We call on the Muslim community to be far more vigilant - as teachers and as parents - about what goes on in the classroom, in the mosque and in the community
B’nai Brith Canada Exposes Anti-Canadian Muslim Website
TORONTO, – Following last week's reports of anti-Jewish content in curriculum used in a Toronto-area Islamic school, B’nai Brith Canada is calling for a much wider investigation, pointing to postings on the website of the al Madinah Academy of Victoria, B.C. as one glaring example. The website specifies that it is supervised by the Academy's founder, Sheikh Younus Kathrada, the same individual that was the subject of a complaint by B'nai Brith Canada in 2004 regarding posted sermons in which he stated that Jews are "descendants of pigs and monkeys" and "the brothers of pigs and swine" as well as calls to jihad. The website states that Sheikh Kathrada is a frequent lecturer in schools and universities throughout the country.
Articles on the website, penned by one "Haytham Sayfaddin", advise Canadian Muslims to abstain from celebrating Canada Day and commemorating Remembrance Day.
"It is alarming that an individual claiming to be a leader and educator in the Canadian Muslim community would allow the dissemination on his website of calls to abstain from participating in such core Canadian celebrations and commemorations as Canada Day and Remembrance Day," said Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada. "Who, we ask, is monitoring what this individual is saying as he enters public educational facilities to teach "understanding of Islam?"
Dimant went on to say, "We call for a thorough investigation by school boards and Ministries of Education, not just of the curriculum material that reaches young Canadian Muslims, but also of the speakers who have access to them, in order to ensure that intolerance and anti-Canadian propaganda are not given a platform. Last week's revelations at a Toronto-area Islamic school should not be seen as an isolated case but as a signal of a far wider problem.
"However, this is not just a matter for the authorities. We call on the Muslim community to be far more vigilant - as teachers and as parents - about what goes on in the classroom, in the mosque and in the community, to ensure that the message of allegiance to Canada and its values is the one that resonates loud and clear."
