Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a former member of an Antifa-aligned group who claimed Quebecers had “anti-Muslim sentiment” to a government position to fight Islamophobia.
The Canadian Prime Minister announced the appointment of activist Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s first-ever special representative of the government for the fight against Islamophobia on Thursday.
“Diversity truly is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, but for many Muslims, Islamophobia is all too familiar. We need to change that. No one in our country should experience hatred because of their faith,” Trudeau said.
“The appointment of Ms Elghawaby as Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia is an important step in our fight against Islamophobia and hatred in all its forms. I look forward to working with her as we continue building a country where everyone feels safe and respected,” he added.
Elghawaby is one of the founders of the far-left Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), which has been described by a Canadian judge as being affiliated with the violent far-left extremist Antifa movement and assisting them.
The judge stated that “CAHN did in fact assist Antifa and that the movement has been violent,” during a defamation suit brought by CAHN against Canadian journalist Jonathan Kay after Kay noted the group’s affiliation with the violent far-left extremists. The judge also threw out the case, claiming it was without merit.
CAHN has also been funded by the Trudeau government directly to the sum of $268,400 and created an educational handbook last year that claimed the Canadian national flag flown during World War II, known as the Red Ensign was a “hate-promoting symbol.”
“The flag of Canada until 1965. Its usage denotes a desire to return to Canada’s demographics before 1967, when it was predominately white,” the group said and added, “its usage in modern times is an indicator of hate-promoting beliefs.”
Elghawaby, herself, has also been the subject of controversy in the French-speaking province of Quebec after writing an article in 2019 alongside CAHN chair Bernie Farber that stated, “Unfortunately, the majority of Quebecers appear to be swayed not by the rule of law, but by anti-Muslim sentiment.”
The article was in response to a secularism law passed in Quebec that limited the wearing of religious clothing for public sector workers of all religions, known as Bill 21.
Elghawaby later apologised for her remarks, according to the newspaper La Presse, saying, “I want to be very clear. I do not believe that the vast majority of Quebecers are Islamophobic,” and stated her words had been misunderstood.
The newspaper also noted several other controversial comments Elghawaby has made on social media, including a 2021 Tweet in which she stated “I’m going to vomit” in response to a Toronto philosophy professor who write an article claiming French Canadians had been the largest group to suffer under British colonialism.
The comment led Quebec historian Frédéric Bastien to comment, “Why does it make her want to vomit when someone reminds us that French Canadians were victims of discrimination and injustice? We think of the hanging of Louis Riel, the deportation of the Acadians, the closure of French schools in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan…”
Since the announcement, Quebec’s ruling conservative party, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), have also taken notice of the new appointment.
“I find it a questionable choice to have this person who seems to be motivated by an anti-Quebec feeling to have a position in the federal government. I think she needs to withdraw her remarks, apologize for what she said,” Quebec minister for Secularism and Canadian Relations, Jean-François Roberge said.
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