COMMUNIQUÉS ET DÉCLARATIONS DE NOUVELLES
Federal bill on niqab undermines fundamental rights, says national advocacy group
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa - June 19, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties & advocacy organization, says the federal government's announcement of new legislation to ban the niqab (face veil) from citizenship oaths only undermines Canada's cherished principles of freedom and equality for all.
The government announced today its introduction of the Oath of Citizenship Act which will require new citizens to show their faces while taking the oath during citizenship ceremonies.
The Federal Court of Canada ...
Canadian Muslims urge Immigration Minister to clarify controversial comments
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – June 15, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization, today calls on Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander to clarify remarks he made last week which appeared to link Muslim women who wear the niqab (face veil) with terrorism.
In an open letter sent today, the NCCM urges Minister Chris Alexander to unequivocally state that women in niqab are clearly protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in practicing their faith freely in our ...
NCCM launches national hate crimes awareness project / Le CNMC lance un projet national de sensibilisation aux crimes haineux
(le français suivra)
Human rights leaders urge elected officials to do more to combat hatred; Urge Canadians to speak out and report hate
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – June 9, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) was joined by representatives of diverse Canadian communities to urge elected officials to do more to educate Canadians about the ramifications of hate crimes and to help find ways to address this phenomenon.
To bolster this effort, timed with the release of the latest police-reported hate crime data by Statistics Canada, the NCCM ...
NCCM denounces anti-Muslim vandalism in North York
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – June 8, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization, today denounces the anti-Muslim vandalism of an apartment building in North York, Ontario which occurred during the night on Sunday. According to reports, vandals spray-painted derogatory comments directed against the Prophet Muhammad on the building.
“This incident is the latest in a rash of anti-Muslim harassment and vandalism that we have been documenting in recent weeks. As we have said before, this only ...
NCCM denounces anti-Muslim hate targeting Calgary restaurant
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – June 2, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent human rights and advocacy organization, is denouncing the vandalism of a restaurant in Calgary, Alberta.
According to media reports, the wall of KOOB: The Kabob Factory on 72nd Avenue southeast was spray painted with the words “F*** Islam”. Calgary Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
See: 660 News; Calgary Herald
“The vast majority of Canadians of all backgrounds would agree that such acts represent ignorant and hateful ...
NCCM comments on Brampton soccer case
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa - May 29, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization, is issuing a statement regarding a recent media story regarding a soccer tournament in Brampton, Ontario.
A private Islamic high school soccer team refused to play with a team comprising of two female players. The coach cited the team’s commitment to upholding a religious belief that members of the opposite sex should not come into physical contact.
“Like our fellow Canadians of other faith traditions, ...
NCCM denounces two suspected hate crimes in Ontario
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – May 22, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization, today condemns two suspected hate crimes committed this week in Ontario.
According to media reports, a church in Mississauga was vandalized with graffiti earlier this week. Anti-Semitic messages were reportedly left on the building.
Also this week, a Hamilton man originally from Iraq found his car vandalized and scrawled with offensive and derogatory language referencing his Arab background.
Police are ...
NCCM welcomes court ruling freeing Omar Khadr
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – May 7, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes today’s decision by the Alberta Court of Appeal to grant Canadian citizen Omar Khadr bail after almost 13 years of incarceration in both the United States and Canada.
Born in Toronto, Khadr was just 15 years old when he was captured by American soldiers in Afghanistan in July 2002. He went on to spend nearly 10 years in the notorious U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay.
“The NCCM welcomes the ...
NCCM joins fellow Canadians in continued opposition to anti-terror bill despite passage by Parliament
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – May 7, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, joins fellow Canadians and civil society groups in vowing to continue to oppose the controversial anti-terrorism legislation, Bill C-51, passed by the House of Commons on Wednesday.
“It’s deeply unfortunate that Parliament failed to respond to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have made it clear that they oppose this overreaching legislation. Fellow Canadians from coast to coast to coast contacted ...
NCCM welcomes Alberta PC party official’s resignation; calls for party to condemn Islamophobia
-For Immediate Release-
(Ottawa – April 24, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes the resignation of a provincial campaign manager for the Alberta Progressive Conservative (PC) party.
Earlier this week, it emerged that Graham Fletcher, campaign manager for Edmonton PC candidate David Xiao, and a constituency president, had tweeted and posted anti-Muslim remarks.
The tweets and posts date back to the fall of 2014, when Mr. Fletcher wrote: “Anybody as fed up as I am having Muslims put ...