TORONTO — The Muslim Brotherhood has established a “significant presence” in Canada, says a study released Tuesday that asks whether the government should follow the lead of the United Kingdom and launch an investigation into the group.
Calling the Brotherhood the “antithesis” of Canadian laws and values, the study urged Ottawa to deny public support and charity status to organizations aligned with the group, which promotes political Islam as an alternative to Western-style democracy.
The report is “intended to focus public attention on the requirement to have a national level discussion on the Muslim Brotherhood and its role in Canada,” said Tom Quiggin, the former Privy Council intelligence analyst who authored the study.
Mr. Quiggin, a court-recognized expert on terrorism, wrote the study without government or private funding. “Questions need to be raised about the accreditation, public funding and charity status of the organizations involved,” he said.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in the 1920s by the Egyptian cleric Hassan Al-Banna, whose writings were hostile to the West and envisioned its downfall, proposing instead a “world living under the tranquility of Islam.”
To achieve this, he called for reforms that included mandatory memorization of the Koran in schools, igniting “the spirit of Islamic jihad” in youths, censorship of music and films, and confiscation of books and newspapers.
Almost a century later, the Muslim Brotherhood is a controversial revivalist movement and political party in the Middle East. It is facing a crackdown in its home base, Egypt, following the ouster of Mohamed Hersi by the military.
The report comes a month after Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney announced the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy — Canada (IRFAN) had been placed on Ottawa’s list of banned terrorist groups. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, IRFAN had merged with the Jerusalem Fund for Human Services, which was allegedly set up by a Muslim Brotherhood committee.
IRFAN had funnelled $15-million to groups linked to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch, auditors claimed. IRFAN was a registered charity at the time but has since had its status revoked. The RCMP is investigating. IRFAN denies knowingly funding Hamas.
Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, declined to comment on what he called a “foreign political organization.” But he said the NCCM was not affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Writing in the Winnipeg Free Press on May 16, Mr. Gardee called an article about the Muslim Brotherhood co-authored by Mr. Quiggin a “conspiracy-laden diatribe that, in a sweeping stroke, smeared our long-standing Canadian organization as ‘terrorists’ and despicably suggested we intend to destroy Canada from within.”
“The government of Canada may wish to pursue a wider investigation into the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood with a particular focus on its activities in Canada and the USA. Cooperation or information sharing with the proposed investigation in the United Kingdom may be useful,” the report says.
Such a probe should examine which Canadian groups with Muslim Brotherhood affiliations have charity status and access to the government, it says. The Canada Border Services Agency may also want to screen foreign nationals for membership in the Brotherhood.
It also recommends the government consider requiring those advocating the spread of Muslim Brotherhood ideology to register as lobbyists. In addition, the report says charities receiving funding from overseas should be required to publicly report the sources of their foreign donations.
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