Canada: 130 groups demand a stop to ‘prejudiced audits’ of Muslim charities

The Canadian Press reports:

A national civil liberties coalition says a secretive division of the Canada Revenue Agency is unfairly targeting Muslim charities for audits based on flimsy reasoning, amounting to discrimination.

The Middle East Eye states:

More than 130 civil society groups, charities and Muslim organisations in Canada have signed a letter urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet to probe what they call unfair tax audits that target and remove the status of Muslim charities.

83% of signatories to this letter are Islamic organizations. Among the others are recognized anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) advocates, such as Canadians For Justice and Peace in the Middle East and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. See the list HERE.

The politicization of a recent brutal tragedy is also in the mix:

At a vigil following the killing of the Muslim family, Trudeau said that “Islamophobia is real. Racism is real. You should not have to face that hate in your communities, in your country.”

The Liberal government has continued to manipulate the murders to fuel its drive against the freedom of speech in Canada. See more HERE.

An argument is presented in the signed letter that Muslim charities are being unfairly centered out, with accusations of discrimination against the Canada Revenue Agency. The defense: “Not a single Muslim charitable organization, or individual associated with one, has been charged with a terrorist financing crime.”

This hollow argument is sure to fool many, but the fact that charges have not been made proves absolutely nothing. For example, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service revealed that since 2017, dozens of jihadis have been walking free in Canada, and authorities won’t charge them. Why? It takes years to establish enough evidence to bring charges against an individual or organization linked to foreign jihadist groups. That is, if charges can be successfully made at all. Jihad networks are highly complex; this works to the benefit of groups which may be linked to them. This is why groups and individuals which are openly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood are often not charged in Western societies, despite being named on an exhaustive list of “unindicted co-conspirators” in the financing of Hamas. Many of these offshoots are operational in Canada as well. In non-democratic countries such as Egypt, Russia, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Muslim Brotherhood has been an outright banned and designated a terrorist entity.

Among those unindicted co-conspirators, it is widely known that every case did not lead to a charge. Andrew McCarthy points out the legal reasons why:

Usually, big conspiracies involve many more people and entities than the handful of defendants who are standing trial on the indictment. Sometimes the prosecution does not know who all of the bad actors are, sometimes it knows them but hasn’t gathered enough evidence to charge them yet, and sometimes it has enough evidence but hasn’t charged them publicly for various strategic reasons (e.g., they’re likely to go on the lam if they learn they are suspected). The existence of these unindicted coconspirators is important. Let’s say one of them told an undercover agent that the defendant was involved in the plot. That statement is admissible under evidentiary rules. That is, a defendant can be convicted of conspiracy based on the statements of a coconspirator, even if that coconspirator has not been charged in the case.

Many Muslim charities in Canada are offshoots of established unindicted co-conspirators in America, including the National Council of Canadian Muslims, which has its roots in the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). In fact, it was once named The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Canada. Despite the NCCM’s efforts to distance itself from CAIR, Point du Bascule Canada points out:

In a 2003 trademark case, then-CAIR-CAN Chair Sheema Khan stated in an affidavit that CAIR “has direct control” over CAIR-CAN’s activities.

Another organization is the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), which has chapters all over the country. Its Muslim Brotherhood roots are self-declared. See an article screenshot HERE. The MAC’s declaration is as follows:

MAC roots are deeply enshrined in the message of Prophet Mohammad. It’s modern roots can be traced to the vigorous intellectual revivalist effort that took hold in Muslim societies starting in the early twentieth century. This revival aimed at reconciling faith with the challenges of modernity and providing a clear articulation of balance and moderation in understanding Islam. In the Arab world, this revival culminated in the writings of the late Imam Hassan al-Banna and the movement of the society of Muslim Brothers (commonly known as the Muslim Brotherhood). Al-Banna’s core messages of constructive engagement in society, focus on personal and communal empowernment, and organizational development had a deep impact on much of the Muslim world. 

And in 2015, some of the group’s activities were exposed:

Given the historic and current established link of some Muslim charities to jihad terror, there is a great deal of cause for concern.

In Canada, the National Post reported:

Conflict in Gaza is always apt to stoke ill will against the Canadian Jewish diaspora, but ever since a new round of Hamas-fired rockets began streaking towards Israel in late April, Jewish leaders are reporting that anti-Semitic hatred has taken a particularly sinister turn.

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Semitic groups are alive and well in Canada and elsewhere, as recently demonstrated by the turnout of thousands to virulently anti-Semitic protests.

In 2014, the Stephen Harper Conservative government, following revocation of another Muslim group’s (IRFAN-Canada) charitable status by Revenue Canada, concluded:

IRFAN-Canada is a not for profit organization operating in Canada. Between 2005 and 2009, IRFAN-Canada transferred approximately $14.6 million worth of resources to various organizations associated with Hamas, a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.

The demand made by the signatories to the Trudeau government bear profound implications for Canada, Israel, and the West in general. They also come as no surprise, and in fact should have been an expected next step as Islamic lobbies up the ante. As noted by Middle East Eye:

The letter, sent by groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the Edmonton Islamic Centre, the London Muslim Mosque and others, calls on the Canadian government to issue a review of the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) processes in auditing charitable organisations in the country to ensure there is no bias or racial prejudice.

It is an agenda-driven letter, propelled by questionable organizations that seek to protect themselves against any possibility that they could one day be outlawed, as was IRFAN-Canada.

“More than 130 groups call on Canada to stop ‘prejudiced audits’ of Muslim charities,” Middle East Eye, June 25, 2021:

More than 130 civil society groups, charities and Muslim organisations in Canada have have signed a letter urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet to probe what they call unfair tax audits that target and remove the status of Muslim charities.

The letter, sent by groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the Edmonton Islamic Centre, the London Muslim Mosque and others, calls on the Canadian government to issue a review of the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) processes in auditing charitable organisations in the country to ensure there is no bias or racial prejudice.

“Targeting Muslim charities on the basis of terrorist financing suspicions simply because of the religion they uphold is Islamophobic and prejudiced,” the letter read.

“Not only are Muslim organizations being targeted by the government with questionable and unfounded allegations of promoting radicalization, the process of an audit, and possible revocation, creates a chilling effect that can cripple the Canadian Muslim charitable community.”

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Dismantling this prejudice is the first step in fighting against hate, the letter said.

It also called for an “immediate moratorium” on all audits targeting Muslim charities until a review is completed.

A recently released report from the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group said the CRA worked with national security agencies to carry out audits that unfairly target Muslim charities with little accountability.

The study reported that from 2008 to 2015, 75 percent of the organisations whose charitable status was revoked following audits were Muslim charities. At least another four charities have had their status pulled since then.

The report also said that despite the revocations, none of the Muslim charitable agencies or associated individuals had been charged with a terrorist-financing crime.

When organisations lose their charitable status, donors can no longer claim the funds as a tax deduction, causing a drop in contributions.

In May 2020, the Ottawa Islamic Centre had its charitable status revoked by the CRA because it said mosque speakers had pursued “activities that promote hate and intolerance”.

‘Violation of fundamental rights’
Jeremy Bellefeuille, acting communications director at the revenue ministry, told Middle East Eye that the federal revenue agency was at arm’s-length from the office of the Revenue Minister and did not “instruct the CRA to begin audits, nor do they intervene in audits under way”.

“Our government continues to work to end discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability,” Bellefeuille said.

“The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) does not select registered charities for audit based on any particular faith or denomination.”

The letter comes amid a national conversation in Canada around the issue of Islamophobia, after four members of a Muslim family were run down and killed by a man driving a pick-up truck, in what police described as an act fuelled by hate.

Earlier this week, police reported another “hate-fuelled act” in which a man attacked two young hijab-wearing women, leaving one unconcious and holding another at knife-point.

At a vigil following the killing of the Muslim family, Trudeau said that “Islamophobia is real. Racism is real. You should not have to face that hate in your communities, in your country”.

“Action on this is urgent and crucial…….