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{{Short description|Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author (1949–2023)}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} | |||
{{pp-pc1}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} | |||
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}} | {{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}} | ||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox writer | ||
| native_name = طارق فتح | |||
| image=TarekFatahstanding.jpg | |||
| image = TarekFatahstanding.jpg | |||
| caption=Tarek Fatah | |||
| alt = Tarek Fatah | |||
| birth_date={{birth date and age|1949|11|20|df=y}} | |||
| caption = Fatah in 2009 | |||
| birth_place = ], ], ] | |||
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|11|20|df=yes}} | |||
| nationality=] | |||
| birth_place = ], ], ] | |||
| ethnicity= ] | |||
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|4|24|1949|11|20|df=yes}} | |||
| alma_mater= ] | |||
| death_place = ], ], ] | |||
| occupation= political activist, writer, broadcaster | |||
| nationality = {{Flagicon|Pakistan}} ] | |||
| office = ] | |||
| citizenship = {{Flagicon|Canada}} ] | |||
| term_start = 2001 | |||
| genre = Non-fiction | |||
| tetm_end | |||
| period = 1996–2023 | |||
| predecessor = | |||
| subject = {{cslist|Religion|politics}} | |||
| successor = | |||
| movement = | |||
| children= 2 including ] | |||
| alma_mater = ] | |||
| footnotes= | |||
| occupation = {{cslist|Political activist|writer|broadcaster}} | |||
| ideology= ] ] | |||
| spouse= Nargis Tapal | | spouse = Nargis Tapal (m. 1949) | ||
| children = 2, including ] | |||
| religion= ] | |||
| birth_name = | |||
| doctoral_advisor= | |||
| website = {{Official website|https://tarekfatah.net}} | |||
| doctoral_students= | |||
| awards = {{cslist|]|]}} | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Tarek Fatah''' (]/]: {{nastaliq|طارق فتح}}; / ]] 20 November 1949 – 24 April 2023) was a ] ] and ].<ref name=Firstpost>, Firstpost, 23 November 2015.</ref><ref name="g346">{{cite web |last=Rawat |first=Sudeep Singh |date=25 Apr 2023 |title=Pakistan-born journalist and columnist Tarek Fatah died due to cancer |url=https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/pakistan-born-journalist-and-columnist-tarek-fatah-died-due-to-cancer-123042500235_1.html |access-date=26 Nov 2024 |website=Business Standard}}</ref> He was a ] born into ] and was a ] of the Pakistani ] and ], and ].<ref name="Fatah2012">{{cite news |last1=Fatah |first1=Tarek |title=Pakistan: The demon the West created |newspaper=Torontosun |url=https://torontosun.com/2012/08/21/pakistan-the-demon-the-west-created/wcm/1523ba09-c724-41a4-ae6b-b32beb26cfed |publisher=] |access-date=3 July 2020 |language=en |date=21 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharma |first=Viney |date=2016-12-21 |title=I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born in Islam: Tarek Fatah |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/i-am-an-indian-born-in-pakistan-a-punjabi-born-in-islam-tarek-fatah/articleshow/56083216.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-08-18 |issn=0013-0389}}</ref> | |||
'''Tarek Fatah''' (born November 20, 1949), is a Canadian writer, broadcaster, a ] and liberal activist. He is the author of ''Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State''. In the book Fatah challenges the notion that the establishment of an ] is a necessary prerequisite to entering the state of Islam. He suggests that the idea of an Islamic state is merely a mirage that Muslims have been made to chase for over a millennium. ''Chasing a Mirage'' was shortlisted for the $35,000 ] for 2008–09<ref name="donnerbookprize.com"> {{wayback|url=http://www.donnerbookprize.com/mdgassociates/en/index.htm |date=20081223081146 |df=y }}</ref> but did not win. | |||
==Life== | |||
Fatah's second book, titled ''The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism'',<ref></ref> was published by ] in October 2010. The book won the 2010 Annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Book Award in Politics and History. | |||
Fatah was born on 20 November 1949<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rahim|first=Abdur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o22mBAAAQBAJ&q=tarek+fatah+20+november+1949&pg=PT328|title=Canadian Immigration and South Asian Immigrants|date=19 September 2014|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=978-1-4990-5872-7|language=en}}</ref> in ], ] into a ] family which had migrated from ] to Karachi following the ] in 1947.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/fatah-memories-of-my-first-christmas-with-uncle-joe-in-karachi|title=Memories of my first Christmas with Uncle Joe in Karachi|last=Fatah|first=Tarek|date=25 December 2018|newspaper=]|language=en-CA|access-date=30 December 2019}}</ref> Fatah graduated with a degree in ] from the ] but entered into journalism as a reporter for the ''Karachi Sun'' in 1970, before becoming an ] for ].<ref name="kitz">{{cite book|last1=Creet|first1=Julia|last2=Kitzmann|first2=Andreas|title=Memory and Migration: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Memory Studies|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=9781442641297|page=161|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iIF293VS6vQC&pg=PA161|language=en|date=January 2011}}</ref> He was a leftist student leader in the 1960s and 1970s<ref name="Rouche">{{cite news|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/i1CqA8vo77QeZl0Zt4ZQVI/Who-is-Tarek-Fatah.html|title=Who is Tarek Fatah?|last=Rouche|first=Elizabeth|date=24 April 2016|work=]}}</ref> and was imprisoned twice by military regimes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 April 2023 |title=Pakistan-Born Author Tarek Fatah Passes Away At 73 After Prolonged Illness |url=https://news.abplive.com/news/world/tarek-fatah-death-pakistan-born-author-tarek-fatah-passes-away-at-73-after-prolonged-illness-1597698 |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=news.abplive.com |language=en}}</ref> In 1977, he was charged with ] and barred from journalism by the ] regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 April 2023 |title=Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah passes away at 73 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pakistani-canadian-journalist-tarek-fatah-passes-away-at-73-8573926/ |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> | |||
Fatah left Pakistan and settled in ], before emigrating to Canada in 1987.<ref name="Firstpost"/><ref name=Rouche/> He stated that he eventually renounced his Pakistani citizenship due in part to the government's discrimination against ].<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=406833389753212928|user=TarekFatah|title=I renounced my Pakistani citizenship when Islamabad insisted all Pakistani passport holders shd denounce Ahmadis as infidels. @QudratullahDr|author=Tarek Fatah|date=2013-11-30|access-date=2023-04-28}}</ref> | |||
In May 2009, Fatah joined ]. Later that fall, he joined ]'s morning show as a contributor.<ref>{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> Until 2015, he hosted ''The Tarek Fatah Show'' on Sunday afternoons. Fatah has a weekly column in the '']'' and was a frequent guest on the now defunct ].<ref>http://www.torontosun.com/2016/03/01/terrorism-hero-worship-and-free-speech#.Vtcc5BRcmOE.facebook</ref> | |||
Of himself, Fatah asserted: | |||
Fatah is the founder of the ] and served as its communications officer and spokesperson for several years, and was frequently quoted in the press as a result. Fatah advocates ], a separation of religion and state, opposition to ], and advocacy for a "liberal, progressive form" of ]. Some of his activism and statements have met with considerable criticism from other Canadian Muslim groups. | |||
{{Blockquote|I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born in Islam; an immigrant in Canada with a Muslim consciousness, grounded in a Marxist youth. I am one of ]'s many ]: we were snatched from the cradle of a great civilization and made permanent refugees, sent in search of an oasis that turned out to be a mirage.<ref name=Rouche/>}} | |||
He is a staunch critic of Pakistan in his articles and columns often agitating to demand its disintegration, which have earned him much controversy. In February 2013, the website of the ''Toronto Sun'', where Fatah contributes his articles, was blocked in Pakistan. According to reports by Fatah himself, the block was likely due to Fatah's unsparing critiques of Pakistan published in the tabloid.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/504566/toronto-sun-website-blocked-in-pakistan/|work=Express Tribune|title=Toronto Sun website blocked in Pakistan: Report|date=8 February 2013|accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref> According to Fatah, he is also banned from making public speeches or lectures in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2308324/There-mini-Pakistan-growing-Delhi-Author-Tarek-Fateh-speaks-lecture-Arafat-cancelled.html?ito=feeds-newsxml|title=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2308324/There-mini-Pakistan-growing-Delhi-Author-Tarek-Fateh-speaks-lecture-Arafat-cancelled.html?ito=feeds-newsxml|work=Daily Mail|date=13 April 2013|accessdate=17 June 2013}}No such ruling is known on Fatah in Pakistan.</ref> | |||
==Background== | |||
Tarek Fatah was born in ], ], where his family had settled following the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/i1CqA8vo77QeZl0Zt4ZQVI/Who-is-Tarek-Fatah.html|title=Who is Tarek Fatah?}}</ref> Although he graduated with a degree in ] from the ], Fatah entered journalism as a reporter for the ''Karachi Sun'' in 1970, and was an ] for Pakistan Television. He left Pakistan and settled in ], before emigrating to Canada. | |||
==Political activity== | ==Political activity== | ||
Fatah was a long-time member of the ] (NDP) and ran unsuccessfully in the ] as the party's candidate in ].<ref>{{Cite news|title=FATAH: The bankruptcy of ethnic vote banks|url=https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/fatah-the-bankruptcy-of-ethnic-vote-banks|last=Fatah|first=Terek|date=23 January 2019|newspaper=Toronto Sun|language=en-CA|access-date=18 September 2019}}</ref> He subsequently worked for Ontario NDP leader, ]. | |||
He became involved in the ] (NDP) and worked on the staff of ] ]. Fatah was an NDP candidate in the ] but was unsuccessful. He subsequently worked for ]. In July 2006, he left the NDP to support ]'s candidacy for the ]'s ]. In an opinion piece published in Toronto's '']'', Fatah wrote that he decided to leave the NDP because of the establishment of a "faith caucus" which he believes will open the way for religious fundamentalists to enter the party.<ref>Tarek Fatah, ''Now Magazine'', July 20–26, 2006</ref> However, after Rae's defeat by ], Fatah condemned similar racial and religious organizing activity in the Liberal Party, arguing in a '']'' editorial that ], ], ] and ] ] leaders had engaged in "blatant efforts to wield political muscle," "bargaining the price of their cadre of delegates" and creating a "political process that feeds on racial and religious exploitation."<ref name=FatahDec62006>Tarek Fatah, " ''Globe and Mail'', December 6, 2006</ref> "I respect the diversity of Canada," he wrote, "but I want to celebrate what unites us, not what divides us into tiny tribes that can be manipulated by leaders who sell us to the highest bidder."<ref name=FatahDec62006/> | |||
In July 2006, he left the NDP to support ]'s candidacy for the ]'s ]. Rae, a former Ontario NDP leader and ], had himself left the NDP several years earlier. In an opinion piece published in Toronto's '']'', Fatah wrote that he decided to leave the NDP because of the establishment of a faith caucus which he believed would open the way for religious fundamentalists to enter the party.<ref>Tarek Fatah, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813113757/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-07-20/news_story4.php |date=13 August 2006 }} ''Now Magazine'', 20–26 July 2006</ref> However, after Rae's defeat by ], Fatah condemned similar racial and religious organization activity in the Liberal Party, arguing in a '']'' editorial that ], ], ] and ] ] leaders had engaged in "blatant efforts to wield political muscle," "bargaining the price of their cadre of delegates" and creating a "political process that feeds on racial and religious exploitation."<ref name="FatahDec62006">Tarek Fatah, " ''The Globe and Mail'', 6 December 2006. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114011759/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/race-and-religion-at-the-liberal-party-convention/article733289/|date=2016-01-14}}.</ref> "I respect the diversity of Canada," he wrote, "but I want to celebrate what unites us, not what divides us into tiny tribes that can be manipulated by leaders who sell us to the highest bidder."<ref name="FatahDec62006" /> | |||
At a press conference on October 2, 2008, Fatah sharply criticized the ] (NDP). Fatah stated that he was a lifetime ] who had supported the NDP for 17 years but that he could no longer be affiliated with that party. He claimed that the NDP began opening its doors to ] under ] and that, under ], he had seen them "flood" into the party. Fatah stated that Islamists in the NDP have pursued a campaign to instill a sense of victimhood in Muslim youth.<ref name=National1/> | |||
At a press conference on 2 October 2008, Fatah sharply criticized the ] (NDP). He stated that he was a lifetime ] who had supported the NDP for 17 years but that he could no longer be affiliated with that party. He claimed that the NDP began opening its doors to ] under ] and that, under ], he had seen them flood into the party. Fatah said that Islamists in the NDP have pursued a campaign to instill a sense of victimhood among Muslim youth.<ref name="National1"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317143647/https://en.europenews.dk/Barbara-Kay-The-Islamist-elephant-in-the-room-81409.html |date=17 March 2017 }} by ], ], 2 October 2008.</ref> | |||
In a 2015 ] article, Fatah wrote that he would be voting for Conservative leader ] in the ], despite claiming to retain his social democratic values.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/13/why-this-socialist-will-vote-for-harper|title=Why this socialist will vote for Harper|author=Tarek Fatah|publisher=Toronto Sun|date=2015-10-13}}</ref> Fatah has also favoured ] for the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TarekFatah/status/704328719784136704|title=My 1st choice is @BernieSanders, but if he's not in the running, anyone but that crooked woman with a crooked laugh.|author=Tarek Fatah|date=2016-03-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TarekFatah/status/701190787174965249|title=#Sanders is a real human being just as #Trump is for the GOP. I'm sick of the Teflon Clinton and Cruz types.|author=Tarek Fatah|date=2016-02-21}}</ref> | |||
In early 2011, Fatah said that he received a threat via Twitter. He contacted ] and later met with two police officers from 51 Division. Fatah said that police intelligence officers, one a Muslim officer who had shut down a previous investigation into a death threat, shut down the investigation and claimed that there was no threat.<ref name="somethreats"> {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20110710123644/http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/03/04/tarek-fatah-the-death-threats-that-dont-count/ |date=10 July 2011 }} by Tarek Fatah, National Post, 4 March 2011.</ref><ref> By Joe Warmington, Toronto Sun, 8 March 2011.</ref> Fatah criticized the Toronto Police over the incident.<ref name="somethreats" /> | |||
==Media activity== | |||
From 1996 until 2006 he hosted ''Muslim Chronicle'', a weekly Toronto-based current affairs discussion show on ] and ] which focussed on the Muslim community.Fatah interviewed notables such as journalist ], author ], and ]. | |||
In a 2015 '']'' column, Fatah wrote that he would be voting for Conservative leader ] in the ], while still calling himself a social democrat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/13/why-this-socialist-will-vote-for-harper|title=Why this socialist will vote for Harper|author=Tarek Fatah|publisher=Toronto Sun|date=13 October 2015}}</ref> | |||
Fatah has also written opinion pieces for various publications including '']'', the '']'', the '']'' and the '']''. | |||
Fatah favoured both ] and ] for the ]. He said that many Muslim groups, and he himself, have recommended curbs on immigration from countries that harbour Islamist sympathisers, similar to policies promised by Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TarekFatah/status/704328719784136704|title=My 1st choice is @BernieSanders, but if he's not in the running, anyone but that crooked woman with a crooked laugh.|author=Tarek Fatah|date=1 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TarekFatah/status/701190787174965249|title=#Sanders is a real human being just as #Trump is for the GOP. I'm sick of the Teflon Clinton and Cruz types.|author=Tarek Fatah|date=21 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Tarek Fatah|date=16 August 2016|title=Trump's jihad against jihad deserves support|newspaper=Toronto Sun|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2016/08/16/trumps-jihad-against-jihad-deserves-support#.V7PGRSv8NB5.twitter}}</ref> | |||
He has also been a guest host of TVO's '']'' filling in for ]. In February 2007, Fatah was included by ] magazine on a list of 50 Canadians described as "Canada’s most well known and respected personalities.".<ref>Macleans 50 http://www.macleans.ca/macleans50/index.jsp</ref> In December 2008, Canada's largest circulating newspaper, the '']'', suggested to Prime Minister ] that he appoint Fatah to one of the vacant seats in the Canadian Senate.<ref>Filling the Senate: And the nominees are … http://www.thestar.com/article/557229</ref> ''Toronto Star'''s senior editor ] wrote this about Fatah: "A prominent spokesperson for secular and progressive Muslim issues who would bring a much-needed unique perspective to the Senate." | |||
==Media activity== | |||
From May to September 2009, Fatah co-hosted the "Strong Opinions Show" on Toronto's ]. After the show's cancellation he joined CFRB's '']'' program as a commentator. | |||
From 1996 until 2006 Fatah hosted ''Muslim Chronicle'', a weekly Toronto-based current affairs discussion show on ] and ], which focused on the Muslim community.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dailytimes {{!}} Tarek Fatah's musings|url=http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/22-Jul-14/tarek-fatahs-musings|website=dailytimes.com.pk|date=21 July 2014|language=en}}</ref> | |||
In February 2011, he was scheduled to have a debate with Sheharyar Shaikh of the North American Muslim Foundation (NAMF), after Shaikh issued an open challenge to Fatah to debate him. Fatah cancelled at the last minute and failed to show up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/holy-post/cancelled-debate-highlights-tension-among-canadian-muslims|title=Cancelled debate highlights tension among Canadian Muslims|website=National Post|access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> Shaikh, who had defended ] and opposed secular education for Muslims, was a critic of Fatah's views. Fatah stated that he had cancelled his appearance because the moderator was changed shortly before the event was to begin, and because the audience was hostile. Fatah also claimed that he was warned by police of threats to his safety.<ref>{{cite news|author=Hume|first=Jessica|date=7 February 2011|title=Cancelled debate highlights tension among Canadian Muslims|newspaper=National Post|url=http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/02/07/cancelled-debate-highlights-tension-among-canadian-muslims|url-status=dead|access-date=14 August 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713220214/http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/02/07/cancelled-debate-highlights-tension-among-canadian-muslims/|archive-date=13 July 2012}}</ref> Fatah and Shaikh later appeared together in an interview for Sun News debating the role of Islam in ISIS.<ref> Sun News Prime Time 17 November 2014 (retrieved 12 May 2015)</ref> | |||
Starting in September, 2010, Fatah joined ] as a co-host of "Friendly Fire," the evening show on ]. He hosted a Sunday afternoon show, ''The Tarek Fatah Show'' and appeared as a commentator on other shows prior to leaving CFRB in January 2015. He also writes a column for the '']'' and appeared on the ] as a frequent guest host and commentator prior to the station's demise in February 2015. | |||
From 2009 to 2015, Fatah was a broadcaster on Toronto radio station ]. As well as appearing as a regular contributor on the '']'',<ref>{{cite news |title=NEWSTALK 1010 – Press Release |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/newstalk-1010---press-release-538594181.html |access-date=30 August 2020 |work=Press Release |date=23 September 2009}}</ref> Fatah was a co-host of the nightly ''Friendly Fire with Ryan Doyle and Tarek Fatah'' from 2009 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2015 he hosted ''The Tarek Fatah Show'' on Sunday afternoons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perveen |first=Zahida |date=5 May 2015 |title=The Diaspora Intellectual In The Age of New Media: The Case Of Tarek Fatah |url=https://prism.ucalgary.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/3eb5256f-20d0-45e7-b30b-9db09ff2611a/content |website=Prism.ucalgary.ca}}</ref> | |||
==Muslim Canadian Congress== | |||
He was one of the founders of the ] in 2001, after the ]<ref>Handler R CBC News Oct 15, 2008 (retrieved May 12, 2015)</ref> and served as its communications director and spokesperson until 2006. In this capacity, he has spoken out against the introduction of ] law as an option for Muslims in ] in ], Sharia banking in Canada, which he has described as a 'con-job', promoted social liberalism in the Muslim community and the separation of religion from the state, and endorsed ]. He resigned as the communications director of the MCC in August 2006. | |||
From 2012 to 2023, Fatah has written a regular column for the '']'' and was a frequent commentator on the now-defunct ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yelland |first1=Tannara |title=Gone but Not Forgotten: the Greatest Hits of Sun News Network |url=https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/9b8g4z/gone-but-not-forgotten-the-greatest-hits-of-sun-news-network-957 |access-date=30 August 2020 |work=Vice |date=13 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
The large majority of the founding members left the Muslim Canadian Congress over the years. This culminated in a dramatic split in the summer of 2006 when the remaining founders, including the entire executive and several other Board members left to form the ] (CMU). According to the '']'',<ref>Globe and Mail "{{dead link|date=December 2015}}", ''Globe and Mail'', August 3, 2006</ref> the split occurred when some members of the MCC's former board marched in a Toronto anti-war rally where banners and photographs supporting ]'s ] and Iranian President ] were paraded. While the current members of the MCC wanted nothing to do with Hezbollah, it was claimed that other executive members participated or supported the demonstrations, and resigned and formed the new CMU the next day. | |||
From 2018 to 2023, Fatah was a regular host of "What The Fatah" which was hosted by ''New Delhi Times'' on their YouTube channel. The talk show mainly focused on the current international political trends.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Delhi Times – YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/c/NewDelhiTimes |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
This version of events is challenged in the resignation statement published by the exiting board members, which cited their belief that the Muslim Canadian Congress could no longer achieve its goal of influencing the Muslim community.<ref></ref> According to some who split with Fatah, he and other Board members had participated in several earlier demonstrations where the same banners were displayed by some members of the crowd, including two just weeks before the split. | |||
== |
== Views == | ||
Fatah was a critic of Pakistan. He had questioned the legitimacy of the state and had advocated support for ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sangh seminar raises Baloch freedom cry|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1161002/jsp/nation/story_111434.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003164039/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1161002/jsp/nation/story_111434.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 October 2016|date=2 October 2016|website=Telegraph India|access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref> He believed that if ] won independence, the remainder of ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Joshi |first1=Manas |title='Pakistan will disintegrate in 20–25 years', says Pak-born writer Tarek Fatah in 'Aap Ki Adalat' |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/aap-ki-adalat-rajat-sharma-tarek-fatah-pakistan-will-disintegrate-569581 |website=India TV |language=en |date=7 December 2019}}</ref> In February 2013, after the website of the ''Toronto Sun'' was blocked in Pakistan; Fateh claimed credit.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/504566/toronto-sun-website-blocked-in-pakistan/|title=Toronto Sun website blocked in Pakistan: Report|date=8 February 2013|work=Express Tribune|access-date=17 June 2013}}</ref> He rejected ] as incompatible with Islam and had supported Israel's right to exist and ] projects; he had however called for an end to the "illegal and immoral" ] and ].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Tarek Fatah|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/894004--the-jew-is-not-my-enemy-tarek-fatah|newspaper=]|date=19 November 2010|author=John Goddard}}</ref> | |||
In 2003, Fatah engaged in a high-profile break with ] in the pages of the ''Globe and Mail'' in which he repudiated the thanks she gave him in the acknowledgment section of her book '']''. Fatah wrote of Manji's book that it "is not addressed to Muslims; it is aimed at making Muslim-haters feel secure in their thinking."<ref>Tarek Fatah, at the ] (21 March 2006). (Fatah's criticism of Irshad Manji), ''Globe and Mail'', November 23, 2003. Republished at '']'' last viewed December 11, 2006. ''See also'' Irshad Manji, (Manji's response to Fatah), ''Globe and Mail'', December 2, 2003. Republished at '''' (Irshad Manji's official website), last viewed December 11, 2006.</ref> Manji replied saying that he told her in front of witnesses that "This book was written by the Jews for the Jews!"<ref> by Irshad Manji, ''Globe and Mail'', December 2, 2003</ref> | |||
In 2003, Fatah broke with ] in an article in the ''Globe and Mail'' in which he repudiated the thanks she gave him in the acknowledgment section of her book '']''. Fatah wrote of Manji's book that it is not addressed to Muslims; it is aimed at making Muslim-haters feel secure in their thinking.<ref>Tarek Fatah, {{dead link|date=June 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} {{dead link|date=June 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} at the ] (21 March 2006). (Fatah's criticism of Irshad Manji), ''Globe and Mail'', 23 November 2003. Republished at '']'' last viewed 11 December 2006. ''See also'' Irshad Manji, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427215918/http://muslim-refusenik.com/news/globe-dec2-03.html|date=27 April 2006}} (Manji's response to Fatah), ''Globe and Mail'', 2 December 2003. Republished at '' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214074659/http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/|date=14 February 2015}}'' (Irshad Manji's official website), last viewed 11 December 2006.</ref> Manji replied saying that he told her in front of witnesses that "This book was written by the Jews for the Jews!"<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427215918/http://muslim-refusenik.com/news/globe-dec2-03.html |date=27 April 2006 }} by Irshad Manji, ''Globe and Mail'', 2 December 2003</ref> Fatah was subsequently quoted as indicating that he regrets his remarks and that he was unfair in slamming Manji's book. He said that she was right about the systematic racism in the Muslim world and that there were many redeeming points in her memoir, which he overlooked in his rush to judge it.<ref name="Gora2008">{{cite news|url=http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/2110219-canada-s-a-centre-for-islamic-reform/|title=Canada's a centre for Islamic reform|date=26 June 2008|work=The Hamilton Spectator|last1=Gora|first1=Tahir Aslam|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref> | |||
However, Fatah was subsequently quoted as indicating that he regrets his remarks and that he was unfair in slamming Manji's book. He said that she was "right about the systematic racism in the Muslim world" and that "there were many redeeming points in her memoir, which I overlooked in my rush to judge it."<ref name=Gora2008>{{cite news|last1=Gora|first1=Tahir Aslam|title=Canada's a centre for Islamic reform|url=http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/2110219-canada-s-a-centre-for-islamic-reform/|accessdate=10 October 2015|work=The Hamilton Spectator|date=Jun 26, 2008}}</ref> | |||
Fatah had ], calling the division of the country tragic and lamenting that his homeland of ] was sliced in two by the departing British to create the new state of Pakistan.<ref name="Fatah2012"/> He stated that the British partitioned India so that they might be able to combat ] influence through the establishment of British military installations in what was then ] (now Pakistan).<ref name="Fatah2012"/> | |||
===Tarek Fatah and Imam Sheharyar Shaikh=== | |||
In January 2011, Fatah failed to appear for a scheduled face-to-face debate with Imam Sheharyar Shaikh, the President of North American Muslim Foundation (NAMF) and Imam of Masjid Qurtabah. Shaikh, who has openly defended ] and opposed secular educations for Muslims, is a sharp critic of Fatah's secular views. Fatah stated that he had cancelled his appearance because the moderator was changed shortly before the event was to begin, and because the audience was "hostile". Fatah also claimed that he was warned by police of threats to his safety.<ref>{{cite news | |||
|url=http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/02/07/cancelled-debate-highlights-tension-among-canadian-muslims | |||
|title=Cancelled debate highlights tension among Canadian Muslims | |||
|author=Jessica Hume | |||
|newspaper=National Post | |||
|date=7 February 2011 | |||
|accessdate=January 2012}}</ref> Fatah and Imam Sheharyar Shaikh later appeared together in an interview for Sun News debating the role of Islam in ISIS.<ref> Sun News Prime Time Nov 17, 2014 (retrieved May 12, 2015)</ref> | |||
Fatah was a critic of ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Philips|first=Amali|date=2011|title=Sharia and Shah Bano: Multiculturalism and Women's Rights|journal=]|volume=53|issue=2|pages=285|issn=0003-5459|jstor=41473879}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=KORTEWEG|first=ANNA C.|date=2008|title=THE SHARIA DEBATE IN ONTARIO: Gender, Islam, and Representations of Muslim Women's Agency|journal=]|volume=22|issue=4|pages=448|doi=10.1177/0891243208319768|issn=0891-2432|jstor=27821662|s2cid=146561595}}</ref> In a discussion hosted by '']'' in 2007, Fatah claimed that "most of the Islamic radicalism that you see today stems from the empowering of Saudi based ] groups that were funded and backed by the U.S. and the ] throughout the Afghan war against the ]."<ref name="IE1">{{cite news|last1=Fatah|first1=Tarek|title=The question of jihad|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-question-of-jihad/article20399184/?page=all|access-date=10 October 2015|work=The Globe and Mail|date=13 July 2007}}</ref> | |||
==Israel and the Middle East== | |||
In response to the 2017 ], Fatah endorsed the discredited ] that Muslims had participated as perpetrators in the attack that killed six people.<ref name="Quebec">{{cite web|title='Your throat will be slit': Canadian's Muslim talk show in India triggers threats, a bounty on his head|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/your-throat-will-be-slit-canadians-muslim-talk-show-in-india-triggers-threats-a-bounty-on-his-head|last=Blackwell|first=Tom|date=27 February 2017|work=National Post|access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Here Are All The Hoaxes And Bullshit Stories That Spread After The Quebec Shooting|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishmaeldaro/quebec-shooting-hoaxes-and-bullshit|last1=Daro|first1=Ishmail N|last2=Lytvynenko|first2=Jane|date=1 February 2017|work=buzzfeed.com}}</ref> | |||
===Denunciation of Iranian President=== | |||
In October 2005, Fatah, in his role as communications director of the ], denounced Iranian President ] for calling for the destruction of ].<ref name=IME1>{{cite news|url=http://www.muslimcanadiancongress.org/20051029-2.html|date=October 29, 2005|title=MCC denounces Iranian President's speech|author=Tarek Fatah|publisher=Muslim Canadian Congress}}{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> | |||
According to the '']'' he had also said "Islam is riddled with termites ... and if we don't cleanse ourselves with truth, the stench of our lies will drive us mad", and that there are "hateful sermons in almost every mosque" in Canada{{spaced ndash}}Fatah himself never attended a mosque and encouraged Muslim parents to keep their children out of mosques because they have become, in his view, schools for fanaticism.<ref name="saturday" /> | |||
Fatah stated that "The mullahs who control Iran with an iron grip merely use the pain of the Palestinian occupation for their own advantage in diverting people's attention from other pressing matters. They talk about wiping out Israel, but in reality the only people they have wiped out are fellow Iranians by the tens of thousands. After a reign of terror that killed thousands and drove many more into exile, they have used torture, arbitrary arrest, vigilante justice and murder to silence fellow Muslims in Iran."<ref name=IME1/> | |||
In November 2011, 60 Muslim groups and two dozen imams endorsed a statement that called for action against ], condemned ] as a notion that had absolutely nothing to do with Islam. Fatah refused to endorse the statement, according to the '']'', arguing that the statement did not address gender inequality and that honour killing has roots in Islam. According to Fatah, Islam deems the relationship of an unmarried woman as "adultery" and imams must distance themselves from punishing such actions by death.<ref>{{cite news|date=8 December 2011|title=No 'honour' in domestic violence, not part of Islam, imams to preach Friday|work=National Post|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/08/no-honour-in-domestic-violence-not-part-of-islam-imams-to-preach-friday/}}</ref> | |||
Fatah added that Ahmadinejad "insults Islam by usurping it to serve his own narrow political interests" and that "with friends like the Iranian ruling ayatollahs, the Palestinians do not need enemies."<ref name=IME1/> | |||
In April 2008, the ] (OHRC) dismissed a complaint about allegedly Islamophobic articles in ] magazine. However, the commission criticized the newsweekly for publishing articles that were inconsistent with the spirit of the Ontario Human Rights Code, and doing serious harm to Canadian society by promoting societal intolerance and disseminating destructive, xenophobic opinions.<ref name="critic1">{{cite news|author=Joseph Brean|date=9 April 2008|title=Rights body dismisses Maclean's case|work=National Post|url=https://nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=433915}}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Fatah said that for the Commission to refer to Maclean's magazine and journalists as contributing to racism is bullshit, if you can use that word and that the commission has unfairly taken sides against freedom of speech in a dispute within the Canadian Muslim community between moderates and fundamentalists.<ref name="critic1" /> | |||
===Opposition to Israeli policies=== | |||
In 2010, the '']'' reported that Fatah believed in Israel's alleged "right to exist" as well as ], but was calling for an end to the illegal and "immoral" ], and ] spread by some Jews, and that he supports a ]. Fatah believes Israel's actions are fueling ], though antisemitism in itself, he believes, "violates Islam's essence".<ref>{{cite news|title=The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Tarek Fatah|url=http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/894004--the-jew-is-not-my-enemy-tarek-fatah|newspaper=]|date=19 November 2010|author=John Goddard}}</ref> | |||
==Reception== | |||
The ], which Tarek Fatah founded and led until August 2006, supported the campaign of ] against Israel as of May 2006. The Congress also compared Israeli policies to ].<ref>{{cite web|title=MCC thanks CUPE Ontario for resolution on Israel|url=http://www.muslimcanadiancongress.org/20060531.html|publisher=]|date=2006-05-31}}{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> | |||
], a critic of Islam, has praised Fatah for being brave enough to admit the faults and failings of Islam.<ref name="saturday" /> Wael Haddara, president of the ], said that he respect Fatah for his passion but that it was hard, if not downright impossible, to find something positive that he has ever said about Muslims. As a result, Haddara argues, Muslims are no longer listening to Fatah.<ref name="saturday">{{cite news|author=Lewis|first=Charles|date=28 May 2011|title=Saturday Interview: Tarek Fatah rails against the corruption and dangers he sees in Islam|work=The National Post|url=http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/05/28/saturday-interview-tarek-fatah-rails-against-the-corruption-and-dangers-he-sees-in-islam/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129152509/http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/05/28/saturday-interview-tarek-fatah-rails-against-the-corruption-and-dangers-he-sees-in-islam/|archive-date=29 January 2013}}</ref> ], president of the ], noted Fatah's views to be valuable but rejected his stereotyping of Islam by extrapolating from the behavior of a few extremists.<ref name="saturday" /> In February 2007, Fatah was included by ] magazine on a list of 50 Canadians described as "Canada's most well known and respected personalities.".<ref>Macleans 50 {{cite web|url=http://www.macleans.ca/macleans50/index.jsp|title=Macleans.ca – Macleans50|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224001942/http://www.macleans.ca/macleans50/index.jsp|archive-date=24 February 2007|access-date=24 February 2007}}</ref> In December 2008, the '']'' suggested that Prime Minister ] appoint Fatah to one of the vacant seats in the Canadian Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Filling the Senate: And the nominees are ...|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2008/12/22/filling_the_senate_and_the_nominees_are.html|website=The Star|date=22 December 2008|language=en|access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref> ''Toronto Star''{{'s}} senior editor ] wrote that Fatah is "A prominent spokesperson for secular and progressive Muslim issues who would bring a much-needed unique perspective to the Senate."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parashar |first=Dr Sat |date=1 March 2021 |title=OPINION: Hindu Musalman, Hindu Sikh: A New Perspective, A New Movement {{!}} The Indian Free Press |url=https://theindianfreepress.com/opinion-hindu-musalman-hindu-sikh-a-new-perspective-a-new-movement/ |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=theindianfreepress.com |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
']' was well received by the masses;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/your-throat-will-be-slit-canadians-muslim-talk-show-in-india-triggers-threats-a-bounty-on-his-head|title='Your throat will be slit': Canadian's Muslim talk show in India triggers threats, a bounty on his head|website=News.nationalpost.com|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> radical Islamist organisations have protested against the show and urged for his assassination.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cleric announces bounty on heads of Tarek Fatah, Subhash Chandra|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/cleric-announces-bounty-on-heads-of-tarek-fatah-subhash-chandra/articleshow/57259163.cms|website=Times of India|date=21 February 2017 |access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/muslim-organisation-announces-rs-10-lakh-reward-for-beheading-tarek-fatah/story-18mCuEVluWTHerEZCoXiyM.html|title=Muslim organisation announces Rs 10 lakh reward for beheading Tarek Fatah|website=Hindustantimes.com|date=24 February 2017|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/bareilly-based-muslim-organisation-offers-rs-10-lakh-for-beheading-islamic-scholar-tarek-fatah-4543566/|title=Bareilly-based Muslim organisation offers Rs 10 lakh for beheading Islamic scholar Tarek Fatah|date=25 February 2017|newspaper=]|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> | |||
===Opposition to US war in Iraq=== | |||
Fatah also condemned US President ] "for posturing as a deliverer of freedom while occupying Iraq." Regarding Iraq, Fatah wrote that "both Iran and the U.S. have helped destroy a nation."<ref name=IME1/> | |||
Tarek Fatah was criticised for spreading "]" on multiple occasions.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Tarek Fatah – A case study of unrelenting divisive misinformation|url=https://www.altnews.in/tarek-fatah-a-case-study-of-unrelenting-divisive-misinformation/|last=Chaudhuri|first=Pooja|date=27 January 2020|website=Alt News|language=en-GB|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Fact Check: Tarek Fatah loads up on fake again, drops a film clip to mislead on polio|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-tarek-fatah-loads-up-on-fake-again-drops-a-film-clip-to-mislead-on-polio-1637030-2020-01-15|last1=Kaur|first1=Amanpreet|last2=Rampal|first2=Nikhil|date=15 January 2020|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> Amid the Delhi Assembly Election in 2020, he tweeted an old communally-charged video, and claimed it to be from Delhi.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fact Check: Tarek Fatah passes off old video with communal slogans as recent one from Delhi|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-tarek-fatah-passes-off-old-video-with-communal-slogans-as-recent-one-from-delhifact-check-tarek-fatah-passes-off-old-video-with-communal-slogans-as-r-1644654-2020-02-09|last=Deodia|first=Arjun|date=9 February 2020|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> In Jan 2020, he tweeted another video of Burqa-clad persons dancing to a ], hinting that the video is from ], whereas, it was found that Fatah had tweeted the same video twice in the past.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tarek Fatah, the unrelenting fake news peddler who targets Indian Muslims regularly|url=https://theprint.in/hoaxposed/tarek-fatah-the-unrelenting-fake-news-peddler-who-targets-indian-muslims-regularly/355214/|last=Chaudhuri|first=Pooja|date=28 January 2020|website=ThePrint|language=en-US|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> Because of his continued pattern of spreading "fake news" on ], especially in ], some critics have argued that he is an external agent who wants to create "communal disturbances" in India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=20 times Pakistani-Canadian writer Tarek Fatah has tweeted fake news – often with a communal bite|url=https://scroll.in/article/951291/20-times-pakistani-canadian-writer-tarek-fatah-has-tweeted-fake-news-often-with-a-communal-bite|last=Pooja Chaudhuri|first=AltNews in|website=Scroll.in|date=27 January 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pakistani-Canadian writer Tarek Fatah at it again on Twitter|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/feb/18/pakistani-canadian-writer-tarek-fatah-gets-it-wrong-again-twitter-explodes-2105184.html|website=The New Indian Express|date=18 February 2020 |access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Fatah Shares Old Video as Muslims Raising Communal Slurs in Delhi|url=https://www.thequint.com/news/webqoof/delhi-polls-old-video-used-to-claim-muslims-chanted-anti-hindu-slogans|date=2 October 2020|website=The Quint|language=en|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> Writing about his targeting of ], AltNews.in accused him of blurring the lines between ] and ] toward the Muslim community.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
==Comments on Islam and Muslims== | |||
In 2016, after delivering a talk at ] in India, he entered into a verbal altercation with some students. This was after he called a student from Kargil a Pakistani Terrorist and then called a Sikh student a Khalistani.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Row breaks out over Tarek Fatah comment at Panjab University|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/row-breaks-out-over-tarek-fatah-comment-at-panjab-university-4404142/|date=1 December 2016|website=The Indian Express|language=en-US|access-date=7 January 2020}}</ref> He also told a Hindu girl in the same event, "You are the real patriot because of your religion." He criticised the students for standing up to show respect when the librarian came in. He told them, "Indians need to stop giving such treatment to their seniors".<ref name=":3" /> | |||
===Islamic radicalism=== | |||
In a discussion hosted by the ] in 2007, Fatah claimed that "most of the Islamic radicalism that you see today stems from the empowering of Saudi based ] groups that were funded and backed by the U.S. and the ] throughout the Afghan war against the ]."<ref name=IE1>{{cite news|last1=Fatah|first1=Tarek|title=The question of jihad|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-question-of-jihad/article20399184/?page=all|accessdate=10 October 2015|work=The Globe and Mail|date=July 13, 2007}}</ref> | |||
In 2017, Chicago based Indian Mufti, ] challenged Fatah for an academic debate anywhere in the world. He expressed that "If Fatah really liked to debate Islam then he should debate with Yasir anywhere in the world, owing to conditions including the presence of independent judges and at a public place not in a TV studio."<ref>{{cite news |title=With His Challenge Being Rejected Mufti Wajidi Takes on Tarek Fatah on Twitter |author=M Ghazali Khan |url=https://www.urdumediamonitor.com/2017/02/16/challenge-rejected-mufti-wajidi-takes-tarek-fatah-twitter/ |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=Urdu Media Monitor |date=16 February 2017}}</ref> Yasir started ''Surgical Strike'', a talk show to debunk the ideas and allegations made by Fatah against Islam.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Ubaid Iqbal Aasim |title=Deoband Tārīkh-o-Tehzeeb ke ā'īne maiN |date=2019 |publisher=Kutub Khana Naimia |location=] |pages=157, 165–166 |language=ur}}</ref> | |||
Tarek sided with ] when she accused ] of allegedly having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tarek-fatah/bachman-muslim-brotherhood_b_1707362.html|title=Why Michelle Bachman Is Right to Question Muslim Brotherhood|work=The Huffington Post}}</ref> | |||
In November 2017, ]n police arrested two men who were hired by ] to assassinate Fatah.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.indiatoday.in/story/delhi-tarek-fatah-chhota-shakeel-islam-dawood-ibrahim/1/1079670.html|title=Delhi Police arrest gangster hired by Chhota Shakeel to murder writer Tarek Fatah|date=1 November 2017|website=India Today}}</ref> | |||
Fatah argues that "Most secular and liberal institutions were destroyed piece by piece and what we are left with is the result of huge amounts of cash and weapons in the hands of the Taliban type, or Al-Qaeda groups that get their intellectual sustenance from the political teachings of the ] founder ] and the leader of the ], ], both of whom preached ] as an obligation for all Muslims if they saw another Muslim under attack."<ref name=IE1/> | |||
== Advocacy groups == | |||
He has stated that converts adopting the ] face covering is indicative of joining "a cult", and offensive to Islam.<ref>], "Cheryfa MacAualay Jamal converted 'to a cult'", June 9, 2006</ref> | |||
] | |||
=== Muslim Canadian Congress === | |||
===Support for the Quran and opposition to Shariah=== | |||
Fatah was one of the founders of the ] in 2001, after the ]<ref>Handler R CBC News 15 October 2008 (retrieved 12 May 2015)</ref> and served as its communications director and spokesperson until 2006. He spoke out against the introduction of ] law as an option for Muslims in ] in ], Sharia banking in Canada, which he has described as a 'con-job', promoted social liberalism in the Muslim community and the separation of religion from the state, and endorsed ]. | |||
Fatah stressed that "The poison is not coming from the ], but from the man-made shariah laws of the 8th and 9th centuries as well as the works of such 20th century scholars as ], Hassan Banna and Maudoodi" and that "The swamp that needs to be drained is the swamp created by ] and ] and their call for imposition of Shariah."<ref name=IE1/> | |||
In July 2006, Fatah was the subject of an email campaign at Canadian media over his views.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/fearing-for-safety-muslim-official-quits/article966954/|title=Fearing for safety, Muslim official quits|last=Fatah|first=Sonya|date=3 August 2006|website=The Globe and Mail|access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> Fatah resigned as the communications director of the MCC in August 2006, citing concerns about his safety and his family member's safety.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
===Statement that Islam does not need to be reformed=== | |||
Fatah also stated that "it is not Islam that needs to be reformed, it is the need for Muslims to reconcile with modernity and the notion of the secular nation state ... Unfortunately, whereas the religious right in Islam is well funded and well organised, the liberal secular Muslim is too busy leading a 9-to-5 life, paying his mortgage and providing for his family and thus has no time or resources to challenge the Islamist extremists."<ref name=IE1/> | |||
=== Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) === | |||
According to the ] he has also said "Islam is riddled with termites ... and if we don’t cleanse ourselves with truth, the stench of our lies will drive us mad", and that there are "hateful sermons in almost every mosque" in Canada{{spaced ndash}}Fatah himself does not attend a mosque and encourages Muslim parents to keep their children out of mosques because they have become, in his view, schools for fanaticism.<ref name=saturday/> | |||
==== Mohamed Elmasry ==== | |||
In October 2004 CIC President ] stated that all Israelis over 18 are legitimate targets for suicide bombers.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/islamic-leader-apologizes-but-wont-quit/article1142918/|title=Islamic leader apologizes but won't quit|last=Jimenez|first=Marina|date=28 October 2004|website=]|access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> Fatah, along with other Jewish and Muslim organizations, called on Elmasry to quit.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
In June 2006, Elmasry said that Fatah is well known in Canada for smearing Islam and bashing Muslims. Fatah responded that "his is a classic threat to label anyone as an apostate and then marginalize them, and this is what Mr. Elmasry has done by listing me as the top anti-Islam Muslim." Fatah said he saw the label from Elmasry as tantamount to a death sentence. Leonard Librande, professor of religion at ], told ''CTV News'' "There's nothing particularly Islamic in this... There are differences of opinion frequently in the community. It doesn't mean somebody is going to kill you."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20060803/fatah_resigns_060803/20060803 |date=3 August 2006 |title=Threats force Tarek Fatah to resign from MCC |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021230259/http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20060803/fatah_resigns_060803/20060803 |archive-date=21 October 2007 }}</ref> | |||
===Location of Cordoba House Mosque=== | |||
Writing with author ], a fellow board member of the Muslim Canadian Congress, about the location of the proposed ] mosque near Ground Zero, he stated: <blockquote>We Muslims know the ... mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation, to thumb our noses at the infidel. The proposal has been made in bad faith, ... as "'']''," meaning "mischief-making" that is clearly forbidden in the Koran.... As Muslims we are dismayed that our co-religionists have such little consideration for their fellow citizens, and wish to rub salt in their wounds and pretend they are applying a balm to sooth the pain.<ref>{{cite news|last=Raza |first=Raheel |last2=Fatah |first2=Tarek |url=http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Mischief+Manhattan/3370303/story.html |title=Mischief in Manhattan |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=August 9, 2010 |accessdate=August 10, 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818091927/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Mischief+Manhattan/3370303/story.html |archivedate=18 August 2010 }}</ref></blockquote> | |||
=== |
==== Wahida Valiante ==== | ||
Wahida Valiante, president of the CIC, told ''The Globe and Mail'' that Tarek Fatah's views are diametrically opposed to most Muslims. There is a tremendous amount of discussion in the community. His point of view contradicts the fundamentals of Islam.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724221147/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060803.wxfatah03/BNStory/National/home |date=24 July 2008 }}</ref> Fatah wrote to the RCMP to complain about the CIC's article claiming that it "is as close as one can gets to issuing a death threat, as it places me as an apostate and blasphemer."<ref name="sonya">Sonya Fatah " ", ''The Globe and Mail'', 3 August 2006</ref> | |||
In November 2011, 60 Muslim groups and two dozen imams endorsed a statement that called for action against ], condemned ] as a notion that had "absolutely nothing to do with Islam". Tarek Fatah refused to endorse the statement, according to the ], arguing that the statement didn't address gender inequality and that honour killing has roots in Islam. According to Fatah Islam deems the relationship of an unmarried woman as "adultery" and imams must distance themselves from punishing such actions by death.<ref>{{cite news|title=No ‘honour’ in domestic violence, not part of Islam, imams to preach Friday|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/08/no-honour-in-domestic-violence-not-part-of-islam-imams-to-preach-friday/|date=2011-12-08}}</ref> | |||
==Books== | |||
==Relationship with religious and political figures== | |||
===Dalai Lama=== | |||
Tarek Fatah has said the ] is endorsing ] law when he came to speak at a religious event in Canada.<ref></ref> | |||
=== |
=== ''Chasing a Mirage'' === | ||
The ''Toronto Star'' reviewer John Goddard said that book was a "richly layered work of stark realities."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2008/05/04/a_moderate_muslim_longs_for_a_more_spiritual_faith.html|title=A moderate Muslim longs for a more spiritual faith {{!}} Toronto Star|last=Goddard|first=John|website=]|date=4 May 2008|access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> Emran Qureshi in the ''Globe and Mail'' said that Fatah had provided a "substantial contribution to the critique of the Islamic state and the state of Islam, especially in Canada" but criticized the book for its "gratuitous polemics" and sloppy ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-state-of-islam/article720493/?page=all|title=The state of Islam|last=Qureshi|first=Emran|website=The Globe and Mail|access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> The book was praised by the ], as a direct challenge to the far-Islamist fanatics which deriving from the original texts of Islam, successfully argued about how the pursuit of a global Islamic state violated Mohammed's tenets.<ref>, Newsletter July 2008 #73, The Mackenzie Institute.</ref> On 31 March 2009, the conservative ] shortlisted the book for their $35,000 ], awarded to non-fiction texts covering public policy.<ref name="donnerbookprize.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.donnerbookprize.com/mdgassociates/en/index.htm |title= Donner Book Prize|website=www.donnerbookprize.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080704132147/http://www.donnerbookprize.com/mdgassociates/en/index.htm |archive-date=4 July 2008}}</ref> | |||
=== ''The Jew Is Not My Enemy'' === | |||
Liberal Party candidate Justin Trudeau was scheduled to speak in front of 30,000 Muslims at the ]. Tarek Fatah criticized Trudeau and called the Muslims at the event "Islamists" and "Muslim Brotherhood supporters."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/11/islamic-spirit-event-features-justin-trudeau|title=‘Islamic Spirit’ event features Justin Trudeau|work=Toronto Sun}}</ref> | |||
Published by ] in October 2010, it won the 2010 ], by the ].<ref name="saturday" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sicard|first=Sigvard von|title=The Jew is not my enemy: unveiling the myths that fuel anti-Semitism|journal=Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations|year=2011|language=en|volume=22|issue=4|pages=496–497|doi=10.1080/09596410.2011.606202|s2cid=216152261 |issn=0959-6410}}</ref><ref>Bryson, Jennifer S. "", ''First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life'', no. 210, 2011, p. 61+. February 2011.</ref> | |||
== |
==Death== | ||
Fatah died of cancer on 24 April 2023, at age 73.<ref>{{cite news |title=Renowned Pak-born commentator Tarek Fatah passes away at 73, daughter Natasha says revolution of 'Son of Hindustan' will continue |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/noted-author-and-columnist-tarek-fatah-passes-away-at-73 |work=] |date=24 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pakistan-born author Tarek Fatah passes away after prolonged illness |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pakistan-born-author-tarek-fatah-passes-away-after-prolonged-illness/articleshow/99734723.cms?from=mdr |work=Times of India |date=24 April 2023}}</ref> His widow, Nargis Tapal Fatah, died later that year, in December 2023.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://x.com/NatashaFatah/status/1737580414590505175?t=4sF_VvnFXUCnRbENVADryQ&s=19 | title=Natasha Fatah (@NatashaFatah) on X | newspaper=X (Formerly Twitter) }}</ref> | |||
] was banned from entering Canada in 2010 after "he (Fatah) sent a mass email to federal MPs." He also added, "We certainly don’t want hate-mongers to come here.".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/22/controversial-muslim-televangelist-zakir-naik-banned-from-toronto-conference/|title=Controversial Muslim televangelist Zakir Naik banned from Toronto conference|author=Kathryn Blaze Carlson|date=22 June 2010|work=National Post}}</ref> He addressed Zakir Naik as Nalayak (useless in ]) during a television talk show. | |||
==See also== | |||
==Praise of Tarek Fatah== | |||
* ] | |||
], a notable critic of Islam, has praised Fatah for being "brave" enough to admit the "faults and failings" of Islam.<ref name=saturday/> | |||
For writing the book ''The Jew Is Not My Enemy'', which discusses "Muslim animosity towards the Jewish people", Fatah has been awarded the '']''.<ref name=saturday/> | |||
==Criticism of Tarek Fatah== | |||
Wael Haddara, president of the ], said that he "respect" Fatah for his passion but that it was "hard, if not downright impossible, to find something positive that he has ever said about Muslims." As a result, Haddara argues, Muslims are no longer listening to Fatah.<ref name=saturday>{{cite news|author=Charles Lewis|publisher=The National Post|title=Saturday Interview: Tarek Fatah rails against the corruption and dangers he sees in Islam|url=http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/05/28/saturday-interview-tarek-fatah-rails-against-the-corruption-and-dangers-he-sees-in-islam/|date=2011-05-28}}</ref> | |||
The ] has reported ], an Imam in ], as saying that while Fatah's views are valuable, he stereotypes Islam by extrapolating the behavior of a few extremists to represent the religion as a whole.<ref name=saturday/> | |||
==Position on homosexuality== | |||
Fatah stated that "The issue that has resulted in all the threats and allegations against us is our support for ]. It's the central point on which the ] and I have faced outright hostility, verging on violence. There is near unanimity in any religious group that this is the ultimate sin and, for them, this amounts to the ultimate betrayal." Regarding Islam and ], Fatah stated that "Our human rights cannot revolve around religion. It's not about our rights, it's about human rights."<ref name=H1>{{cite news|url=http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=1&STORY_ID=1991&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=1|date=August 17, 2006|title=Gay-friendly Muslim leader steps down|author=Krishna Rau|publisher=Xtra}}{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> | |||
Fatah also criticized the support of some gay and lesbian Muslims for ], "There's the sudden romanticization of Hezbollah. But I cannot walk with, cannot even build a coalition with, a group which thinks gays and lesbians should be killed… I haven't ever heard them condemn what's happening in Iran and Saudi Arabia. I would like to see a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy by the gay and lesbian community."<ref name=H1/> | |||
==Little Mosque on the Prairie== | |||
Fatah has been a strong critic of the popular sitcom ], calling it "propaganda" and "paid for by the Muslim Brotherhood". Fatah also said "I found most white people would laugh at it because they were scared if they didn't laugh they'd be called a racist."<ref>http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/1531255131001</ref> He has also called the show "Islamist" and labeled the show "Little Masquarade on the Prairie.<ref>{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> | |||
==Criticism of Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC)== | |||
{{See also|Human rights complaints against Maclean's magazine|Canadian Human Rights Commission free speech controversies}} | |||
In April 2008, the ] (OHRC) dismissed a complaint about allegedly Islamophobic articles in ] magazine. However, the commission denounced the newsweekly for publishing articles that were "inconsistent with the spirit" of the Ontario Human Rights Code, and doing "serious harm" to Canadian society by "promoting societal intolerance" and disseminating "destructive, xenophobic opinions."<ref name=critic1>{{cite news|url=http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=433915|date=April 9, 2008|title=Rights body dismisses Maclean's case|author=Joseph Brean|publisher=National Post}}</ref> | |||
Fatah stated that for the Commission "to refer to Maclean's magazine and journalists as contributing to racism is bullshit, if you can use that word" and that the Commission has unfairly taken sides against freedom of speech in a dispute within the Canadian Muslim community between moderates and fundamentalists. "There are within the staff , and among the commissioners, hardline Islamic supporters of Islamic extremism, and this reflects their presence over there" and that "In the eyes of the Ontario human rights commission, the only good Muslim is an Islamist Muslim. As long as we hate Canada, we will be cared for. As soon as we say Canada is our home and we have to defend her traditions, freedoms and secular democracy, we will be considered as the outside."<ref name=critic1/> | |||
In a press conference on October 2, 2008, Fatah stated that the OHRC has been "infiltrated by Islamists" and that some of its commissioners are closely linked to the ] and the ], both of which, according to Fatah, have "contempt for Canadian values."<ref name=National1>{{dead link|date=December 2015}} by ], ], October 2, 2008.</ref> | |||
==Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC)== | |||
===Mohamed Elmasry=== | |||
Regarding a controversy in October 2004 involving CIC President ], in which Elmasry stated that all Israelis over 18 are legitimate targets, Fatah stated that "…to believe all Israelis are targets is the height of hypocrisy" and called on Elmasry to resign from the CIC.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/email.cgi?/2004/10/23/canada/elmasry_jewish|date=October 23, 2004|title=Islamic Leader Criticized for Anti-Jewish Comments | |||
|publisher=]}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> | |||
Fatah also stated that: "In refusing to step aside, Elmasry and the CIC have demonstrated the authoritarian and dictatorial nature of their structure.…They purport to speak for Canada's 600,000 Muslims, but are not accountable or answerable to them.…We demand he not…masquerade as leader of the community."<ref name="G&M 10-28-2004">{{cite news | |||
|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FLAC.20041028.ELMASRY28%2FTPStory%2F%3Fquery%3DIslamic%2Bleader%2Bapologizes%2Bbut%2Bwon%2527t%2Bquit&ord=31972293&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true | |||
|title=Islamic leader apologizes but won't quit | |||
|accessdate=December 28, 2007 | |||
|last=Jiménez | |||
|first=Marina | |||
|date=October 28, 2004 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|pages=A1 | |||
|archiveurl=http://www.cjc.ca/template.php?action=itn&Story=1023 | |||
|archivedate=Unknown | |||
}}{{dead link|date=December 2015}} | |||
</ref> | |||
Fatah wrote that "Elmasry accused his Muslim opponents of being traitors to their faith—an allegation that is read as a charge of apostasy, with all its ugly consequences" and that "It is especially sad that Mohamed Elmasry and his allies have chosen the holy month of Ramadan to launch their broadside on progressive Muslims."<ref name=Fatah3>{{cite news|url=http://www.muslimcanadiancongress.org/20051014.html|date=October 14, 2005|title=A chill on progressive Islam|author=Tarek Fatah and Munir Pervaiz|publisher=National Post (retrieved from the MCC website)}}{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> | |||
In June 2006, Elmasry named four public figures—Fatah among them—of taking every opportunity to bad-mouth Islam. Specifically, Elmasry stated that Fatah is "well known in Canada for smearing Islam and bashing Muslims." Fatah blasted Elmasry, stating that "his is a classic threat to label anyone as an apostate and then marginalize them," … "and this is what Mr. Elmasry has done by listing me as the top anti-Islam Muslim." Fatah stated that he views the label from Elmasry as tantamount to a death sentence. However, some Islamic scholars disagreed with Fatah's characterization of Elmasry's comments. Leonard Librande, professor of religion at ], told ''CTV News'' "There's nothing particularly Islamic in this… There are differences of opinion frequently in the community. It doesn't mean somebody is going to kill you."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20060803/fatah_resigns_060803/20060803?hub=TorontoHome |date=August 3, 2006 |title=Threats force Tarek Fatah to resign from MCC |publisher=] |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071021230259/http://toronto.ctv.ca:80/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20060803/fatah_resigns_060803/20060803?hub=TorontoHome |archivedate=21 October 2007 }}</ref> | |||
However, Fatah has argued that "in the Muslim world … allegations of apostasy are used to silence critics and human rights workers" and that "Some interpretations of Sharia call for apostates to be killed. Such views have forced many Muslims to flee their countries of birth and take refuge in tolerant Western nations such as Canada. To now find ourselves harassed in Canada by some Muslims here is alarming and ironic."<ref name=Fatah3/> | |||
Fatah supported his concern by noting that a book, distributed for free at a Toronto Conference in September 2005 by the ], stated that "Jihad is as much a primary duty as are daily prayers or fasting. One who avoids it is a sinner. His every claim to being a Muslim is doubtful. He is plainly a hypocrite who fails in the test of sincerity and all his acts of worship are a sham, a worthless, hollow show of deception."<ref name=Fatah3/> | |||
===Wahida Valiante=== | |||
], President of the Canadian Islamic Congress, told the ''Globe and Mail'' that "Tarek Fatah's views are diametrically opposed to most Muslims. There is a tremendous amount of discussion in the community. His point of view contradicts the fundamentals of Islam." <ref> {{wayback|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060803.wxfatah03/BNStory/National/home |date=20080724221147 |df=y }}</ref> Fatah has written to the RCMP to complain about the CIC's article claiming that it "is as close as one can get to issuing a death threat as it places me as an apostate and blasphemer."<ref name=sonya/> | |||
==Canadian Arab Federation (CAF)== | |||
In February 2009, Fatah sharply criticized the ] (CAF) in an article published in the ]. Fatah, who received the CAF's highest award in December 2001, stated that the CAF's current leadership has turned the organization "into a mouthpiece for Hamas and Hezbollah in Canada." Fatah stated that the CAF used to sponsor debates on the pros and cons of the Oslo peace accord but today labels "any backer of the two-state solution a traitor to the Muslim cause."<ref name=stopfunding>{{dead link|date=December 2015}} by Tarek Fatah, National Post, February 20, 2009.</ref> | |||
Fatah opened by sharply criticizing CAF President Khaled Mouammar for calling Immigration Minister ] a "professional whore" because Mr. Kenney criticized the display of Hamas and Hezbollah flags at a CAF-backed protest rally. Fatah also claimed that the CAF also referred to Liberal leader ] by the same label. Fatah also criticized Mouammar for sending out an email during 2006 Liberal party leadership campaign which stated that " Rae]]'s wife is a vice-president of the CJC ], a lobby group which supports Israeli apartheid." Fatah also stated that Mouammar sent Muslim delegates a flyer that stated: "Bob Rae supports Israeli apartheid. Don't elect a leader who supports apartheid."<ref name=stopfunding/> | |||
Fatah stated that CAF's vice-president in Ontario, Ali Mallah, referred to the ] in an online forum as "] (sic)." He also claimed that Mallah sent out an e-mail message that was headlined: "Dion, Rae & Cotler: pro-Apartheid & anti-Human Rights." Fatah claimed the message also contained the following remarks: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
Liberal Leader ]'s handpicked human rights critic, ], advises Israeli military officials on war planning, on how to spin the media following Israeli war crimes and on how to oppose ], ] and the ]; 2 Dion's handpicked critic for foreign affairs and co-writer of the Liberal party platform, the unelected ] is a committee member of the Racist ]. As Israel's leading newspaper Ha'aretz reports: "it's well known that the 'national institutions'—the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund—primarily exist to enable institutional discrimination based on ethnicity.<ref name=stopfunding/> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
Fatah also claimed that Mallah attacked him personally, claiming that he has "no shred of decency of integrity left" and claiming that he served "Zionist masters."<ref name=stopfunding/> | |||
Fatah concluded by stating that Canada's Arab community should demand that Khaled Mouammar and Ali Mallah step down and "not bring further shame to their community." He then called for a new leadership modeled on that provided by earlier CAF leaders such as John Asfour, Jim Kafieh, Jehad Aliweiwi and Raja Khouri.<ref name=stopfunding/> | |||
===Response=== | |||
In response to Fatah's article, CAF Vice-President Ali Mallah emailed a response to a large group of recipients. The '']'' later published it in its original form. In the message Mallah wrote that: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
Tarek Fatah has earned the {{sic|the}} perfect description by Late Malcom X and prove to be a very loyal "house Negro". In this desperate attempt to malign CAF on the pages of Zionist mouth piece National Post, he is saying one thing correct: Yes, CAF awarded him that award, but that was when Tarek Fatah was cheating his way through and pretending to be pro-palestine, pro-social justice, pro-multiculturalis m and Anti-Liberal Party…etc (I am sure that every one knows this sell out, is fully aware of the shameless transformation of this sorry case of human being). I admit that I was duped by his fake lies and nominated him for that award. Now, since he is totally exposed and has no cloth left, He should return that Award as he does not deserve the honour associated with it.<ref name=CAFvpattackscotler>{{dead link|date=December 2015}} by Ali Mallah, Email Release (reprinted by the National Post), February 20, 2009.</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
==Threats== | |||
Fatah says he has been attacked for his views, verbally at an Islamic conference in 2003 where dozens of young Muslim men mobbed him while a cleric shouted out that he had insulted the Prophet ]'s name and in 2006 when he was accosted on ] by a man who accused him of being an ]. His car windows have also been smashed.<ref name=sonya>Sonya Fatah "{{dead link|date=December 2015}}", ''Globe and Mail'', August 3, 2006</ref> On August 4, 2006, Fatah announced his resignation as the MCC's communications director because of concerns for his safety and the safety of his family, stating that "it's not just for me. It's for my wife and my daughters."<ref>Bhattacharya, Sura, "Muslim spokesman quits; Says liberal views drew hate mail, death threats Warnings grew more intense in past three months", ''Toronto Star'', August 4, 2006</ref><ref>Fatah, Sonia, "Fearing for safety, Muslim official quits", ''Globe and Mail'', August 3, 2006</ref> | |||
In early 2011, Fatah received a threat via Twitter from a sender signed herself as Mariama AnnaLitical, who included a picture of herself wearing a purple hijab, stating that "This is an open threat to Xaar Boy @Tarek Fatah...I know where you live & and where your office is." She later sent a second Twitter message, reiterating that "This is an open threat. I know where you live/work @TarekFatah." Fatah contacted the Toronto Police Department and later met with two uniformed policemen from 51 Division. However, Fatah stated that barely one minute later, that "Two men entered the room and told everybody else to leave. They did not identify themselves, but five minutes into what amounted to a two-hour interrogation, I realized they were police intelligence officers. One of them, I recognized by reputation—a Muslim officer who had shut down a previous investigation into a death threat against me in 2008." After the intelligence officers left, Fatah stated that "the original officers confided to me that it was unusual for "intel" to act before a report had even been filed. I realized this was now about politics, and nothing would be done to help me. Later that night, the same Muslim officer called me to say AnnaLitical posed no danger. "She didn’t mean to say it," the officer said. I asked if any charges were laid. "No," he said. "I didn’t think it was necessary.""<ref name=somethreats> by Tarek Fatah, National Post, March 4, 2011.</ref><ref> By Joe Warmington, Toronto Sun, March 8, 2011.</ref> | |||
Fatah sharply criticized the Toronto Police over this incident, stating that: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
"The Toronto police, in their wish to promote an image of diversity and outreach, have dedicated themselves to serving and protecting the {{sic|the}} radical Islamist elements within our city. Meanwhile, Muslims like myself, who do their best to promote the equality and respect that the police claim to cherish, are left without legal protection when radicals explicitly and publicly threaten us with violence. In Toronto, anybody can issue an "open threat" against a man laying helpless in a hospital bed and be assured they will not face charges, so long as the person making the threat is a black Muslim woman wearing a hijab."<ref name=somethreats/></blockquote> | |||
On October 9th, 2011 Tarek Fatah reported on his ] page that he had received threats from a ] member warning him that if he does not within "48 hours" make his Facebook status: "I accept Israel as a Jewish state", or else his party would be over. On his weekly talk show with ] he brushed off the threat and hosted Zach Paikin who provided in-depth analysis into radical Jewish groups in Canada, such as the ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newstalk1010.com/Shows/TarekFatah.aspx|title=NEWSTALK 1010 - IN-DEPTH RADIO :: What the Fatah? :: The Tarek Fatah Show|work=Newstalk 1010}}</ref> | |||
==Authorship== | |||
Fatah is the author of ''Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State'', published in 2008. In the book Fatah challenges the notion that the establishment of an Islamic state is a necessary prerequisite to entering the state of Islam. He suggests that the idea of an Islamic state is merely a mirage that Muslims have been made to chase for over a millennium. | |||
The Toronto Star introduced the book to its readers as "A cri de coeur… succinctly yet with power." In a review of a chapter in the book titled, "The Prophet is Dead," the Toronto Star said, "Fatah had broached the mother of all taboos."<ref>A Moderate Muslim longs for a more spiritual faith http://www.thestar.com/article/420875</ref> | |||
] wrote a critique of the book in the Globe and Mail.<ref>{{dead link|date=December 2015}} by Emran Qureshi, The Globe and Mail, June 21, 2008.</ref> The book was praised by the Mackenzie Institute, which stated that it is "a direct challenge to the fanatics of the Wahhabi, Deobandi, and Khomeinist traditions. His exposition is solidly rooted in the oldest texts and histories of Islam and argues that the pursuit of an imperial Islamic state has soiled the religion, and violates the intentions of Mohammed himself."<ref>, Newsletter July 2008 #73, The Mackenzie Institute. {{wayback|url=http://www.mackenzieinstitute.com/2008/reviews-010708.htm |date=20110714013312 |df=y }}</ref> | |||
In February, 2011, Fatah was scheduled to have a debate with Imam Sheheryar Shaikh of the North American Muslim Foundation (NAMF). Amidst much controversy, Fatah did not show up for the debate event and left many of his supporters disappointed. | |||
On March 31, 2009, the conservative ] announced "Chasing a Mirage" had been shortlisted for their $35,000 ], awarded to non-fiction texts covering public policy.<ref name="donnerbookprize.com"/> | |||
"Chasing a Mirage" is translated into Urdu with Urdu title | |||
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Latest revision as of 13:13, 4 January 2025
Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author (1949–2023)
Tarek Fatah | |
---|---|
Fatah in 2009 | |
Native name | طارق فتح |
Born | (1949-11-20)20 November 1949 Karachi, Federal Capital Territory, Dominion of Pakistan |
Died | 24 April 2023(2023-04-24) (aged 73) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Occupation |
|
Nationality | Pakistani |
Citizenship | Canadian |
Alma mater | University of Karachi |
Period | 1996–2023 |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Subject |
|
Notable awards | |
Spouse | Nargis Tapal (m. 1949) |
Children | 2, including Natasha |
Website | |
Official website |
Tarek Fatah (Punjabi/Urdu: طارق فتح; / 20 November 1949 – 24 April 2023) was a Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author. He was a Punjabi born into Islam and was a vocal critic of the Pakistani religious and political establishment, and the partition of India.
Life
Fatah was born on 20 November 1949 in Karachi, Pakistan into a Punjabi family which had migrated from Bombay to Karachi following the Partition of India in 1947. Fatah graduated with a degree in biochemistry from the University of Karachi but entered into journalism as a reporter for the Karachi Sun in 1970, before becoming an investigative journalist for Pakistan Television. He was a leftist student leader in the 1960s and 1970s and was imprisoned twice by military regimes. In 1977, he was charged with sedition and barred from journalism by the Zia-ul Haq regime.
Fatah left Pakistan and settled in Saudi Arabia, before emigrating to Canada in 1987. He stated that he eventually renounced his Pakistani citizenship due in part to the government's discrimination against Ahmadiyya.
Of himself, Fatah asserted:
I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born in Islam; an immigrant in Canada with a Muslim consciousness, grounded in a Marxist youth. I am one of Salman Rushdie's many Midnight's Children: we were snatched from the cradle of a great civilization and made permanent refugees, sent in search of an oasis that turned out to be a mirage.
Political activity
Fatah was a long-time member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) and ran unsuccessfully in the 1995 provincial elections as the party's candidate in Scarborough North. He subsequently worked for Ontario NDP leader, Howard Hampton.
In July 2006, he left the NDP to support Bob Rae's candidacy for the Liberal Party of Canada's leadership. Rae, a former Ontario NDP leader and Premier of Ontario, had himself left the NDP several years earlier. In an opinion piece published in Toronto's Now Magazine, Fatah wrote that he decided to leave the NDP because of the establishment of a faith caucus which he believed would open the way for religious fundamentalists to enter the party. However, after Rae's defeat by Stéphane Dion, Fatah condemned similar racial and religious organization activity in the Liberal Party, arguing in a Globe and Mail editorial that Tamil, Sikh, Kurdish and Islamist Muslim leaders had engaged in "blatant efforts to wield political muscle," "bargaining the price of their cadre of delegates" and creating a "political process that feeds on racial and religious exploitation." "I respect the diversity of Canada," he wrote, "but I want to celebrate what unites us, not what divides us into tiny tribes that can be manipulated by leaders who sell us to the highest bidder."
At a press conference on 2 October 2008, Fatah sharply criticized the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). He stated that he was a lifetime social democrat who had supported the NDP for 17 years but that he could no longer be affiliated with that party. He claimed that the NDP began opening its doors to Islamists under Alexa McDonough and that, under Jack Layton, he had seen them flood into the party. Fatah said that Islamists in the NDP have pursued a campaign to instill a sense of victimhood among Muslim youth.
In early 2011, Fatah said that he received a threat via Twitter. He contacted Toronto Police Service and later met with two police officers from 51 Division. Fatah said that police intelligence officers, one a Muslim officer who had shut down a previous investigation into a death threat, shut down the investigation and claimed that there was no threat. Fatah criticized the Toronto Police over the incident.
In a 2015 Toronto Sun column, Fatah wrote that he would be voting for Conservative leader Stephen Harper in the 2015 federal elections, while still calling himself a social democrat.
Fatah favoured both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders for the United States presidential race in 2016. He said that many Muslim groups, and he himself, have recommended curbs on immigration from countries that harbour Islamist sympathisers, similar to policies promised by Trump.
Media activity
From 1996 until 2006 Fatah hosted Muslim Chronicle, a weekly Toronto-based current affairs discussion show on CTS and VisionTV, which focused on the Muslim community.
In February 2011, he was scheduled to have a debate with Sheharyar Shaikh of the North American Muslim Foundation (NAMF), after Shaikh issued an open challenge to Fatah to debate him. Fatah cancelled at the last minute and failed to show up. Shaikh, who had defended polygamy and opposed secular education for Muslims, was a critic of Fatah's views. Fatah stated that he had cancelled his appearance because the moderator was changed shortly before the event was to begin, and because the audience was hostile. Fatah also claimed that he was warned by police of threats to his safety. Fatah and Shaikh later appeared together in an interview for Sun News debating the role of Islam in ISIS.
From 2009 to 2015, Fatah was a broadcaster on Toronto radio station CFRB Newstalk 1010. As well as appearing as a regular contributor on the John Moore Morning Show, Fatah was a co-host of the nightly Friendly Fire with Ryan Doyle and Tarek Fatah from 2009 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2015 he hosted The Tarek Fatah Show on Sunday afternoons.
From 2012 to 2023, Fatah has written a regular column for the Toronto Sun and was a frequent commentator on the now-defunct Sun News Network.
From 2018 to 2023, Fatah was a regular host of "What The Fatah" which was hosted by New Delhi Times on their YouTube channel. The talk show mainly focused on the current international political trends.
Views
Fatah was a critic of Pakistan. He had questioned the legitimacy of the state and had advocated support for Baloch separatists. He believed that if Balochistan won independence, the remainder of Pakistan would reunify with India. In February 2013, after the website of the Toronto Sun was blocked in Pakistan; Fateh claimed credit. He rejected antisemitism as incompatible with Islam and had supported Israel's right to exist and Zionist projects; he had however called for an end to the "illegal and immoral" Israeli occupation of Palestine and anti-Arabism.
In 2003, Fatah broke with Irshad Manji in an article in the Globe and Mail in which he repudiated the thanks she gave him in the acknowledgment section of her book The Trouble with Islam. Fatah wrote of Manji's book that it is not addressed to Muslims; it is aimed at making Muslim-haters feel secure in their thinking. Manji replied saying that he told her in front of witnesses that "This book was written by the Jews for the Jews!" Fatah was subsequently quoted as indicating that he regrets his remarks and that he was unfair in slamming Manji's book. He said that she was right about the systematic racism in the Muslim world and that there were many redeeming points in her memoir, which he overlooked in his rush to judge it.
Fatah had criticized the partition of India, calling the division of the country tragic and lamenting that his homeland of Punjab was sliced in two by the departing British to create the new state of Pakistan. He stated that the British partitioned India so that they might be able to combat Soviet influence through the establishment of British military installations in what was then northwestern colonial India (now Pakistan).
Fatah was a critic of Sharia law. In a discussion hosted by The Globe and Mail in 2007, Fatah claimed that "most of the Islamic radicalism that you see today stems from the empowering of Saudi based Jihad groups that were funded and backed by the U.S. and the CIA throughout the Afghan war against the Soviet Union."
In response to the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting, Fatah endorsed the discredited conspiracy theory that Muslims had participated as perpetrators in the attack that killed six people.
According to the National Post he had also said "Islam is riddled with termites ... and if we don't cleanse ourselves with truth, the stench of our lies will drive us mad", and that there are "hateful sermons in almost every mosque" in Canada – Fatah himself never attended a mosque and encouraged Muslim parents to keep their children out of mosques because they have become, in his view, schools for fanaticism.
In November 2011, 60 Muslim groups and two dozen imams endorsed a statement that called for action against domestic violence, condemned honour killing as a notion that had absolutely nothing to do with Islam. Fatah refused to endorse the statement, according to the National Post, arguing that the statement did not address gender inequality and that honour killing has roots in Islam. According to Fatah, Islam deems the relationship of an unmarried woman as "adultery" and imams must distance themselves from punishing such actions by death.
In April 2008, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) dismissed a complaint about allegedly Islamophobic articles in Maclean's magazine. However, the commission criticized the newsweekly for publishing articles that were inconsistent with the spirit of the Ontario Human Rights Code, and doing serious harm to Canadian society by promoting societal intolerance and disseminating destructive, xenophobic opinions. Fatah said that for the Commission to refer to Maclean's magazine and journalists as contributing to racism is bullshit, if you can use that word and that the commission has unfairly taken sides against freedom of speech in a dispute within the Canadian Muslim community between moderates and fundamentalists.
Reception
Michael Coren, a critic of Islam, has praised Fatah for being brave enough to admit the faults and failings of Islam. Wael Haddara, president of the Muslim Association of Canada, said that he respect Fatah for his passion but that it was hard, if not downright impossible, to find something positive that he has ever said about Muslims. As a result, Haddara argues, Muslims are no longer listening to Fatah. Syed Soharwardy, president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, noted Fatah's views to be valuable but rejected his stereotyping of Islam by extrapolating from the behavior of a few extremists. In February 2007, Fatah was included by Maclean's magazine on a list of 50 Canadians described as "Canada's most well known and respected personalities.". In December 2008, the Toronto Star suggested that Prime Minister Stephen Harper appoint Fatah to one of the vacant seats in the Canadian Senate. Toronto Star's senior editor Bob Hepburn wrote that Fatah is "A prominent spokesperson for secular and progressive Muslim issues who would bring a much-needed unique perspective to the Senate."
'Fatah ka Fatwa' was well received by the masses; radical Islamist organisations have protested against the show and urged for his assassination.
Tarek Fatah was criticised for spreading "fake news" on multiple occasions. Amid the Delhi Assembly Election in 2020, he tweeted an old communally-charged video, and claimed it to be from Delhi. In Jan 2020, he tweeted another video of Burqa-clad persons dancing to a Bollywood number, hinting that the video is from Shaheen Bagh CAA-NRC protest, whereas, it was found that Fatah had tweeted the same video twice in the past. Because of his continued pattern of spreading "fake news" on Twitter, especially in "sectarian lines", some critics have argued that he is an external agent who wants to create "communal disturbances" in India. Writing about his targeting of Indian Muslims, AltNews.in accused him of blurring the lines between rational scepticism and contempt toward the Muslim community.
In 2016, after delivering a talk at Panjab University in India, he entered into a verbal altercation with some students. This was after he called a student from Kargil a Pakistani Terrorist and then called a Sikh student a Khalistani. He also told a Hindu girl in the same event, "You are the real patriot because of your religion." He criticised the students for standing up to show respect when the librarian came in. He told them, "Indians need to stop giving such treatment to their seniors".
In 2017, Chicago based Indian Mufti, Yasir Nadeem al Wajidi challenged Fatah for an academic debate anywhere in the world. He expressed that "If Fatah really liked to debate Islam then he should debate with Yasir anywhere in the world, owing to conditions including the presence of independent judges and at a public place not in a TV studio." Yasir started Surgical Strike, a talk show to debunk the ideas and allegations made by Fatah against Islam.
In November 2017, Indian police arrested two men who were hired by Chhota Shakeel to assassinate Fatah.
Advocacy groups
Muslim Canadian Congress
Fatah was one of the founders of the Muslim Canadian Congress in 2001, after the September 11 attacks and served as its communications director and spokesperson until 2006. He spoke out against the introduction of Sharia law as an option for Muslims in civil law in Ontario, Sharia banking in Canada, which he has described as a 'con-job', promoted social liberalism in the Muslim community and the separation of religion from the state, and endorsed same-sex marriage.
In July 2006, Fatah was the subject of an email campaign at Canadian media over his views. Fatah resigned as the communications director of the MCC in August 2006, citing concerns about his safety and his family member's safety.
Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC)
Mohamed Elmasry
In October 2004 CIC President Mohamed Elmasry stated that all Israelis over 18 are legitimate targets for suicide bombers. Fatah, along with other Jewish and Muslim organizations, called on Elmasry to quit.
In June 2006, Elmasry said that Fatah is well known in Canada for smearing Islam and bashing Muslims. Fatah responded that "his is a classic threat to label anyone as an apostate and then marginalize them, and this is what Mr. Elmasry has done by listing me as the top anti-Islam Muslim." Fatah said he saw the label from Elmasry as tantamount to a death sentence. Leonard Librande, professor of religion at Carleton University, told CTV News "There's nothing particularly Islamic in this... There are differences of opinion frequently in the community. It doesn't mean somebody is going to kill you."
Wahida Valiante
Wahida Valiante, president of the CIC, told The Globe and Mail that Tarek Fatah's views are diametrically opposed to most Muslims. There is a tremendous amount of discussion in the community. His point of view contradicts the fundamentals of Islam. Fatah wrote to the RCMP to complain about the CIC's article claiming that it "is as close as one can gets to issuing a death threat, as it places me as an apostate and blasphemer."
Books
Chasing a Mirage
The Toronto Star reviewer John Goddard said that book was a "richly layered work of stark realities." Emran Qureshi in the Globe and Mail said that Fatah had provided a "substantial contribution to the critique of the Islamic state and the state of Islam, especially in Canada" but criticized the book for its "gratuitous polemics" and sloppy fact-checking. The book was praised by the Mackenzie Institute, as a direct challenge to the far-Islamist fanatics which deriving from the original texts of Islam, successfully argued about how the pursuit of a global Islamic state violated Mohammed's tenets. On 31 March 2009, the conservative Donner Canadian Foundation shortlisted the book for their $35,000 Donner Prize, awarded to non-fiction texts covering public policy.
The Jew Is Not My Enemy
Published by McClelland & Stewart in October 2010, it won the 2010 Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Book Award in Politics and History, by the Koffler Centre of the Arts.
Death
Fatah died of cancer on 24 April 2023, at age 73. His widow, Nargis Tapal Fatah, died later that year, in December 2023.
See also
References
- ^ An Indian born in Pakistan: Meet and chat with Tarek Fatah at Firstpost Salon this Thursday, Firstpost, 23 November 2015.
- Rawat, Sudeep Singh (25 April 2023). "Pakistan-born journalist and columnist Tarek Fatah died due to cancer". Business Standard. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ Fatah, Tarek (21 August 2012). "Pakistan: The demon the West created". Torontosun. Toronto Sun. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- Sharma, Viney (21 December 2016). "I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born in Islam: Tarek Fatah". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- Rahim, Abdur (19 September 2014). Canadian Immigration and South Asian Immigrants. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4990-5872-7.
- Fatah, Tarek (25 December 2018). "Memories of my first Christmas with Uncle Joe in Karachi". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- Creet, Julia; Kitzmann, Andreas (January 2011). Memory and Migration: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Memory Studies. University of Toronto Press. p. 161. ISBN 9781442641297.
- ^ Rouche, Elizabeth (24 April 2016). "Who is Tarek Fatah?". Live Mint.
- "Pakistan-Born Author Tarek Fatah Passes Away At 73 After Prolonged Illness". news.abplive.com. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- "Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah passes away at 73". The Indian Express. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- Tarek Fatah (30 November 2013). "I renounced my Pakistani citizenship when Islamabad insisted all Pakistani passport holders shd denounce Ahmadis as infidels. @QudratullahDr" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via Twitter.
- Fatah, Terek (23 January 2019). "FATAH: The bankruptcy of ethnic vote banks". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- Tarek Fatah, "Faith no more—How the NDP's flirtation with religion pushed me out of the party," Archived 13 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine Now Magazine, 20–26 July 2006
- ^ Tarek Fatah, "Race and religion at the Liberal Party convention" The Globe and Mail, 6 December 2006. Archived 2016-01-14 at the Wayback Machine.
- The Islamist elephant in the room no politicians will acknowledge Archived 17 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine by Barbara Kay, National Post, 2 October 2008.
- ^ Tarek Fatah: Some death threats don't count Archived 10 July 2011 at the Library of Congress Web Archives by Tarek Fatah, National Post, 4 March 2011.
- Tarek Fatah's threatening tweet By Joe Warmington, Toronto Sun, 8 March 2011.
- Tarek Fatah (13 October 2015). "Why this socialist will vote for Harper". Toronto Sun.
- Tarek Fatah (1 March 2016). "My 1st choice is @BernieSanders, but if he's not in the running, anyone but that crooked woman with a crooked laugh".
- Tarek Fatah (21 February 2016). "#Sanders is a real human being just as #Trump is for the GOP. I'm sick of the Teflon Clinton and Cruz types".
- Tarek Fatah (16 August 2016). "Trump's jihad against jihad deserves support". Toronto Sun.
- "Dailytimes | Tarek Fatah's musings". dailytimes.com.pk. 21 July 2014.
- "Cancelled debate highlights tension among Canadian Muslims". National Post. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- Hume, Jessica (7 February 2011). "Cancelled debate highlights tension among Canadian Muslims". National Post. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- Tarek Fatah & Imam Sheharyar Shaikh – ISIS & Islamic imperialism Sun News Prime Time 17 November 2014 (retrieved 12 May 2015)
- "NEWSTALK 1010 – Press Release". Press Release. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- Perveen, Zahida (5 May 2015). "The Diaspora Intellectual In The Age of New Media: The Case Of Tarek Fatah". Prism.ucalgary.ca.
- Yelland, Tannara (13 February 2015). "Gone but Not Forgotten: the Greatest Hits of Sun News Network". Vice. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- "New Delhi Times – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- "Sangh seminar raises Baloch freedom cry". Telegraph India. 2 October 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- Joshi, Manas (7 December 2019). "'Pakistan will disintegrate in 20–25 years', says Pak-born writer Tarek Fatah in 'Aap Ki Adalat'". India TV.
- "Toronto Sun website blocked in Pakistan: Report". Express Tribune. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- John Goddard (19 November 2010). "The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Tarek Fatah". Toronto Star.
- Tarek Fatah, "Thanks, but no thanks: Irshad Manji's book is for Muslim-haters, not Muslims" Archived copy at the Library of Congress (21 March 2006). (Fatah's criticism of Irshad Manji), Globe and Mail, 23 November 2003. Republished at Muslim WakeUp! last viewed 11 December 2006. See also Irshad Manji, "The trouble with à la carte critics" Archived 27 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine (Manji's response to Fatah), Globe and Mail, 2 December 2003. Republished at muslim-refusenik.com Archived 14 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine (Irshad Manji's official website), last viewed 11 December 2006.
- "The trouble with à la carte critics" Archived 27 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine by Irshad Manji, Globe and Mail, 2 December 2003
- Gora, Tahir Aslam (26 June 2008). "Canada's a centre for Islamic reform". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- Philips, Amali (2011). "Sharia and Shah Bano: Multiculturalism and Women's Rights". Anthropologica. 53 (2): 285. ISSN 0003-5459. JSTOR 41473879.
- KORTEWEG, ANNA C. (2008). "THE SHARIA DEBATE IN ONTARIO: Gender, Islam, and Representations of Muslim Women's Agency". Gender and Society. 22 (4): 448. doi:10.1177/0891243208319768. ISSN 0891-2432. JSTOR 27821662. S2CID 146561595.
- Fatah, Tarek (13 July 2007). "The question of jihad". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- Blackwell, Tom (27 February 2017). "'Your throat will be slit': Canadian's Muslim talk show in India triggers threats, a bounty on his head". National Post. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- Daro, Ishmail N; Lytvynenko, Jane (1 February 2017). "Here Are All The Hoaxes And Bullshit Stories That Spread After The Quebec Shooting". buzzfeed.com.
- ^ Lewis, Charles (28 May 2011). "Saturday Interview: Tarek Fatah rails against the corruption and dangers he sees in Islam". The National Post. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013.
- "No 'honour' in domestic violence, not part of Islam, imams to preach Friday". National Post. 8 December 2011.
- ^ Joseph Brean (9 April 2008). "Rights body dismisses Maclean's case". National Post.
- Macleans 50 "Macleans.ca – Macleans50". Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2007.
- "Filling the Senate: And the nominees are ..." The Star. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- Parashar, Dr Sat (1 March 2021). "OPINION: Hindu Musalman, Hindu Sikh: A New Perspective, A New Movement | The Indian Free Press". theindianfreepress.com. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- "'Your throat will be slit': Canadian's Muslim talk show in India triggers threats, a bounty on his head". News.nationalpost.com. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- "Cleric announces bounty on heads of Tarek Fatah, Subhash Chandra". Times of India. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- "Muslim organisation announces Rs 10 lakh reward for beheading Tarek Fatah". Hindustantimes.com. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- "Bareilly-based Muslim organisation offers Rs 10 lakh for beheading Islamic scholar Tarek Fatah". The Indian Express. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Chaudhuri, Pooja (27 January 2020). "Tarek Fatah – A case study of unrelenting divisive misinformation". Alt News. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Kaur, Amanpreet; Rampal, Nikhil (15 January 2020). "Fact Check: Tarek Fatah loads up on fake again, drops a film clip to mislead on polio". India Today. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Deodia, Arjun (9 February 2020). "Fact Check: Tarek Fatah passes off old video with communal slogans as recent one from Delhi". India Today. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Chaudhuri, Pooja (28 January 2020). "Tarek Fatah, the unrelenting fake news peddler who targets Indian Muslims regularly". ThePrint. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Pooja Chaudhuri, AltNews in (27 January 2020). "20 times Pakistani-Canadian writer Tarek Fatah has tweeted fake news – often with a communal bite". Scroll.in. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- "Pakistani-Canadian writer Tarek Fatah at it again on Twitter". The New Indian Express. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- "Fatah Shares Old Video as Muslims Raising Communal Slurs in Delhi". The Quint. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "Row breaks out over Tarek Fatah comment at Panjab University". The Indian Express. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- M Ghazali Khan (16 February 2017). "With His Challenge Being Rejected Mufti Wajidi Takes on Tarek Fatah on Twitter". Urdu Media Monitor. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- Ubaid Iqbal Aasim (2019). Deoband Tārīkh-o-Tehzeeb ke ā'īne maiN (in Urdu). Deoband: Kutub Khana Naimia. pp. 157, 165–166.
- "Delhi Police arrest gangster hired by Chhota Shakeel to murder writer Tarek Fatah". India Today. 1 November 2017.
- Handler R Tarek Fatah and his case against 'radical' Islam CBC News 15 October 2008 (retrieved 12 May 2015)
- ^ Fatah, Sonya (3 August 2006). "Fearing for safety, Muslim official quits". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ Jimenez, Marina (28 October 2004). "Islamic leader apologizes but won't quit". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- "Threats force Tarek Fatah to resign from MCC". CTV News. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
- "Globe and Mail, August 3, 2006" Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Sonya Fatah "Fearing for safety, Muslim official quits ", The Globe and Mail, 3 August 2006
- Goddard, John (4 May 2008). "A moderate Muslim longs for a more spiritual faith | Toronto Star". Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- Qureshi, Emran. "The state of Islam". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- Alexander Mackenzie's Bookshelf, Newsletter July 2008 #73, The Mackenzie Institute.
- "Donner Book Prize". www.donnerbookprize.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008.
- Sicard, Sigvard von (2011). "The Jew is not my enemy: unveiling the myths that fuel anti-Semitism". Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations. 22 (4): 496–497. doi:10.1080/09596410.2011.606202. ISSN 0959-6410. S2CID 216152261.
- Bryson, Jennifer S. "A Jihad against anti-Semitism", First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, no. 210, 2011, p. 61+. February 2011.
- "Renowned Pak-born commentator Tarek Fatah passes away at 73, daughter Natasha says revolution of 'Son of Hindustan' will continue". The Free Press Journal. 24 April 2023.
- "Pakistan-born author Tarek Fatah passes away after prolonged illness". Times of India. 24 April 2023.
- "Natasha Fatah (@NatashaFatah) on X". X (Formerly Twitter).
External links
- Transcript of Fatah being interviewed by CNN's Glenn Beck
- Transcript – Tarek Fatah's address to Canada's Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
- 1949 births
- 2023 deaths
- Deaths from cancer in Ontario
- Pakistani emigrants to Canada
- Naturalized citizens of Canada
- Canadian expatriates in India
- Canadian investigative journalists
- Canadian people of Pakistani descent
- Canadian people of Punjabi descent
- Canadian Muslims
- Canadian television journalists
- Canadian television hosts
- Canadian talk radio hosts
- Canadian political writers
- Critics of Islamism
- Islam and secularism
- Journalists from Toronto
- Muslim supporters of Israel
- Ontario New Democratic Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections
- Writers from Toronto
- University of Karachi alumni
- Toronto Sun people