CLAIMS THAT CRA IS ISLAMOPHOBIC

In 2018 the CRA Charities Directorate revoked the charity status of the Ottawa Islamic Centre and As-Salam Mosque. In their letter of revocation, there were claims made against two highly-respected, faith-based leaders, Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick and Imam Said Rageah — both  members of Canadian Council of Imams (CCI). The Mosque was accused of promoting “hate and intolerance.” The CRA’s revocation was widely distributed among media circles where the allegations spread, despite barely meeting the lowest threshold for reliable information. The allegations were completely unfounded and are outright false. Although the CCI raised complaints about Islamophobia, the CRA has never retracted their defamatory statements, nor have they apologized for the damage done.

Relatedly, after a year of investigations, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) have issued findings of Islamophobia and bias against Canadian Muslim charities in a report entitled ‘Under Layered Suspicion’. As a result of their findings, they have called for the suspension of the Review and Analysis Division (RAD) of the CRA which has been responsible for these issues.

 This is not something unique to this governmental agency. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have all been investigated for the prevalence of, overt anti-Muslim hatred in their members or staff, and systemically in their policies.