National Council of Canadian Muslims and Jason Macdonald

Jason Macdonald: A case in point came in late January, when the prime ministers communications director, Jason Macdonald, called the National Council of Canadian Muslims an organization with documented ties to a terrorist organization such as Hamas. It was a well-worn political tactic: in face of the NCCMs criticism that a rabbi accompanying the prime minister on his trip to Israel held anti-Muslim sympathies, Macdonald struck back by alleging skeletons in his accusers closet. And as the familiar pattern goes, the struck back in return, holding a press conference to announce its decision to file a notice of libel and demand an apology from the PMO, according to The Star. True, it is possible for witch-hunters to point to some faint guilt-by-association linkages of predecessor organization CAN with past Hamas supporters. But as writer Omer Aziz has noted , those linkages are so distant as to be ludicrous: it is the equivalent of calling someone a racist today because they knew someone who was racist 20 years ago and Never forget: these are charged words for Canadas ethnic or religious groups when it comes to keeping alive the memory of historical atrocities back home. But they re also charged words, in more problematic ways when they re used to justify grudge-holding and witch-hunts against individuals or groups who may have said inflammatory things in the past that no longer reflect their present positions. When this plays itself out against the background of global conflicts and ethnic groups within Canada, it opens up divisive and dangerous ground. The most immediately important thing at issue is indeed the question of whether one of Canadas leading Muslim groups actually has Hamas ties or sympathies. On this score, there is very little evidence to support that claim, and much to refute it. As the has pointed out , it has repeatedly made public statements against terrorism and condemned specific terrorist groups including Hamas. Various civil society groups have written letters of support attesting that the NCCMs principles and track record embody Canadian values. The organization has been asked by the federal government to testify before the Supreme Court and major national inquiries, and to advise national security agencies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.