Tarek Fatah ( Punjabi/

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author.An Indian born in Pakistan: Meet and chat with Tarek Fatah at Firstpost Salon this Thursday
Firstpost, 23 November 2015. Fatah advocates

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

, a separation of religion and state, opposition to ''sharia'' law, and advocacy for a liberal, progressive form of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. He calls himself "an

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n born in Pakistan" and "a Punjabi born into Islam" and is a vocal critic of the Pakistani religious and political establishment. To this end, Fatah has criticized the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

Life

Fatah was born in

Karachi, Pakistan Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

into a

Punjabi Muslim Punjabi Muslims ( pa, ) are adherents of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. Primarily geographically native to the Punjab province of Pakistan today, many have ancestry in the entire Punjab region, ...

family which had migrated from

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

to Karachi following the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947. Fatah graduated with a degree in

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

from the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whic ...

but entered into journalism as a reporter for the ''Karachi Sun'' in 1970, before becoming an

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

for

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

. 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 Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

and barred from journalism by the

Zia-ul Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

regime. He left Pakistan and settled in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, before emigrating to Canada in 1987. Of himself, Fatah asserts:

Political activity

Tarek was a long-time member of the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...

(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 Howard George Hampton (born May 17, 1952) is a politician who was a member of Provincial Parliament for the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, from 1987 to 1999 in the electoral district of Rainy Ri ...

. In July 2006, he left the NDP to support

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

's candidacy for the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

. Rae, a former Ontario NDP leader and

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly of On ...

, 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 believes will open the way for religious fundamentalists to enter the party. However, after Rae's defeat by

Stéphane Dion Stéphane Maurice Dion (born 28 September 1955) is a Canadian diplomat, academic and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco since 2022 and special envoy to the European Union since 2017. Dion was Leader of ...

, Fatah condemned similar racial and religious organizing activity in the Liberal Party, arguing in a ''

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' editorial that

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

and Islamist

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

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."Tarek Fatah,
Race and religion at the Liberal Party convention"
''The Globe and Mail'', 6 December 2006 "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 Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

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 Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is c ...

under

Alexa McDonough Alexa Ann McDonough ( Shaw; August 11, 1944 – January 15, 2022) was a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Nova Scotia, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's (NSN ...

and that, under

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...

, 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.The Islamist elephant in the room no politicians will acknowledge
by

Barbara Kay Barbara Kay (born 1943) is a columnist for the Canadian newspaper ''National Post''. She also writes a weekly column for '' The Post Millennial'' and a monthly column for ''Epoch Times''. Kay announced on July 24, 2020, that she was leaving the ...

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

, 2 October 2008. In early 2011, Fatah said that he received a threat via Twitter. Fatah contacted

Toronto Police Service The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police ser ...

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 there was no threat.Tarek Fatah: Some death threats don’t count
by Tarek Fatah, National Post, 4 March 2011. Fatah criticized the Toronto Police over the incident. In a 2015 ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' column, Fatah wrote that he would be voting for Conservative leader

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

in the 2015 federal elections, while still calling himself a social democrat. Fatah favoured both

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

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 he hosted ''Muslim Chronicle'', a weekly Toronto-based current affairs discussion show on

CTS Cts or CTS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * Chinese Television System, a Taiwanese broadcast television station, including: ** CTS Main Channel () ** CTS Education and Culture () ** CTS Recreation () ** CTS News and Info () ...

and

VisionTV VisionTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that broadcasts multi-faith, multicultural, and general entertainment programming aimed at the 45 and over demographic. VisionTV is currently owned by ZoomerMedia, a company ...

, which focused on the Muslim community. In February, 2011, Fatah 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 Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

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, he 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 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. Since 2012, Fatah has written a regular column for the ''

'' and was a frequent commentator on the now-defunct

Sun News Network Sun News Network (commonly shortened to Sun News) was a Television in Canada, Canadian Canadian English, English language Category C services, Category C news channel owned by Québecor Média through a partnership between two of its subsidiaries ...

. Since 2018, Fatah has been a regular host of "What The Fatah" which is hosted by New Delhi Times on their YouTube channel. The talk show mainly focuses on the current International Political trends. It is widely watched in India, Pakistan and Canada

Views

Fatah has been a critic of Pakistan. He has questioned the legitimacy of the state and has advocated support for Baloch separatists. He believes that after

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

wins independence, the remainder of Pakistan will reunify with India. In February 2013, after the website of the ''Toronto Sun'' was blocked in Pakistan; Fateh claimed credit. He rejects

anti-semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

as incompatible with Islam and has supported Israel's right to exist and

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

projects; he has however called for an end to the "illegal and immoral"

Israeli occupation of Palestine Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. While the term is currently applied to the Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights, it has also been used to refer to a ...

and

anti-Arabism Anti-Arabism, Anti-Arab sentiment, or Arabophobia includes opposition to, dislike, fear, or hatred of Arab people. Historically, anti-Arab prejudice has been an issue in such events as the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the condemnatio ...

. In 2003, Fatah broke with

Irshad Manji Irshad Manji (born 1968) is a Ugandan-born Canadian educator. She is the author of ''The Trouble with Islam Today'' (2004) and ''Allah, Liberty and Love'' (2011), both of which have been banned in several Muslim countries. She also produced a PB ...

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 I overlooked in my rush to judge it. Fatah has criticized the partition of India, calling the division of the country tragic and lamenting that his homeland of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

was sliced in two by the departing British to create the new state of Pakistan. He states that the British partitioned India so that they might be able to combat

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

influence through the establishment of British military installations in what was then northwestern colonial India (now Pakistan). Fatah is a critic of

Sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...

. In a discussion hosted by ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' in 2007, Fatah claimed that "most of the Islamic radicalism that you see today stems from the empowering of Saudi based

Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

groups that were funded and backed by the U.S. and the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

throughout the Afghan war against the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

." In response to the 2017

Quebec City mosque shooting The Quebec City mosque shooting (french: Attentat de la grande mosquée de Québec) was an attack by a single gunman on the evening of January 29, 2017, at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, a mosque in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood ...

, Fatah endorsed the discredited

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

that Muslims had participated as perpetrators in the attack that killed six people. 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 CanadaFatah 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. In November 2011, 60 Muslim groups and two dozen imams endorsed a statement that called for action against

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, condemned

honour killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...

as a notion that had absolutely nothing to do with Islam. 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. In April 2008, the

Ontario Human Rights Commission The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) was established in the Canadian province of Ontario on March 29, 1961, to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code. The OHRC is an arm's length agency of government accountable to the legislature through ...

(OHRC) dismissed a complaint about allegedly Islamophobic articles in

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

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 Michael Coren (born 15 January 1959) is a British-Canadian writer and clergyman. A long-time television personality, Coren hosted '' The Michael Coren Show'' on the Crossroads Television System from 1999 to 2011 before moving to the Sun News Ne ...

, 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 The Muslim Association of Canada is a non-profit organization which provides religious and educational services for the Muslim community in Canada. MAC operates in 13 Canadian cities, with a vision to establish an Islamic presence in Canada tha ...

, 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 Allama Syed Badiuddin Soharwardy (born 1955 in Karachi) is a Sunni scholar, a shaykh of the Suhrawardi Sufi order, chairman of the Al-Madinah Calgary Islamic Assembly, and is the founder and current president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Ca ...

, president of the

Islamic Supreme Council of Canada The Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC; french: Le Conseil Suprême Islamique de Canada) is a Canadian Islam, Muslim organization based in Calgary, Alberta. It was founded in 2000 by Sufi Imam Syed Soharwardy with the aims of fostering Canadia ...

, 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

magazine on a list of 50 Canadians described as "Canada’s most well known and respected personalities.". In December 2008, the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' suggested that Prime Minister

appoint Fatah to one of the vacant seats in the Canadian Senate. ''Toronto Star'' senior editor

Bob Hepburn Robert White Hepburn (17 December 1901 – 1976) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Born in Hamilton, Hepburn played club football for Dykehead, Ayr United and Stranraer, and made one appearance for Scotland Sco ...

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 ''Fatah Ka Fatwa'' ( hi, फ़तह का फ़तवा) is an Indian discussion show, hosted by secularist and liberal activist Tarek Fatah on Hindi news channel Zee News. The 17-episode show focuses on issues relevant to Islam, such as terr ...

’ was well received by the masses; radical Islamist organisations have protested against the show and urged for his assassination. Tarek Fatah has been criticised for spreading "

fake news Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in reality ...

" 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 Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, 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 Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, approximately 172.2 million people identifying as adherents of Islam in 2011 Census. India is also the country with the second or third largest number of Muslim ...

, AltNews.in accused him of blurring the lines between rational scepticism and

contempt Contempt is a pattern of attitudes and behaviour, often towards an individual or a group, but sometimes towards an ideology, which has the characteristics of disgust and anger. The word originated in 1393 in Old French contempt, contemps, ...

toward the Muslim community. In 2016, after delivering a talk at

Panjab University Panjab University (PU) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both Punjab, India, State and Government of India, Union governments, it is considered a state university (Indi ...

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 Yasir Nadeem al Wajidi (born 4 March 1982) is a Chicago based Indian Muslim scholar, author and a YouTuber. He is an activist of minority rights and a public speaker. He is a mufti and teaches Islamic sciences at the Islamic Institute of Educatio ...

challenged Fateh for an academic debate anywhere in the world. He expressed that "If Fateh really liked to debate Islam then he should debate with Nadeem anywhere in the world, owing to conditions including the presence of independent judges and at a public place not in a TV studio." Nadeem also started Surgical Strike, a talk show to debunk the ideas and allegations made by Fateh against Islam.

Advocacy groups

Muslim Canadian Congress

Fatah was one of the founders of the

Muslim Canadian Congress The Muslim Canadian Congress (french: Congrès musulman canadien) was organized to provide a voice to Muslims who support a "progressive, liberal, pluralistic, democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of religion." Origins ...

in 2001, after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

and served as its communications director and spokesperson until 2006. He spoke out against the introduction of

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

law as an option for Muslims in civil law in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, 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 Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

. 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. Tarek Fatah at an anti-war demonstration in Toronto

Tarek Fatah at an anti-war demonstration in Toronto

Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC)

Mohamed Elmasry

In October 2004 CIC President

Mohamed Elmasry Mohamed Elmasry ( ar, محمد المصري) (born December 24, 1943) is a Canadian engineering professor, imam, and Muslim community leader. Biography He was born in Cairo, Egypt and received his Bachelor of Science in 1965 from Cairo Universi ...

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 is 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 Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

, 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 get to issuing a death threat as it places me as an apostate and blasphemer.Sonya Fatah
Fearing for safety, Muslim official quits
", ''The Globe and Mail'', 3 August 2006

Assassination plot

In 2017,

n police arrested two men who were hired by

Chhota Shakeel Chhota Shakeel (born 31 December 1955) is an Indian crime boss and a high-ranking leader of the D-Company, a criminal group based in South Asia. He joined the D-Company in 1988 under the kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, and was reportedly responsible fo ...

to assassinate Fatah.

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 The Mackenzie Institute for the Study of Terrorism, Revolution and Propaganda is an independent and non-partisan think tank in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend ...

, 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 Donner may refer to: Places * Donner (crater), a lunar crater * Mount Donner, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada * Donner, California, an unincorporated community near Donner Pass, United States * Donner Lake, in California * Donner Memo ...

shortlisted the book for their $35,000

Donner Prize The Donner Prize is an award given annually by one of Canada's largest foundations, the Donner Canadian Foundation, for books considered excellent in regard to the writing of Canadian public policy. The prize was established in 1998 and is meant to ...

, awarded to non-fiction texts covering public policy.

The Jew Is Not My Enemy

Published by

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. History It was founded ...

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 The Koffler Centre of the Arts is a broad-based cultural institution established in 1977 by Murray and Marvelle Koffler and based at Artscape Youngplace in the West Queen West area of downtown Toronto, Ontario. History Established in 1977 as part ...

.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.

References

External links

Transcript of Fatah being interviewed
by

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

Transcript - Tarek Fatah's address to Canada's Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatah, Tarek 1949 births Living people 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 LGBT rights activists from Canada 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 Muslim reformers