Written July
19, 2009
Assalamu-aleykum warahmatullah wa
barakatuh,
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.
Ever since I learned about the whole
concept of an “Islamic Convention”, I have been attending
them left and right. I absolutely love going to RIS but
there is something that recently occurred that I found
disappointing for such an organization of a high repute.
In particular, it is the lax attitude that is being put
forth recently when it comes to lending the RIS brand to
others. Therefore, as a loyal attendee and also someone
who tries to participate at the grassroots level in
maintaining bridges within the Muslim community I would
like to offer some sincere advice.
If you have a brand, you must ensure
that it does not become tainted by affiliating it with
causes (directly or indirectly) that is contrary to its
stated principles. This is where I believe RIS has fallen
short of the expectations of its followers by allowing
Muslim Day at Canada’s Wonderland to ride out its
brand in order for a ‘trickle-down’ effect to occur to its
so-called “Partner Organizations”.
On a theological level, many of the
organizers at RIS might have similarities when it comes to
a group like the Ahlus Sunnah Foundation (although,
that could very well be a generalization on my part) but
these two organizations have very different stated
political goals. The former aims to build bridges within
the Muslim community while the other is highly divisive –
in particular, as expressed by its spearhead Ahmed
Amiruddin, who is notorious within the community for
throwing around words like “extremists/islamists/radical/salafi/wahabi,
etc.” like they were on sale at a dollar store, all over
the media. He is on the same level as Tarek Fatah when it
comes to his views but he somehow still finds a way to
maneuver within the Muslim community. He created a
so-called "12-step extremist detox program" for
“radical” Muslims which he described in one media report
to be composed of Muslims who refuse to listen to music
and celebrate the birthday of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi
wassalam). Here is the list:
Masjid el Noor's 12-Step Extremist Detox Program:
1
Who is Allah: His Mercy to all.
2 Using verses from the Holy Koran that speak of
peace and good conduct.
3 Who is Muhammad: His mercy, kind manner, humble
attitude, wisdom, patience.
4 Using hadith: Commentaries that provide ethics
and other moral training.
5 Using stories of Companions: A knowledge-based
life of academic pursuit.
6 Stories from history: Contexts and underlying
factors, not always glory of God.
7 Islamic scholarship: What it seeks for the
individual to know, and how.
8 Abrahamic Faith: The interconnectedness of
Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
9 Other faiths: Common ground, not fighting ground.
10 Open society of Canada: What it means for the
majority (how to reconcile dogmatic idealism with
pragmatic realism).
11 Seeing the whole as one: Global challenges
affecting us all.
12 Advocacy: Actively countering extremist ideology
through education, public speaking and writing
Of course, on the surface who
exactly is going to disagree with these points? As
attendees of RIS have learned from many of the scholars
who have come to speak: context means everything.
You can have an idea of what context this program
function in by looking at the people who are spearheading
the program and that only takes some rudimentary
observational skills.
The basis of the program is highly
questionable because it is a reflection of its author.
Unfortunately, this is not a theological issue, it never
has been and never will be. This is a political issue that
concerns the safety of Muslims and non-Muslims in Canada.
In light of last year’s invite given
to Maher Arar, the lax attitude being shown by RIS
when it comes to its brand lending is difficult to fathom.
CSIS was held responsible for Arar’s torture along with
many other cases (such as Omar Khadr) and Amiruddin
constantly seeks out the support of Canadian Security
Intelligence Service (CSIS) for his initiatives and he
openly says this in the media. Whether he actually has it
or not is something that has never been publicized.
Mohammed Shaikh, the director of the Masjid el Noor
mosque in Toronto, is also connected to the program. He is
the father of Mubin Shaikh who is well-known for
his infiltration of the supposed “terrorist plot” by the
Toronto 18 (which has shrunk significantly, no
major convictions and a minor who was basically convicted
of shoplifting). This is an issue inherently connected to
CSIS who has been called out as having a human rights
problem which they are in denial of.
No one is asking RIS to take a stance on the Toronto 18
and the Omar Khadr case which are examples on a very
long list. Like any organization, RIS would naturally irk
away until everything in the case becomes crystal clear.
Thus, it becomes safe and it will not hurt the
organization. That is completely fine and understandable.
When it came to Maher Arar, I am sure that it was easy to
invite him to speak about his experience after his ordeal
was over, but I highly doubt that any of the organizers
were kicking down his door when CSIS was busy making his
life a living hell. Of course, this is but one case that
highlights the problem with CSIS. Again, who knows what
the official connection is with the Detox Program, CSIS,
Amiruddin, Ahlus Sunnah Foundation, (name/organization
omitted) and Muslim Day. One thing is for
sure, they all share the same gym bag. Such shadiness
continues to survive because of seemingly innocent
get-togethers.
Muslim Day at Canada’s Wonderland is
a yearly event that provides a large discount for
attendees. The price cut alone will entice anyone. Throw
in the potential large gathering of Muslims and the fun
atmosphere, it is impossible to resist. Nevertheless, it
is difficult to ignore everything that is going on behind
the scene of something that is supposed to be innocent.
In previous years, the Ahlus Sunnah
Foundation has been openly advertising for Muslim Day.
Likewise, Muslim Day organizers have been openly
advertising ASF. Once you figure out that the leads for
each are brothers, you cannot help but to sympathize a bit
because I guess it is kind of expected with siblings. For
each to closely align their organizations with each other
for mutual benefit but then you realize that they are
adults. You can only maintain this frame of thinking if
you choose to ignore what Ahlus Sunnah Foundation stands
for politically and that they are no longer juveniles. It
also becomes difficult to ignore the amount of money that
Muslim Day most likely rakes in every single year from
both tickets (they claim +10,000 attend) and sponsorships
– not to mention the political clout they get from
politicians. The question that automatically comes to
mind is: where is the money going?
While it is mentioned that part of
the money is going to a charitable organization, is there
any paperwork to substantiate that claim like any other
organization? How much is going into organizational cost?
Keeping in mind who they are, how much are organizers
pocketing? Regardless of what the answer is, one cannot
help but to wonder if part of it is getting received by
Ahlus Sunnah Foundation.
When Muslim Day at Canada’s
Wonderland was called out this year for its open
association with ASF, they made sure that it is no longer
directly associated with it on its advertising materials.
As a solution, a ‘sly’ (I use this term very loosely in
this case) technique was utilized by openly associating
with the organization (name/organization omitted). The stated
goals of the group sound fine until you start scrolling
through their website. In fact, it’s right on the front
page as they are asking for donations payable to the Ahlus
Sunnah Foundation and they are also promoting the detox
program.
On a grassroots level, the only
thing that people in the Muslim activist community can and
should do is address the issue of CSIS. Following the lead
of organizations such as Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties
Association, Canadian Arab Federation, CAIR-CAN and many
more (Muslims and non-Muslims who want to help), the
energy should be directly aimed at stopping CSIS. That
being said, it does not take much effort to ask: Why is
your organization getting involved with such shadiness?
I hope that this letter is not taken
as an attack toward RIS. I am merely giving an advice that
I hope would be echoed by people within the Muslim
community if they understand where I am coming from. I
tried my best not to speak on the issue but when the RIS
name is being dragged through the mud by such shady
characters and RIS seems to be completely oblivious to it
(or just do not care), as a loyal attendee, I feel that it
is my responsibility to say something, to protect
something that I value and love.
I do not know why Muslim Day has
been claiming that RIS is its organizational partner for
years now. I know that RIS tabled at Muslim Day but does
that mean they are organizational partners? Mutual
advertising through e-mail lists? Some of the organizers
know each other personally? Organization partners and
official sponsors imply something completely different.
I do not know what the answers are
but people should start asking. The voices may not pile up
in a matter of days, months or even years but in the long
run people will begin asking. I can only speak to my
circle of influence. As it relates to the organizations
dragging the RIS brand through the mud, you can only hide
for so-long under the guise of innocent events before
people start wondering what is going on.
Again, I mean all this with the most
utmost sincerity and insha’Allah it would be taken that
way. If people do question my sincerity and even my choice
to speak on this, Allah (subhanahu wa’ta ala) knows best.
In the spirit of resistance,
Critical Mood
