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National Council of Canadian Muslims

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The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is a non-profit Canadian Muslim civil liberties and human rights advocacy organization.[1] The organization was established in 2000 to focus on combatting Islamophobia, hate and racism through legal action, public advocacy, education, and media representation. NCCM's mission is "to protect Canadian human rights and civil liberties, challenge discrimination and Islamophobia, build mutual understanding, and advocate for the public concerns of Canadian Muslims."[2]

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NCCM takes on cases of hate and discrimination such as Islamophobic assaults,[3][4][5] vandalism,[6] harassment,[7] employment discrimination,[8] and racial profiling.[9] NCCM also takes on major cases to challenge discriminatory laws and policies such as Quebec's Bill 21,[10] the No Fly List,[11] the Safe Third Country Act, and Bill 62.[12] NCCM frequently collaborates with partners such as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to combat encroachments on civil liberties.[13] NCCM lawyers have appeared in multiple courts including human rights tribunals and the Supreme Court of Canada.[14]

Public advocacy

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NCCM engages in lobbying all levels of government to strengthen or enact laws and policies that address Islamophobia in all its forms.[15] After the London Terror Attack in Ontario in 2021 when 4 members of a Muslim family perished in an Islamophobic attack, NCCM submitted 61 recommendations directed at municipal, provincial and federal governments to tackle Islamophobia in their jurisdictions.[16][17] NCCM has been named as a top lobbying organization in Canada by The Hill Times on multiple occasions.[18][19][20][21]

NCCM has been active on several public policy files including systemic Islamophobia in national security agencies,[22] the CRA,[23][24] policing,[25] and education.[26] NCCM also advocates on Canadian foreign policy in relation to Islamophobia, including on Canadian positions on multiple issues related to Palestine,[27] Afghanistan,[28] the treatment of Uyghurs in China[29] and the treatment of Muslims and other minorities in India.[30]

Education

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NCCM engages in anti-Islamophobia educational work with public schools,[31] educators,[32] corporations,[33] unions[34] and others. In addition, NCCM provides advocacy services to students who face Islamophobic discrimination or hate at school.[35][36]

NCCM has been involved in advocating for anti-Islamophobia strategies at multiple school boards, with the first being passed in the Peel District School Board in Ontario[37] as well as a province-wide strategy in British Columbia.[38]

Media representation

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NCCM frequently comments in the media on issues related to Islamophobia and racism, and the organization publishes op-eds in Canadian newspapers on various policy issues.[39][40][41][42][43]

Controversy

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NCCM was formerly known as the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) prior to 2013 and was independent of the U.S. organization of a similar name, CAIR.[44] In 2014, the NCCM sued former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his spokesman Jason MacDonald for defamation[45] for alleging that the organization had connections with a terrorist organization because of similar accusations directed at CAIR; however, these accusations were settled in court when Harper's spokesperson admitted that his statements regarding NCCM were wrong.[46] The Government of Canada also issued a statement disavowing MacDonald's inaccurate statement about NCCM.[46]

After the eruption of the events of October 7, 2023 in Israel and Palestine where Hamas attacked and killed Israelis and took hostages and Israel escalated attacks on Palestinian civilians in retaliation, NCCM was accused by pro-Israel lobby groups in Canada of failing to condemn Hamas' attacks.[47] While NCCM condemned Hamas and its actions on October 9, 2023,[48] it has also continued to harshly condemn Israel for its ongoing attacks on Gaza.[49]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About Us". NCCM. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "NCCM - National Council of Canadian Muslims". NCCM - National Council of Canadian Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  3. ^ Bernhardt, D (July 18, 2023). "Muslim community suggests Olive Garden attack on Black woman was motivated by hate". CBC.
  4. ^ "Edmonton man gets 16-month jail sentence for hate-motivated attack on Muslim women". CBC. October 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Paramount Fine Foods v Johnston, 2021 ONSC 5530". CanLii.
  6. ^ "Mississauga mosque's windows smashed in alleged hate crime, police say". CBC. February 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "'We have been harassed': UBC student group, Muslim organization say they are taking legal action over pro-Hamas stickers on campus". British Columbia. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  8. ^ "'CSIS is broken,' lawyer says in support of spy service employee's claim". kitchener.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  9. ^ Bahdi, Reem (2018-09-04). "Narrating Dignity: Islamophobia, Racial Profiling, and National Security Before the Supreme Court of Canada". Osgoode Hall Law Journal. 55 (2): 557–591. doi:10.60082/2817-5069.3293. ISSN 2817-5069.
  10. ^ "Hak c. Procureure générale du Québec, 2019 QCCA 2145". CanLii. December 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Factum of the intervener" (PDF). SCC.
  12. ^ "National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) c. Attorney General of Quebec, 2017 QCCS 5459". CanLii. 2017-12-01.
  13. ^ CCLA (2023-07-17). "NCCM and CCLA Continue to Challenge Quebec's School Prayer Ban". CCLA. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  14. ^ "NCCM Appears at Supreme Court of Canada on Safe Third Country Agreement". NCCM.
  15. ^ "Lobbying Profile: National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) / Conseil national des Musulmans Canadiens (CNMC)". Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  16. ^ "Recommendations: National Action Summit on Islamophobia". NCCM - National Council of Canadian Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  17. ^ "National Council of Canadian Muslims reveals anti-Islamophobia recommendations". CBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  18. ^ "Calls to combat Islamophobia prominent in record-setting June for federal advocacy". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  19. ^ "Canola industry tops most-active voices in 2022 lobbying". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  20. ^ "Environment advocacy dominates in record-breaking 2023 for lobbying". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  21. ^ "Hill Times Publishing: Lobby Monitor Top Lobbyists 2022-2023 Sitting". August 22, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  22. ^ "Groups demand Ottawa take action over CSIS discrimination claims". CBC News. January 30, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  23. ^ "Opinion: If governments want to combat Islamophobia, they will need to take a hard look in the mirror". The Globe and Mail. 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  24. ^ "Under Layered Suspicion | A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities". www.layeredsuspicion.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  25. ^ "Advocates call for inquiry as Edmonton constable accused of excessive force returns to patrol". Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  26. ^ "Ontario Combatting Islamophobia in Schools". Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  27. ^ "Canada Must Support International Law". NCCM.
  28. ^ "Canada's two-tier approach to refugees says the quiet part aloud". iPolitics.
  29. ^ "NCCM Policy Brief: Uyghur Rights". NCCM.
  30. ^ "BJP Leadership and Ethnic Cleansing Measures in India". NCCM.
  31. ^ "TDSB trustees vote to develop strategy to combat Islamophobia". CBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  32. ^ "Staff, students in this school board are learning about Islamophobia, but true test comes in real world". CBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  33. ^ "VIA RAIL CANADA TO WORK WITH THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CANADIAN MUSLIMS ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION | VIA Rail". media.viarail.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  34. ^ "Islamophobia at work requires immediate action, say Canada's unions". Canadian Labour Congress. 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  35. ^ "With anti-Muslim occurrences on the rise, schools in Canada urged to address Islamophobia". CBC. December 2, 2023.
  36. ^ Waberi, Osobe (2018-10-11). "This is what Islamophobia looks like in high school". Vice. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  37. ^ "NCCM WELCOMES PDSB'S HISTORIC ADOPTION OF ANTI-ISLAMOPHOBIA STRATEGY". NCCM - National Council of Canadian Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  38. ^ General, Attorney (2021-07-22). "Joint statement on National Summit on Islamophobia | BC Gov News". news.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  39. ^ "I have never seen it this bad". Toronto Star.
  40. ^ "With hate on the rise, it's a tough time to be a young Muslim in school". National Observer.
  41. ^ "Major banks have been cutting ties with some Muslim organizations. This is why the process should be more transparent". Toronto Star.
  42. ^ "This Ramadan, the wave of Islamophobic incidents has gotten out of hand". Toronto Star.
  43. ^ "Anti-semitism and Islamophobia are two sides of the same coin". Edmonton Journal.
  44. ^ "CAIR-CAN rebrands, changes name".
  45. ^ "Harper spokesperson forced to retract smear against Muslim organization".
  46. ^ a b "Stephen Harper's ex-spokesman admits he wrongly suggested Muslim group had terrorist ties".
  47. ^ "CIJA criticizes the NCCM for failing to condemn Hamas". twitter.com. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  48. ^ "NCCM statement condemning Hamas attacks". twitter.com. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  49. ^ "NCCM calls Canada to take action on Gaza". twitter.com. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
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