Perspectives In Faith

"In our ongoing efforts to foster positive interfaith relations, uphold Canadian values, and combat hatred in all its forms, we wish to bring to your attention the scheduled participation of two speakers."

"We have come across troubling information regarding antisemitic messages shared by both individuals [Imam Yasir Qadhi and Imam Omar Suleiman]."

"Hatred has no place in our society, and it must be addressed unequivocally. We strongly urge you to reconsider and revoke the invitations extended to these speakers due to their public expressions of antisemitism."

"Their presence at the convention could further divide Canadian society and undermine the goodwill we strive to build among our communities."

Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation and Tafsik Organization

"Speakers included in the program are recognized for their scholarship, their adherence to law, and promotion of moral values. RIS organizers and speakers are clear in our stance against hate in all forms, including but not limited to islamophobia, antisemitism, racism and xenophobia."

"[Invited speakers agree to adhere to a conference instruction package that includes:] We will not allow for any speech that can be deemed as hate speech to b e expressed from our platform and request your support in making sure that all remarks are carefully expressed. Also, any support to organizations that are listed by the Canadian Government as 'Terrorist' or are 'Banned' in Canada, will not be permitted."

"While we understand that speakers invited may have made statements in the past that may be concerning or controversial, our team has verified that those do not reflect current views and have since been clarified and/or recanted."

Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) organizers

Imam Yasir Qadhi and Imam Omar Suleiman. Photo by LM Otero/AP; Geoff Robins/CP, File

 

"My track record for the last two-and-a-half decades speaks for itself, and I have worked with many groups, Christian, Jewish and nonreligious, in many aspects of civic society and interfaith dialogue."

"Additionally, and directly as a result of my own mistake, I have been a very vocal critic of antisemitism, and have continuously educated the Muslim community about the dangers of stereotyping and spreading hatred of an entire peoples."

"While I am a critic of specific policies of the country of Israel, even as I criticize, I continuously remind Muslims to differentiate between the policies of a nation-state, and the people who belong to a historic and ancient faith."

Imam Yasir Qadhi, Texas resident, dean, Islamic Seminary of America post-secondary religious school

A large annual convention, titled Reviving the Islamic Spirit has, over its two decades of hosting guest speakers for a large audience, is now acknowledged to be one of North America's largest Muslim meetings. Over the three days of its presentations, 32 speakers are scheduled to present, to an audience expected to be comprised of over 40,000 delegates, to take place from December 20 to December 23 in Toronto. Several of the speakers on the scheduled roster are known to have opinions on women's and gay rights, and to advocate for Sharia law.

Their inclusion on the speakers' platform by invitation has drawn the concern of two Jewish organizations; the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, a charitable organization, and Tafsik Organization, a Jewish civil rights group. The two sent a joint letter of concern to the organizers of the annual convention, objecting to the participation of two American speakers in particular: Imam Yasir Qadhi and Imam Omar Suleiman. In their response to the letter, the RIS conference organizers assured the letter-writers that their concerns have been taken seriously, but that they are confident the speakers' list will pose no problems.

Imam Qadhi, while agreeing that 23 years earlier he denied the Holocaust, but he has since learned about it, recanted his former position and apologized. His Islamic seminary education took place in Saudi Arabia (influenced by the Wahhabi ulama), according to  his professional CV, and he gained a doctorate in the United States at Yale University. His ranting anti-Holocaust comments took place in 2001 in London, England and drew outrage at that time. He had remarked that "Hitler never intended to mass-destroy the Jews", while recommending a book on the Holocaust "hoax".

He had, years later, accompanied other imams and rabbis on a trip to the remains of two Nazi concentration camps -- Auschwitz and Dachau -- and felt himself moved by the experience. He responded that he had no intention of cancelling attendance at the conference, one he attends most years, and plans to use the platform "to once again preach tolerance and acceptance of a diverse civil society". As for Imam Suleiman, an American Islamic scholar, and founder of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, based in Texas, CNN named him one of "25 influential American Muslims", in 2018. 

His online presence is notable for 3.1 million followers on Instagram, and 2.8 million followers on Facebook. He will not attend the conference in person, but plans to appear virtually. "He went on to imply that the decay of food is a blessing resulting from their existence, and later suggested that the Quran uses stories of the Bani Israel to instruct Muslims on moral conduct", the letter pointed out, in response to 2013 comments in discussion of an Islamic hadith about the "Bani Isr'il (Children of Israel)". Imam Suleiman summarized the hadith in a video: "If it was not for Bani Israel, meat would not decay ... food would never become stale".

One of the conference's sponsors in 2012 was a Palestinian aid charity that had its charitable status revoked for funding organizations with links to Hamas, designated a terrorist organization in Canada. That was the year that Justin Trudeau gave a keynote speech at the RIS conference, when he was a Liberal leadership candidate. All of Canada's political parties at one time or another are on record as having addressed the annual conference.

The Metro Toronto Convention Center. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

"CAEF's concern is that speakers with a history of posting or speaking against the Jewish faith or Jews in general, may promote more antipathy toward Jews, here in Canada."

"Antisemitism is on the rise, so it is a serious concern."

Andria Spindel, executive director, Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation

“This is the precise definition of shirk [polytheism] to make a partner along with Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He [GEBH]. And we realize that obviously shirk [polytheism] that is the opposite of tawhid [monotheism] must by necessity and by definition be the most evil of all evils as Jews and Christians are mushrikoon [polytheists] in our perspective of tawhid [monotheism] as we have studied can understand how, and only the Muslims are upon tawhid [monotheism]. And it is also the same reason, or the same principle of tawhid [monotheism] which is the first obligation upon every single human being, that he bears witness and he testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah GEBH. And it is because of this same principle of tawhid [monotheism] that the Prophet, peace be upon him, has been commanded to do jihad. Jihad is a means and not a goal of itself. It is a means to establish tawhid [monotheism] on the land. أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify لا إله إلا الله there is no God but Allah. So the whole reason why Allah GEBH has created us sent the prophets and revealed the books and differentiated us based upon this principle and allowed for jihad, is the basis and is the principle of tawhid [monotheism]. The life and property of a mushrik [polytheist, also identified as Christian] holds no value in the state of jihad. Make no respect. Notice that I said in the state of jihad, not at all times and places. The life and property of a mushrik becomes ‘halal’ [permissible] while in a state of jihad. The prophet, peace be upon him, said, and I quote the hadith before, ‘I have been commanded to fight the people until they say: ‘There is no god but Allah’ [Islamic creed declaring belief in the tawhid [monotheism], and when they say ‘There is no god but Allah’ [meaning accepting Islam], he went on, when they say ‘There is no god but Allah’ [meaning accepting Islam], their life and property become protected for me. Which means if they don’t say ‘There is no god but Allah’ [meaning accepting Islam] their life and property are halal [permissible] for the Muslims. So the Christians do commit shirk [polytheism], they are ‘kuffar’ [disbelievers] and they are mushrikoon [polytheists]. The mushrikoon [polytheists] are najis [impure, filth], they are filthy. Najasa [impurity, filth]. They are filthy, a spiritual filthiness which can only be purified by the purity of monotheism [tawhid]. Allah calls the mushrikoon [polytheists] najis [filthy] which is a very evil thing. When Allah Himself says the mushrikoon [polytheists] are najis [impure, filth], Allah is calling them najis [impure, filth], they are najasa [impurity], a filthy, impure, dirty substance.” 

Imam Yasir Qadhi