Zafar Bangash (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. Bangash is Director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT),Offman, Craig, "Karl's New Comrades; Rebranding Socialism for the 21st century", ''National Post'', 12 May 2007 and is former president of the Islamic Society of

York Region The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...

, a suburb of

. He also served as

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

at the Islamic Society of York Region's Mosque and community centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He relinquished his responsibilities with the Islamic Society of York Region in 2019 to devote full time to research in Seerah (life-history) for the Prophet of Islam. He is a former editor of ''

Crescent International A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

'' newsmagazine, and a Trustee and formerly assistant director of the Muslim Institute, London, where he worked with Dr.

Kalim Siddiqui Kaleem Siddiqui (born 23 September 1957) is an Indian Islamic scholar, preacher, educationist and a prominent member of Tablighi Jamaat. He was detained by ATS of Up police with accusations of mass conversion which nationalist Hindu consider ...

(1931–1996), the founder of the Muslim Institute and Leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain. Bangash is also a co-founder of the Muslim Unity Group.Wingrove, Josh, "Canada's Afghan role protested; Thousands take part in anti-war rallies across the country", ''Toronto Star'', 29 October 2006Marlow, Iain, "Address harassment, coalition urges", ''Toronto Star'', 6 July 2007 He is best known for his commentaries on current affairs while editor of ''Crescent International''. Though he stepped down as editor since joining the ICIT, he continues as a columnist and contributor to ''Crescent''.

Activities

In 2007, as a spokesperson for the Muslim Unity Group in Toronto, Bangash appeared with other Muslim leaders at a Toronto press conference calling for the Ontario government and

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...

to address the problem of increased harassment of Muslims and racial minorities since the

September 11th 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 commercial ...

. He was the keynote speaker at a 2007

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

conference in Toronto, prompting Bangash critic

Tarek Fatah Tarek Fatah ( Punjabi/Urdu: ; born 20 November 1949) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author.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 ...

to comment, "For atheists, considered worthy of the death penalty by Islamists, to team up with their ultimate opponents in attacking Canadian civic society, demonstrates the fundamental bankruptcy of these two political ideologies." Bangash justified his collaboration with secular leftists saying "The issues of justice, inequality and poverty are common themes we can work together on. They are concerns of conscience." Bangash was the focus of controversy when his association with a planned mosque in

Newmarket, Ontario Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from the ...

was used as a rallying point by opponents attempting to convince the municipality to rescind zoning approval for the building. A group called "Concerned Citizens Against Terror for Citizens of Newmarket" led by Ron Banerjee of the Canadian Hindu Advocacy and

Meir Weinstein Marvin Weinstein (born August 18, 1957) known as Meir Weinstein and previously known as Meir HaleviEnzo DiMatteo,", ''Now Magazine'', January 11, 2001 is the former national director of the Canada, Canadian branch of the Jewish Defense League (J ...

of the

Jewish Defence League The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a Jewish Far-right politics, far-right religious-political organization in the United States and Canada, whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by By any means necessary, whatever means necess ...

organised protests and a public meeting against the mosque's construction. Banerjee claimed that Bangash himself posed a "clear and present danger to the safety and security" of the country. The protest group was accused by one community member of not being members of the community and coming in from outside for the purpose of "stirring the pot".Freed, Dale Anne, "Newmarket mosque meeting 'one-sided'; Executive member says leadership not invited to meeting, adding they don't share controversial imam's views", 26 February 2007 Mosque leaders have said that while Bangash is president of the Islamic Society of York Region to which the new mosque belongs, he is not the mosque's imam and has no direct involvement with the facility.Blackwell, Tom, "'Town hall' targets Newmarket mosque: Jewish group leading protest has checkered past of its own", ''National Post'', 26 February 2007 In June 2007, the

Canadian Arab Federation The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of Arab Canadians with respect to the formulation of public policy in Canada. It presently consists of over 40 member organizations. CAF's stated objectives include ...

(CAF) honoured Bangash at a gala dinner for his "unwavering" support of

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. CAF President Khaled Mouammar also defended Bangash, stating that "he is a man of dignity" and that "he has no blood on his hands like those

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

war criminals who come to Canada and are received by our politicians, like

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...

." On 14 February 2010, at a conference entitled "Media War on Islam," Bangash stated the "Israeli-owned" International Consultants on Targeted Security runs security at Amsterdam airport, and therefore "the Israelis are in control of security," and thus allowed

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab ( ar, عمر فاروق عبد المطلب ; also known as Umar Abdul Mutallab and Omar Farooq al-Nigeri; born December 22, 1986) popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber" or "Christmas Bomber", is a Nigerian-bor ...

to board a Detroit-bound plane with concealed explosives.

Views

Support for the Iranian Government

Bangash is a supporter of the 1979

Islamic revolution in Iran The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

and has called for Islamic revolutions in other countries, stating that "Muslims must strive to overthrow the oppressive systems in their societies through Islamic revolutions, and not by participating in fraudulent elections organized by the elites operating through various political parties that actually divide the people." Tarek Fatah describes him as the "unofficial spokesperson for the Iranian regime in Canada." However, Bangash has denied being an advocate of creating an Islamic

theocracy Theocracy is a form of government in which one or more deity, deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs. Etymology The word theocracy origina ...

telling the ''Toronto Star'' "I am suggesting not necessarily an Iranian-style theocracy but I am advocating that people in the Muslim world should get rid of their corrupt regimes in the same way as the people of Iran got rid of the corrupt regime of the shah, of course." In 2004, the

proposed the introduction of "anti-homophobia education" at a downtown Toronto school. Bangash supported the right of Muslim parents to exclude their children from classes discussing families with same-sex parents. "We don't want our children subject to that kind of thinking. It's very clear in our belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. It goes against the core beliefs of Muslims; our understanding springs directly from the Qur'an," said Bangash.

United States

Bangash opposes the United States, calling it "the greediest, most exploitative, most manipulative, most hypocritical and most ruthless power that the world has ever known." He has also written that "unless the US and Israel realise that their murderous policies, far from cowing the Muslims, will only intensify hatred for them, there will be peace neither in the Muslim world nor for the US and its zionist surrogate, Israel." In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Bangash stated that:

"the imam's yatollah Khomeinidesignation of the U.S. as a great Satan was very precise. It emerged from a very careful study and understanding of the behaviour of the United States government and its policies down the generations...It has perpetrated over there n Iraqunder the guise of delivering democracy and freedom when tens of thousands if not hundred of thousands of innocent people have been murdered in cold blood similar crimes are being perpetrated in Palestine by the US support of the Zionist occupiers of Palestine... It is an evil power that it needs to be dealt with and it needs to be continued and put in its place."

He told the ''National Post'' that he believes that the US government knew of

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

's plans to launch the 9/11 attacks in advance and allowed them to occur to provide a pretext for attacking Afghanistan. In an interview with the ''Islam Times'' in October 2010, Bangash stated that "There is little doubt that the US is in terminal decline. Financially it is bankrupt and living on borrowed money. Its military has been defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan and stretched to the limit...Politically, the US is virtually in a state of civil war." He further stated that "As the US and the West suffer defeat at the hands of Muslims in such places as Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere, they will become more oppressive toward Muslims living in their midst." He also stated that the decline of the United States "offers a great opportunity for Muslims to reclaim the high moral ground in global politics and lead errant humanity to its salvation." In August 2012, Bangash spoke at an Al-Quds Day protest held outside the American Consulate in Toronto, where he stated (to cheers of "

Allahu Akbar Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

"): At a protest outside the American consulate in Toronto on 22 September 2012, Bangash praised the crowd, stating that "You fulfilled your duty today and you delivered a slap on the face of our enemies whether they are in the United States or the Zionist state of Israel."

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

In an article published in 2001, Bangash rejected the idea of a

two-state solution The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation ...

or a power-sharing arrangement between Jews and Palestinians. He referred to Israelis as "thieves and bandits from Europe and America" and should go "back where they came from:the US, Canada Europe, Russia, or whoever is willing to take them in."Bell, Stewart, "Call to Jihad from a Markham Strip Mall: Newsmagazine propagates Islamic revolution", ''National Post'', 6 April 2002
Article available here
/ref> Bangash has also stated that "Zionist thugs will have to vacate every inch of Palestine if there is to be justice (and therefore peace) in that tortured land." At the Toronto Peace & Justice Conference in March 2006, Bangash gave a speech in which he stated that "for the state of Israel, peace would mean when all the Palestinians have been put into the graveyard, six feet down." On the question of

suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

, Bangash told the ''Vancouver Sun'' that he opposes the targeting of innocent civilians. He argues that suicide bombing is an act of desperation by a people who do not have the tanks, aircraft and advanced weaponry – "it's the Israelis who have them, they are using them, and people under occupation have the right under international law to resist their occupiers." He also claimed that suicide bombers usually attack military targets.
CANADA: Ontario’s hate mongering misfits
by Alan Simons, the Jewish Chronicle, 4 September 2011. In the same speech, Bangash expressed his vision that Israel will cease to exist and will be replaced by an Islamic regime, stating that:

“Allah willing, I see that day when we, the Muslims, will march on Palestine and liberate Palestine for all the people in the world. For the Jewish people, for the Christian people and for the Muslim people, they will all be living as equal citizens.”

At an Al-Quds Day rally held in August 2013, Bangash stated that Queen's Park has become a "Zionist occupied territory" and that charged that Canadian Prime Minister

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, ...

and Ontario Premier

Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...

"are leading Canada in the wrong direction." Bangash also called for the rally's participants to "continue to speak for the Palestinians under oppression" until "all of Palestine is liberated from Zionist occupation" and predicted that "Zionism will be eternally shamed."

2006 Israel-Lebanon War

Bangash was active in protests against the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war and at one point elicited cheers when he announced the number of Israeli soldiers killed by

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

forces during the conflict.

Criticism of Taliban and Osama bin Laden

Bangash has criticised the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

and

by saying their strategy was "the most stupid approach to take because you cannot convince the U.S. by attacking the U.S. You cannot force the U.S. to change its policies; you have to change your own situation in Muslim countries." He has also criticised Bin Laden's call for ''

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 ...

'' against the West saying "An individual cannot issue a jihad... Only highly qualified scholars respected through the Muslim world can do that, not somebody sitting on some mountain."Scrivener, Leslie, "Seeking to understand and to be understood --- Life after terrorism is more complex for the GTA's Muslim community", ''Toronto Star'', 13 October 2001

Canadian intervention in Afghanistan

Bangash has spoken at rallies which oppose

Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan Canada's role in the Afghanistan War began in late 2001. Canada sent its first element of soldiers secretly in October 2001 from Joint Task Force 2,Maloney, S., ''Enduring the Freedom: A Rogue Historian in Afghanistan'', Potomac Books ...

and call for a national referendum on Canada's continued participation in the war.

Relationship with non-Muslims

Bangash told the ''Toronto Star'' that when his Richmond Hill mosque opened, he and his congregation "went out of our way to contact the neighbours, contact the churches, Jewish groups, all kinds of people. We have invited to this centre United Church ministers to come and speak, Mennonite pastors to come and speak." In 2005, the mosque held a service in which every member of the congregation was asked to bring someone who was non-Muslim. Speaking to reporter

Michael Valpy Michael Granville Valpy (born 1942) is a Canadian journalist and author. He wrote for ''The Globe and Mail'' newspaper where he covered both political and human interest stories until leaving the newspaper in October, 2010. Through a long career ...

, Bangash said that the mosque was packed and that "The congregation was thrilled by the result". Following the 9-11 attacks a

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

pastor, Gordon Alton, contacted the mosque. Bangash, in his words, "stretched the rules of Islam" to the limit and asked Alton to preach at the mosque. "I think never in history had that been done before," Bangash said, "but I felt we needed to return isgesture."Valpy, Michael, "From rickety barn to celebrated mosque; Big dreamers have done wonders at the Islamic Centre of York Region", ''Globe and Mail'', 5 November 2004 Peter Leibovitch, who is Jewish and a long-time friend of Bangash, has defended him against his critics saying "we live in a free society and have the right to different positions," adding that many in the Jewish community don't support decisions made by the Israeli government. "And a lot of Jews are not happy with (U.S. President) George Bush's new militarism... Zafar Bangash doesn't agree with American foreign policy nor do millions of Canadians. I didn't know it's a crime not to agree with George Bush."Ferenc, Leslie, "York mosque wins approval; Residents angered about imam's political views", ''Toronto Star'', 6 February 2007

Books and booklets

*''The Makkah massacre and future of the Haramain'' (1988) *''In pursuit of the power of Islam : major writings of

'' (1996) *''The

seerah Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya (), commonly shortened to Sīrah and translated as prophetic biography, are the traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad from which, in addition to the Quran and Hadiths, most historical information about his life and th ...

, a power perspective : papers'' (2000) *''The concepts of leader and leadership in Islam'' (2001) *''Power manifestations of the Sirah : examining the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah'' (2011) *''The covenant of Madinah and the inclusivist Islamic state'' (2011) *''

Imam Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

and centrality of leadership in the Islamic movement'' (2011) *''The doomed kingdom of the

house of Saud The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

'' (2015)

References

External links

IRIB radio1989 Four-way interview with Norman Finkelstein, Wolf Blitzer, and Lawrence Martin Jenco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangash, Zafar Living people Pashtun writers 21st-century Pakistani writers Canadian imams Pakistani emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Canadian Muslims Pakistani Muslims 21st-century imams 1950 births