[1] The group was founded by Mohamed Elmasry of the University of Waterloo, a world expert in microchip design, with a 1994 meeting of Muslim leaders from across the country and it was formally incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1998.
[2] In March 2006, the CIC issued a communique in which it condemned the government of Stephen Harper for "blindly following the lead of Washington and of the influential pro-Israel Jewish lobby in both countries.
The national essay contest announced by these groups encouraging youth to write on "Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine", is based on the false assumption that the Jewish presence in the Jewish People's ancestral homeland is illegal" and that "This sham of a contest joins together Canadian-Arab groups, which purport to reflect mainstream positions, but which clearly hold extremist notions that deny Israel's right to exist.
The proposal is a response to Elections Canada issuing a directive to poll clerks to permit women wearing veils for religious reasons to vote.
"[22] In 2007, the CIC voiced its opposition to proposals to renew provisions of the 2001 Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act allowing investigative hearings and preventive arrests which had lapsed in early 2006.
Speaking on behalf of the conference, Elmasry said "We object to any special courts that deal specifically with terror activities, because at the end of the day it will compromise the civil liberties of Canadians.
"[23] The Canadian Islamic Congress supported recommendations by Marion Boyd that the government of Ontario permit sharia tribunals to which Muslims could voluntarily submit civil disputes and whose findings would then have legal weight under the Arbitration Act.
"[27] In the aftermath, the Muslim Canadian Congress demanded that the CIC apologize for "false" accusations that those who criticize sharia are "smearing Islam, ridiculing the Koran [and] badmouthing Muhammad."
The MCC stated that CIC President Elmasry accused the group of blasphemy, a crime that carries the death sentence in several Islamic countries, leading some MCC members to fear they will be arrested if they travel certain Islamic countries.."[27] Arif Raza, MCC's lawyer wrote that "Your [Elmasry's] false and utterly irresponsible accusations of blasphemy have exposed these active, dynamic and prominent members of the Canadian Muslim community and their families to enormously dangerous consequences" and that "you [Elmasry] have defamed their good reputation and exposed them to ridicule and hatred within their own communities in Canada.
"[27] Elmasry responded by stating that Islam has no punishment for denouncing the religion, its holy book or the Prophet Mohammed, and he dismissed as "nonsense" the notion that his words could be construed as a death sentence.
[28] The proposal, which was also supported by Jewish and some Christian groups, proved unpopular with the electorate and is cited as a key reason for the Conservative party's defeat in the election.
Elmasry also stated that the decision to place Hezbollah and Hamas on this list was "dictated by special interest groups with agendas that are contrary to peace with justice.
It has accused governments and school boards of failing to address harassment and discrimination against Muslims and Arabs and has called for the province of Ontario to launch a public inquiry.
and that "[s]ince 9/11, there has been no effort on behalf of the Ontario government, including the Ministry of Education, to have a comprehensive policy to address the growing isolation and marginalization of Muslim and Arab youth.
"[30] In 2006, CIC Vice-President Wahida C. Valiante criticized "pro-Israeli Zionists... promote fear of Islam and Muslims through propaganda, and by playing manipulative mind- games on unsuspecting, decent mainstream Canadian and Americans."
She also wrote that "the Zionist zealots (neo-conservative Likud Party supporters who yoke Israel's interests to those of America) and rightwing evangelical "millennial" or end-time Christians, both raise the spectre of "Islamic terrorism" as a force that threatens free people everywhere.
"[34] The remarks only received attention several weeks after the broadcast, and after Elmasry's apology and proffered resignation, when a press release by the Canadian Arab Federation highlighted them.
"[34] In a letter to the Toronto Star following Sellar's column, Elmasary complained about the affair: Canadian news media – including the Star – launched a relentless and unfair attack against the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) and me while covering up for weeks the outrageous statements made on the same show by Adam Aptowitzer, then the Ontario chairman of the B'nai Brith Institute of International Affairs.
While never referring to Aptowitzer's statements, the media used news stories, editorials, op-ed pieces, columns, photos, front-page coverage, cartoons, and radio and television commentaries to paint a negative picture of CIC and myself which seriously distorts and falsifies the truth.
Unfortunately, the Jewish idea of being "chosen" not only institutionalized racism, but also set a terrible precedent for human history in general, where racial superiority claims became the norm, the divisive standard by which all others, those not like us were to be judged and treated.
"[37] After the Canadian Jewish Congress complained, Valiente sent the organization a letter acknowledging that her interpretation of the term "chosen people" was "inconsistent with its meaning in the scriptures of the Old Testament.