Conduit Compromised

"I've been there [Cross Cultural Roundtable on National Security] longer than Stephen Harper has been prime minister."
"I've probably done more than anyone else in Canada [to intervene with vulnerable Muslim youth becoming radicalized]. And because we're exposed to certain information that's not public and we work with the RCMP and CSIS, I have security clearance and my background has been vetted. There are no links to anything of concern."
Hussein Hamdani, lawyer, Hamilton, Ontario

Hussain Hamdani

"An independent and non-partisan website describing the means and methods used by Islamist organizations and leaders in order to further their program in Canada."
Point de Bascule, blog, Marc Lebuis

Another organization led by Hussein Hamdani also collaborated with ISNA-Canada AFTER the charitable status of one of its substructures was revoked because it was involved in the funding of an entity linked with terrorism.

Well, certainly this is a well-connected man who appears, over the years, to have ingratiated himself with government agencies who have become reliant on his cooperation and advice, giving Canada's security agencies some ingress into the Muslim community because of Mr. Hamdani's status within that community. A man who has been trusted and whose advice has been relied upon, it would seem.

And suddenly - not. Investigators with the Quebec-based blog, Point de Bascule, appear to have unveiled some unsavoury allegations targeting the man. Uncovering little hints here and there that all is not as it appears. Fitting snugly into that old adage that where there's smoke, there's fire, the government agencies which once relied upon the man have now distanced themselves from him, and he is rather upset.

The Cross Cultural Roundtable on National Security where Mr. Hamdani has sat as a member since 1995 boasts 15 members representing different ethno-cultural communities in Canada, as befits an immigrant-based pluralist society. Their function is to bridge any possible gaps of understanding between the communities and government. When they meet they "focus on emerging developments in national security matters and their impact on Canada's diverse and pluralistic society".

It's odd that before the Point de Bascule blog highlighted some of Mr. Hamdani's quite questionable alliances, including accommodation with the Muslim Brotherhood, raising funds that benefit jihad, arranging conferences with al-Qaeda links, his allegiance to Canada and to moderating between Muslims who might pose a threat to Canada was never questioned. Though the blog's editor, Mr. Lebuis was asked to testify before the Senate's Committee on National Security and Defence.

As matters now present themselves, Mr. Hamdani himself dismisses any suspicions lodged against him as political, a reflection of his support for the federal Liberal Party. His role in organizing a World Muslim Summit in Toronto with questionable background certainly singles him out with a question mark. His travel to the West Bank and meeting with Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, raises many questions.

But Mr. Hamdani scorns those questions, casting aspersions instead on the political agenda of the Conservative-led government, infused with 'Islamophobia' and intent on sowing fear and distrust among Canadians for Muslim citizens. "There's a campaign to make Canadians afraid of Muslims and the religion of Islam", he contends predictably. As though Islamists themselves haven't caused fear by their actions and suspicion of Islamic injunctions to violent jihad.

"The corollary is that only the Conservatives can save us from the Muslims, so they frighten people before the federal election", he averred smugly. "At best, it speaks volumes of the low regard for security agencies that protect Canadians, and at worst it's a political witch hunt based on innuendos and guilt by association", added Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

"The decision to suspend Hamdani has damaged the trust of Canadian Muslims. It really calls into question whether the government wants to work with Canadian Muslims or use them as a political punching bag." A position supported by the lead author of a report published by the Centre for American Progress on anti-Islam organizations who states that Point de Bascule may represent a portion of an international "Islamophobia network".

Sounds awfully familiar, just about all of it.