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The Khilafah Conference and the Existential Risk to all Canadians

Writer's picture: Mark SandlerMark Sandler
Khilafah Conference logo: eliminating the obstacles that are delaying its return.

In my last editorial, “Enough is Enough,” I detailed the ways in which the authorities in some jurisdictions are inadequately addressing unlawful activities that regularly take place during anti-Israel protests and demonstrations. In Part 2 of that editorial, to be published later this month, I will outline some positive developments that have taken place in addressing hate activities (although far from sufficient) and what our community and allies can do to promote a new approach in 2025.


Today, I wish to address an event that has already attracted a great deal of attention: Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada’s “Khilafah” conference scheduled to be held at a location as yet undisclosed on January 18. Khilafah refers to a global Islamic caliphate. The conference’s title, "Eliminating the Obstacles that are Delaying its Return", and the topics to be discussed, “Nationalism and the Regimes - Frontline Enemies of Islam”, “The Colonialist Powers: Busting Myths and Erasing Our Fears”, “Only the Khilafah Will Liberate Palestine”, “Despairing in the Victory of Allah (SWT) is Forbidden - Trusting in Him is an Obligation” are unambiguous in their Jihadist objectives.


Hizb ut-Tahrir, meaning Party of Liberation, operates (sometimes clandestinely) in a number of countries around the world, although banned in Germany, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Russia, China, various Central Asian countries and in all Arab countries, except Lebanon, Yemen, and the UAE. The 2024 version of this “Khilafah” conference was cancelled in Canada shortly after the United Kingdom’s ban. Its Home Secretary described Hizb ut-Tahir as an “antisemitic organization that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks.”


A screenshot from HT Canada's Instagram account promoting the Khilafah conference.
A screenshot from HT Canada's Instagram account promoting the Khilafah conference.

ALCCA supports the initiatives of a number of Canadian community organizations to shut down this extremist conference and to urge the federal government to add Hizb ut-Tahir to the prohibited organizations listed under the Criminal Code. In this week’s newsletter, we amplify CIJA’s call to action and urge its adoption by all our readers.


Rather than duplicate the good work already being done to address this specific conference, I wish to identify several systemic issues it raises. After all, this is just the latest in a series of conferences, or events, involving Jihadist speakers designed to gain adherents in Canada.


Make no mistake about it. Jihadist hate speech has severe consequences. One need only consider the many acts of terrorism world-wide inspired by such hate speech, including those crimes motivated by agitators affiliated with Hizb ut-Tahrir or its fellow travellers. There is also evidence that organizations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir are recruiting in Canada.


The Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Antisemitism accurately states that “those perpetuating physical violence and threats against the Jewish community have been emboldened by a climate in which antisemitic rhetoric has been allowed to proliferate, often under the pretext of freedom of expression.” In my testimony before the Committee, I pointed to “the confusion and often obfuscation of the distinction between protected speech and hate speech, so as to immunize those who engage in hate speech or hate activities from accountability.” The Committee shared these concerns, and its recommendations promote the robust use of existing criminal law to combat hate.


The burden for identifying extremists and unlawful extremist activities in Canada should not fall exclusively or even largely on the shoulders of the Jewish community and our allies. Nor should we have to repeatedly plead with the authorities to simply enforce the law when unequivocal hate and incitement to violence rear their ugly heads. Right now, we are forced to participate in a deadly serious game of “whack a mole” because hate groups believe they can promote extremist ideologies largely with impunity.


The federal and provincial governments must commit not only to using the legal tools available to them to prosecute unlawful hate activities, including antisemitic hate speech, but also proactively investigate, as a matter of the highest priority, the recruitment of extremists, sources of funding for extremist activities, and money laundering for the benefit of terrorist organizations. Although important, it is insufficient for the federal government to identify extremist organizations and list them as prohibited entities under the Criminal Code. Law enforcement must determine the extent to which prohibited entities continue to operate, hiding behind surrogate/proxy organizations and/or alternative forms of communication. There is evidence that Samidoun, recently banned in Canada, and its leadership, continue to function, despite the ban.


Municipal governments must similarly commit to using the non-criminal legal tools available to them to prevent hate activities within their jurisdiction. The “Khilafah” conference was reportedly to take place in Mississauga, and then in Hamilton. Now, it appears that they are seeking to reinstate Mississauga as its locale. There should be no safe sanctuary in any Canadian city for a conference that wilfully promotes hatred.


It has also been reported that Eventbrite withdrew its participation in facilitating the conference’s ticketing and registration, and that Zeffy, a fundraising platform for non-profits has taken over. Platforms, venues, and other support services can and should say no to events that patently promote hate.


The registration page for the Khilafah Conference, hosted on Zeffy, is currently live for attendees to sign up.
The registration page for the Khilafah Conference, hosted on Zeffy, is currently live for attendees to sign up.

Many Canadians remain largely complacent or ignorant about the presence of extremists and extremist organizations in Canada. Some labour under the illusion that this is all just about Israel and allegations about its conduct of the war. One might have thought that protests and demonstrations that call for global intifada or burn Canadian flags or call for “Death to Canada” or “Death to the United States” should have tipped them off.


In 2025, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that all Canadians of good will understand that this is not just about Jews and Israel. Jihadist/Islamist extremism is an enormous threat to us all. Most Iranian Canadians understand this. It is not surprising to them (or to our community) that a number of anti-Israel protestors and demonstrators have expressed their support for the Iranian regime despite its evil repression of its own people, targeted assassinations of its dissidents, and sponsorship of terrorism around the world.


Nor is it surprising that such protestors or demonstrators have called on the Houthis to “make us proud”, despite their appalling mistreatment of women and children and unequivocal battle cries that include, “Death to the Jews,” and “Death to the United States.”


The Muslim community should play an important role in addressing Jihadist/Islamist extremism. Countless Muslims have been the victims of such extremism, including two hostages murdered by Hamas whose bodies were just recovered.

In the brief presented by the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism to the House of Commons Standing Committee, the Council said this:


As Muslims from across the Muslim and political spectrum, we will constitute, mobilize and catalyze a distinctly Muslim voice to counter the antisemitism that has become deeply entrenched and remains woefully underchallenged within the broader Muslim world. At the same time, we will support the recent efforts of those Muslim organizations, some Muslim-majority countries and those Muslim leaders, writers and theologians who have undertaken initiatives to confront the antisemitism which has been allowed to fester within our communities.


We, as Muslims, will also confront the influence and systemic promotion of antisemitism by Islamist extremists of all sorts, for whom the demonization and hatred of Jews is a central pillar of belief. Islamist Jew-hatred constitutes a profound threat not only to the Jewish community, but to democracies, the Muslim world and to global stability.


In these passages, the Council both commends those members of the Muslim community who have spoken out, while acknowledging the deeply entrenched antisemitism that remains woefully underchallenged within the broader Muslim world. In 2025, we look to partner with many more members of the Muslim community to address the existential threat that Islamism/Jihadism poses to both our communities and to Canadian society more generally.


Additional Updates


Senate Committee


ALCCA member organizations have been working to prepare written submissions for the Senate Standing Human Rights Committee which had recently begun its study of antisemitism. I and several representatives of our member groups gave testimony before the Senate Committee and we submitted additional names for further testimony.


With the Government of Canada’s announcement respecting the prorogation of Parliament, all committee business, including the Senate Committee’s study that was being conducted on antisemitism is terminated. We are hopeful that the Senate Committee work will resume shortly after Parliament’s return. We will keep you posted as new information is received.


National Forum


Recently, the Government of Canada announced that a National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism will be held in February 2025 in Ottawa. We urged that such a forum be created in submissions to the House of Commons Standing Committee in May 2024.


The Forum will be co-chaired by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Minister and Associate Minister of Public Safety, and will bring together federal, provincial, and municipal leadership, along with law enforcement and prosecutors, to discuss the growing public safety threat of antisemitism. At present, the Forum (which is not officially affected by prorogation) is still scheduled to take place. ALCCA will provide more information on the forum, and the extent of community engagement in it, when such information becomes available.


Based on discussions that have taken place, we are hopeful that the Forum will draw upon ALCCA’s expertise, particularly respecting law enforcement and criminal law measures available to combat hate, in order to identify the current shortcomings in how antisemitic activities are being addressed and how these shortcomings should be rectified on an urgent basis.

 

About the Author

Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.



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