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Khaled Mouammar (L) president of CAF faces funding cuts for condemning Jason Kenney (R) |
CAIRO (Marwa Awad)
Canada's immigration minister threatened Tuesday to slash funds to the country’s largest Arab organization, despite fears that the cut would affect its ability to provide services to new immigrants, after its president denounced Canadian politicians for backing Israel's assault on Gaza.
Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation slammed Canadian politicians at an anti-Gaza war rally in Toronto calling immigration minister Jason Kenney "a professional whore" for supporting Israel's assault on Gaza.
" We should not be rewarding those who express views that are contrary to Canada's best liberal values of tolerance and mutual respect " Jason Kenney, immigration minister Jason Kenney said that groups are within legal rights to speak their mind, but cannot expect to get tax payer's money if they say intolerant and hateful things, according to news reports.
"We should not be rewarding those who express views that are contrary to Canada's best liberal values of tolerance and mutual respect," Kenney was quoted in the Ottawa Sun as saying.
The controversy began at the rally where Mouammar gave a speech condemning Canadian politicians for supporting Israel's 22-day offensive on civilians in Gaza and denouncing mainstream Canadian media for "misinforming" Canadians through misleading coverage of the war. |
Khaled Mouammar denounced Canadian politicians for their silence on the Israeli war on Gaza “We have in Canada two types of politicians, those who are professional
whores who say Israel has right to defend itself by killing women and
children with phosphorus bombs. The second type of politicians are those
who lost their tongues. All have been silent as if they lost their tongues
except for one politician who condemned Israel’s war crimes,” Mouammar
said at the rally.
(see AlArabiya.net’s Video Forum http://evideo.alarabiya.net/ShowClip.aspx?clipid=2009.02.18.13.16.44.666)
Kenney reportedly requested that government officials consider comments made by groups as part of their portfolio for funds application assessments, adding that the comments made by the Arab Federation president will affect its application once the current grant expires in March 2010.
CAF received a $447,297 contribution from Kenney’s department to run a immigrant settlement program in Toronto for two years, teaching new residents language and job search skills, according to reports. |
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Response " It is unethical for a minister to use tax money to threaten non profit community organizations and muzzle their political opinion if it displeases him " Khaled Mouammar, CAF president Mouammar said that Kenney's political stance and decision to cut funds promotes bigotry against Canada's one million Arabs and Muslims, who are less and less willing to voice their opinions in public in the midst of government backlash.
"Trying to legislate fascist laws that curtail the civil and human rights of all Canadians and muzzle criticism of Israel's war crimes [are acts] of desperation," Mouammar told AlArabiya.net referring to Kenney's plans.
"It is unethical for a minister to use tax money to threaten non-profit community organizations and muzzle their political opinion if it displeases him," Muammar said. "This tax money belongs to all Canadians and only they have the right to decide how this money is spent."
CAF's two different mandates are to provide settlement services and undertake advocacy work. While advocacy work is done by an elected committee of volunteers without pay, the settlement services are contracted to CAF by the Canadian Federal government and handled by paid employees.
The group has provided settlement services since 1997 and according to its president, is the best provider of such services in the greater Toronto area. |
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Fund cut harms newcomers " Jason Kenney’s threat to cut funding to any group that does not conform to his political viewpoint is unethical and of great concern to all immigrants and newcomers to Canada " Khaled Mouammar, CAF Mouammar says that Kenney's decision to cut funds will hamper all newcomers to Canada, not just Arabs who make up five percent of those receiving CAF's services while Chinese, South Asians and Eastern Europeans make up the remaining 95 percent of service seekers.
"Jason Kenney’s threat to cut funding to any group that does not conform to his political viewpoint is unethical and of great concern to all immigrants and newcomers to Canada," Mouammar said.
"By cutting settlement services he is perceived as trying to dissuade immigrants from coming to Canada by making it difficult," he added. |
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Dialogue needed Wahida Valiante, president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, which does not receive government funds, said that the controversy signals a lack of communication between the current Canadian government and groups like CAF.
"Canadians are not xenophobic and have always shown a unique pragmatism in dealing with both domestic and foreign policy,” she told AlArabiya.net.
“A big part of Canada’s pragmatism has been to shelve preconceptions and ideology and to engage in open, uncomfortable dialogue," she added. |
" The Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers have my phone number. I am always ready to talk. If they are not then they need to ask themselves why " Wahida Valiante, CIC president Valiante said that the Conservative federal government is yet to meet with the Canadian Arab Federation or the Canadian Islamic Congress since Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to power.
"The Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers have my phone number. I am always ready to talk. If they are not then they need to ask themselves why."
"We want the Canadian Government to look out for Canada’s interests – all Canadians."
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration office was unavailable for comment.
* To see video of Toronto rally featuring Khaled Mouammar go to AlArabiya.net Video Forum at
http://evideo.alarabiya.net/ShowClip.aspx?clipid=2009.02.15.13.03.18.362 |
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