraising in Canada.

October 2004 Controversy

On October 19, 2004 he appeared in a panel discussion on The Michael Coren Show to discuss the topic of "What is a terrorist?". The other members of the panel were Irfan Syed, a Muslim lawyer, Peter Merrifield, described as an expert on terrorism, and Adam Aptowitzer, representative of B'nai Brith, a Jewish advocacy group. During an exchange with the show's host, Michael Coren, he stated that anyone in Israel over the age of 18 was a justifiable target of Palestinian attacks, since all adult Israelis are "part of the Israeli army, even if they have civilian clothes. The same, if they are women in the army . . . . Everybody above 18 is a combatant." [1] He also criticized the recent bombing of hotels in Taba, Egypt on the grounds that some of the victims there were not Jews [2]. These remarks prompted harshly-worded responses from representatives of the Canadian Jewish Congress and several prominent Canadian Muslims. At first, Elmasry defended his remarks by insisting that he was merely sharing the standard Palestinian point of view. This only managed to infuriate his critics, who accused him of using the Palestinians as a scapegoat. In a letter to the Toronto Star, he denied having said what he was recorded saying on-air. [3] He later apologized for these remarks and offered to resign as president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. The board of directors rejected his offer of resignation and Elmasry continues to be its head.

Feud with Tarek Fatah

October 2004 Controversy

Regarding the October 2004 controversy involving Elmasry, Fatah had stated that "...to believe all Israelis are targets is the height of hypocrisy."

Tarek also stated that: "In refusing to step aside, Elmasry and the CIC have demonstrated the authoritarian and dictatorial nature of their structure"... "They purport to speak for Canada's 600,000 Muslims, but are not accountable or answerable to them." ... "We demand he [Elmasry] not . . . masquerade as leader of the community."

June 2006 Controversy

In June of 2006, Elmasry, named four public figures - Tarek Fatah among them - of taking every opportunity to bad-mouth Islam. Specifically, Elmasry stated that Fatah is "well known in Canada for smearing Islam and bashing Muslims."

Fatah blasted Elmasry, stating that "This is a classic threat to label anyone as an apostate and then marginalize them," ... "and this is what Mr. Elmasry has done by listing me as the top anti-Islam Muslim."

Old Testament teaches violence

Commenting in June of 2006 on the decision of United Church, in Toronto, Canada, reissued a motion to divest in Israeli companies, Elmasry stated:

“The move of the Toronto’s United Church is a moral one. But is it true to its Holy Book; the New Testament as much as Israel’s campaign of death, destruction and misery against the Palestinians under its occupation is true to its Holy Book; the Old Testament?” ... “It seems that many political leaders in the Christian West are not living the teaching of their Holy Book while Israel is living its own”

Elmasry supported this view by citing a 1953 book by French pacifist Jean Lasserre, La Guerre et L'Evangile, to make his case. Drawing on Lasserre's view that by and large, "the Old Testament ignores that respect for human life, that unconditional love, that non-violence, which [is] the general climate of the New Testament." In essence, Elmasry stated that the Old Testament promotes violence and that therefore, Jews and Israel are violent due to these religious teachings.

However, it should be pointed out that:

• Old Testament is not the caricature drawn by Lasserre,
• the Jewish religion has evolved greatly over the past 2,500 years, *and the socialists, humanitarians, and assorted post-moderns who are active Israeli life are hardly under the sway of the Torah.

Even the Arab American News criticized Elmasry for this article, stating that:

His next gaffe was the declaration that Israel's cruelty could be explained by the fact that the Old Testament is full of justification of bloody deeds by the ancient Hebrews. The inescapable corollary is that all Jews are cruel. Of course, his remarks have several flaws. Even if, for the moment, we grant the characterization of the Old Testament, it does not follow that all who claim to follow it see it that way and act accordingly. Second, a more realistic evaluation of these scriptures would recognize that they contain the work of many authors with different views produced over many centuries, with later works often more sophisticated. Amos, who delcares, "Let justice flow down like the waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream," can hardly be characterized as bloodthirsty. Finally, Elmasry's take on the Old Testament is un-Islamic. The Quran identifies some of the patriarchs in the Jewish scriptures as prophets, and it speaks respectfully of Jews and Christians as "people of the book".

Elmasry has yet to respond to these allegations. However, the article remains posted on the CIC website.

Other Controversial Remarks

"... Zionism, as a political ideology, has succeeded only in building an apartheid state for Jews; an elaborate ghetto kept separate from its Palestinian neighbors by concentrated military power, an aesthetically monstrous "security wall," economic dependency on Western support, compulsory military conscription and training (including how to kill with weapons), and a hate-based education system for Jewish children that teaches them to despise anyone and anything Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim, in that order."

"The brutality of the Israeli occupation must be further exposed; the inhumane treatment of Palestinians must be internationally and categorically rejected. Peace-loving peoples of the world must step forward and build bridges of understanding and solidarity with moderate Jews everywhere against the vicious and genocidal agenda of Zionist extremism."

"The amount of printer’s ink and broadcast air time used to promote self- hating Western Muslims is staggering. Their superficial and trivializing views are given overwhelming prominence in the Western media."

"Right wing Canadian politicians and their parties consider the "war against terror" to mean the same as "war against Muslims.""

"The pro-Israel lobby continually strive to discredit anyone who dares to speak the truth about Israeli atrocities against native Palestinians."

"... many Canadian Jewish intellectuals are assaulting Canada's policies regarding multiculturalism, immigration, and what they consider federal "giving in" to natives' land claims. They are no longer speaking out against the deterioration of civil liberties in this country."

"Mr. Bush has started a new and ugly cold war and he clearly intends to transform it into a hot one, sooner rather than later; the media and political hype will translate into real aggression, bringing death, misery and destruction to yet another Middle East state. The evil character of human greed and power-lust is about to raise its ugly specter once again and subjugate a weaker nation that refuses to toe the American line."

"It is all part of a long-planned Bush and Co. agenda and that is why you won’t find a single good word in the American mainstream media about Iran -- none, nil, zero."

"There is no need to revise the Qur'an or the teaching of Islam on the issue of homosexuality. It is clear that homosexuality is forbidden and if someone wants to insist on doing it, that is their personal decision. They will be held accountable in the end."

External links

• Elmasry's home page at the University of Waterloo
• Partial transcript of October 19, 2004 Michael Coren Show
• Article by Elmasry on October controversy
• Toronto Star article about Elmasry's October 2004 statements
• Article on October 2004 controversy
• Human Rights Watch, 11/02 "...reserve members of military forces are combatants only while on active duty, and otherwise benefit from protection as civilians."