Hamilton MPs not welcome for Ramadan if they don't meet demands to help Gaza: Muslim groups
A dozen Islamic and Muslim organizations in Hamilton and Niagara sign letter along with national groups
As the brutal and deadly war in Gaza nears its sixth month, Hamilton-area Muslim groups will break with tradition and not welcome members of Parliament into their mosques for Ramadan unless they call for an immediate ceasefire.
More than a dozen local Islamic and Muslim organizations and mosques signed a letter demanding MPs take a firmer stance against Israel's actions in its war with Hamas, including the Muslim Association of Hamilton, Niagara Palestine Coalition and the Muslim Council of Brantford-Brant.
The letter was also signed by more than 300 other Muslim organizations across Canada and released last week.
The letter implores MPs to condemn what the organizations call Israel's "war crimes," demand restoration of funding for the UN's aid agency in the region, oppose the "flow of arms and militarily equipment" to Israel and ensure Canadians can express solidarity with Palestinians without reprisal.
President of the Muslim Association of Hamilton Javid Mirza told CBC Hamilton he's "totally heartbroken" the Canadian government has not done more to save Palestinian lives.
Despite being a Liberal Party supporter for most of his life — he previously ran for the federal party in Hamilton Centre — Mirza said he has no desire to see any of the three Hamilton Liberal MPs in his place of worship this year, especially during Ramadan, which starts March 10.
"This year, with what's happening in Gaza, what's the purpose of having you come to our mosques if you can't stand on the right side of history?" he said.
Watch: Immigration Minister Marc Miller speaks to reporters Thursday about rescuing Gazans
Every time he goes to his mosque, somebody asks him to pray for their uncle or aunt or brother killed in Gaza, Mirza said. One person he knows recently lost 10 family members, including children, in a bombing.
Mirza previously told CBC about 40 per cent of the Muslim community in Hamilton is Arab, and of that group, about half are Palestinian and a quarter from the Gaza Strip.
It was important the letter called out federal MPs in particular, Mirza said, over city or provincial officials, as they're the ones voting on issues like where Canadian aid goes.
Liberal MP calls for funding to be restored to UNRWA
The latest war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters entered Israel and killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages, according to Israel.
In response, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza, where at least 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 70,000 wounded, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Thursday.
"Ramadan is about humanity. This Ramadan, more than ever, only those MPs who share in our commitment to humanity will be welcome to address us in our sacred spaces," the letter says.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has been highly criticized by Palestinian supporters since the war began for not taking a firmer stance against Israel's military actions that have destroyed large swaths of the territory and killed many civilians, including children.
Earlier this month, the prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand called for a ceasefire in a joint statement, saying they were "gravely concerned by indications that Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah."
This week, a government source told CBC News the Canadian government will begin airdropping aid into Gaza within the next week.
Liberal MP Chad Collins, who represents Hamilton-Stoney Creek, was among the first within the party to release a letter last fall calling for a ceasefire, before the Liberals officially did.
He told CBC Hamilton this week he understands why local Muslim groups have signed the letter, and why he may not be invited to Ramadan events this year.
"They're doing everything they can within their community to end the war and exerting political pressure is part of that," Collins said.
"We obviously denounce the terrorist attacks of Hamas and want the hostages released, but the impact on [Palestinian] civilians is hard to watch and something we haven't seen in a long time. It's difficult to comprehend."
Collins said he supports Canada restoring funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) that provides aid in Gaza. That funding had been paused after Israel claimed some UNRWA staff members had been involved in the Oct. 7 attack.
"UNRWA does [aid] the best," Collins said. "The longer we delay funding, the longer the civilian population will struggle."
Liberal MP Filomena Tassi, who represents Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, said in a statement that she will continue to engage with Hamilton's Muslim community.
Hamilton Mountain Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner did not respond to a request for comment.
NDP MP Matthew Green, who represents Hamilton Centre, supported the letter and its calls for action the day it was released.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Thomson Reuters, CBC News