Ottawa, Canada - The Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) is calling on the federal government to review the application for a Canadian visa by Mr. Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who has been invited to speak in Canada this weekend.

“Our research suggests that Qazi Hussain Ahmad is the name of a notorious Pakistani Islamist banned in 2007 from entering Egypt, and in 2004 from entering over 25 European countries for reasons of National Security,” said Alastair Gordon, President, CCD. “We have confirmed that a man by this name has been invited to speak at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) 34th annual convention endorsed by the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA Canada), and the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), and sponsored by Human Concern International (HCI).”

Qazi Hussain Ahmad is the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical Islamist movement based in Pakistan. Should the invitee to the ISNA conference be the same Qazi Hussain Ahmad, it is troubling that he has been invited to visit Canada and address Muslim youth at a conference whose theme is “Our Youth, Our Future: Path to Paradise.”

“If the government should confirm that this invitee is the same person who is denied entry to over 25 countries, then Mr. Ahmad must likewise be barred from entering Canada,” said Naresh Raghubeer, Executive Director, CCD. “Moreover, if Mr. Qazi Hussain Ahmad is the same person as the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, those organizations sponsoring his visit must explain to Canadians why they sought to expose Canadian Muslim youth to such a radical influence.”

In 2006, the Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN), the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), the Islamic Society of North America-Canada (ISNA), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) pledged “to move forward to protect and safeguard Canada, to take a leadership role in challenging extremism.”

“If these same groups have, in fact, invited the extremist leader of Jamaat-e-Islami to address Muslim youth in Canada, then Canadians will need to understand how this action aligns with a pledge to challenge extremism,” added Raghubeer.

In 2006, the Harper Government took steps to bar another Islamist, Sheikh Riyadh Ul Haq, from Canada after CCD made public audio recordings of his promotion of hatred against homosexuals, Hindus, Jews, and others.

“The RCMP, CSIS and the Government of Canada have an opportunity and a duty to protect Canadians from the horrors that such incitement has caused around the world,” added Gordon.

For more information, please contact:
Naresh Raghubeer, Executive Director, CCD +1-613-216-2095

If you would like to comment on this statement or other topics relating to foreign policy, please visit our public message forum and post your comments:
http://canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/30658.shtml

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Founded in 2003, the Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) is a national, non-partisan, multi-ethnic, multi-religious organization of concerned Canadians dedicated to civil liberties, national security and the protection and promotion of democracy at home and abroad. CCD focuses on research, education and media publishing to build a greater understanding of the importance of national security and a pro-democracy foreign policy. http://canadiancoalition.com

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Related: Islam, Canada, Pakistan, National Security / Intelligence

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