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Monia Mazigh
CSIS Perpetuates A Culture Of Fear With Unannounced Visits
The Huffington Post 05/07/2016 - Over the past two months, our organization, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG) has been contacted on three different occasions by three Muslim men complaining about Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officers who visited (or called) them either at work or at home to ask them  questions. [...] According to CSIS officers, the practice is a legitimate investigative strategy. But for Paul Champ, an Ottawa labour lawyer who represented individuals targeted by CSIS and in several cases related to national security, it's "a strategy to make people uncomfortable and to coerce them into speaking to CSIS. I think that's clearly the intent of the policy." Read more - Lire plus |
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Ontario facing 'epidemic of Islamophobia' survey finds
The Toronto Star 04/07/2016 - "There is an epidemic of Islamophobia in Ontario. Only a third of Ontarians have a positive impression of the religion and more than half feel its mainstream doctrines promote violence (an anomaly compared to other religions)," said the 51-page survey to be released this week by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants and advocacy group Mass Minority. "These sentiments are echoed with Syrian refugees in Ontario where acceptance often coincides with acceptance of Islam." Ontario has seen a number of recent incidents targeting Muslims. A woman  wearing a hijab was attacked at a supermarket in London in June and a Western University student from Iran was beaten by two men who taunted him and told him to go back to his country. Also, in June, an anti-immigrant group rooted in Germany held an anti-Muslim protest in Toronto. While the survey's respondents agreed that immigrants play a valuable role in society (72 per cent) and are an important part of our cultural identity (71 per cent), three-quarters of the survey participants said we need to focus on taking care of the people "here" instead of spending resources on refugees. "Taken together, this suggests that Ontarians see non-immigrants as more entitled to social care. This entitlement is, in some ways, a contradiction given the inherent value that immigration offers," said the poll of 1,009 Ontarians conducted between May 11 and 16. Read more - Lire plusUne charte pour condamner l'islamophobie signée dans six villes canadiennesCanada-wide initiative launched to combat IslamophobiaTolerant Toronto? Think again. Attacks on Muslim women are on the riseDes consultations publiques pour lutter contre le racisme systémique en OntarioNew wave of hate crimes makes Muslim Americans fear for the futureDonald Trump Backs Off Muslim Ban, But It's Already Way More Popular Than He Is Police log fivefold rise in race-hate complaints since Brexit result |
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Chilcot Report: How Tony Blair Sold the War
The New York Times 06/07/2016 - Its findings are clear. The British government, led by Prime Minister Tony Blair, exaggerated the case for war and decided on military action when it had not exhausted the alternatives. [...] For many, this comes as confirmation of what they already believed. It is striking, nonetheless, to see it delivered in the cool, measured language of a retired government official. Those who said that Mr. Blair and his government were "misled" by faulty intelligence on weapons of mass destruction before the war have lost their claim: Mr. Chilcot's report says Mr. Blair presented the intelligence case with a certainty the data did not justify. As for the occupation, the 13 years of chaos and violence that Iraqis have endured since the invasion demonstrate beyond question the  incompetence and irresponsibility of those who planned and organized it. [...] Warmongering is a more subtle process than you might think. I saw, up close, how decent people collaborated in selling an unnecessary war. They believed that government must affirm its claim to provide security for the people by exercising the state's monopoly of force. As I once did, they shared a belief in government's knowledge and expertise: Government knows best. Except when it doesn't. I've come to believe that governments' failed attempts to impose order by force are themselves the source of disorder. Many Iraqis would doubtless agree. The Chilcot report reveals much about government and its failure but largely ignores the greatest issue. The enormous suffering and losses of the Iraqi people are scarcely mentioned; there is no attempt to count the dead. There is also no recommendation of making reparation to the Iraqi people, let alone an apology. For me, this should be the ultimate significance of a report like this: that it speaks for those whose lives were needlessly wasted. It is their fate, not those of us and our politicians, that should preoccupy us. Only then can we begin to grasp the magnitude of what was done in our name. Read more - Lire plusIn Political Fights Over Chilcot Report, Iraqi Lives Don't MatterCould Tony Blair be put on trial for his role in the Iraq War?Glenn Greenwald: Chilcot Report and 7/7 London Bombing Anniversary Converge to Highlight Terrorism's CausesTariq Ramadan: Iraq War Waged for U.S. Economic Interests Has Destabilized All of Middle EastUK - The Iraq Inquiry |
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Revenue Canada forbids Unitarians from working for justice
CBC News 03/07/2016 - One of Canada's most venerable religious charities has been told by the Canada Revenue Agency that it can no longer work for justice in the world. Agency officials conducting a political activities audit on the Canadian Unitarian Council said the broad statement in the council's bylaws is too vague. "Vague purposes are ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways," the agency said in a compliance letter, which includes other demands more than a year after the audit was launched. The Canadian Unitarian Council's bylaws were accepted by Industry Canada when the Toronto-based charity submitted them for approval in 2013. But the warning three years later  from the CRA's auditors forced the group to rewrite its bylaws at a May meeting in Vancouver, purging any reference to "justice" or "social justice." "I have been extremely concerned about this audit process," the council's executive director, Vyda Ng, said in an interview. "It started in January of 2015. We're in the middle of 2016. We're still in the process." Many charities targeted by CRA's political activity audit program, begun in 2012 under the Stephen Harper government, had expected relief from the Liberals, who campaigned on a promise to set charities "free from political harassment." But those expectations soured in January when Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said the 24 political activity audits underway would continue without interference from the new government. She also said notices of revocation of charitable status issued to another five groups would not be rescinded. |
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68 Canadian University Faculty Associations sign a letter asking Ayatollah Khamenei to Free Homa Hoodfar
Hoodfar Family 04/07/2016 - As faculty associations, our mandate is to promote the professional and collegial interests of all of our members. We are committed to ensuring academic freedom of expression both for our own members and for all scholars throughout the world; we view Professor Hoodfar's incarceration as a direct violation of her academic freedom. [...] Professor Hoodfar's arrest and previous interrogations are violations of Iran's obligations under its constitution. Article 154 states: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has as its ideal human felicity throughout human society, and considers the  attainment of independence, freedom, and rule of justice and truth to be the right of all people of the world." In addition, Professor Hoodfar's treatment is a violation of the rights of individuals to freedom of thought, opinion, and speech, which are explicitly protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. We therefore call upon the government of Iran to uphold the provisions of its constitution and abide by its international covenant commitments, according to which Professor Hoodfar should neither be detained nor prevented from leaving the country. Given her fragile health and what appears to be a politically motivated arrest, we respectfully urge you to bring about her immediate and unconditional release from detention, and dismiss all charges against her. |
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Obama administration finally releases its dubious drone death toll
The Intercept 01/07/2016 - In a long-anticipated gesture at transparency, the Obama administration on Friday released an internal assessment of the number of civilians killed by drone strikes in nations where the U.S. is not officially at war. According to the data, U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya killed between 64 and 116 civilians during the two terms of the Obama administration - a fraction of even the most  conservative estimates on drone-related killings catalogued by reporters and researchers over the same period. The government tally also reported 2,372 to 2,581 combatants killed in U.S. airstrikes from January 20, 2009, to December 31, 2015. Releasing the figures - which appeared on a Friday afternoon, on a holiday weekend, after seven years of selective leaks and official secrecy - along with an executive order prioritizing the protection of civilian life in counterterrorism operations, reflected core American principles, the president asserted. Read more - Lire plusAmerican journalist in rebel-held Syria reports barely dodging a missile strike |
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Autres nouvelles - More news
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NCCM - Hate crimes against Muslims have risen dramatically in recent years both in Canada, and around the world.  Given the unfortunate climate of fear that seems to have entered some segments of public life, it appears that this trend is increasing. Sign the Charter for Inclusive Communities and against Islamophobia.
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Amnistie internationale - Je vous enjoins de tenir compte de l'appel du Comité des droits de l'homme des Nations Unies et de vous assurer que : la détention par les services d'immigration soit utilisée comme une mesure de dernier  recours; le Canada fixe une limite raisonnable à la durée de la détention par les services d'immigration; le Canada fournisse de véritables alternatives à la détention pour des fins d'immigration.
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 Free Homa Hoodfar -
1. Send a Letter to the Canadian Authorities
2. Send a Letter to the Irish Authorities
3. Send a Letter to the Iranian Authorities
4. Get Involved on Social Media
5. Change Your Profile Picture
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House of Commons petition - Call upon the Government of Canada to urge Honduran authorities to: 1. Agree to an investigation into Ms. Cáceres' murder; 2. Fully implement IACHR precautionary measures for the Cáceres family and COPINH; 3. Demilitarize Lenca territory;  4. Cancel the Energy Development Company's (DESA) Agua Zarca hydroelectric project granted without the Lenca peoples' free, prior and informed consent; 5. Finally, we urge that an investigation take place into the Canadian government's role in Honduras during and since the 2009 coup.
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ICLMG - Canada's numerous national security agencies - including CSEC, CSIS, the RCMP and CBSA - have inadequate or simply no oversight or review mechanisms. This has led to human rights violations such as the rendition to torture of Canadiancitizens Maher Arar,
Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El-Maati and Muayyed Nurredin, among others. In 2006, Justice O'Connor concluded the Arar Commission with several recommendations to prevent such atrocities from happening again: Canadian national security agencies must be subjected to robust, integrated and comprehensive oversight and review. Years have passed and the federal government has yet to implement the recommendations.
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Action
Free Huseyin Celil
Amnesty International - Huseyin has been in prison for 10 years after an unfair trial.  Take action now to ensure that Huseyin is not subject to another 10 years of unfair treatment.
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Action
Let Khaled leave Egypt!
Free Khaled Al-Qazzaz - Write to your MP to ask them to urge the Egyptian authorities to remove the travel ban on Canadian resident Khaled  Al-Qazzaz so he can finally be free after being detained without charges for a year and a half and released since January 2015 but prevented from leaving the country.
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Amnistie internationale - En juillet 2014, l'avocat spécialiste des droits humains Waleed Abu Al Khair a été condamné à 15 ans d'emprisonnement après des années de harcèlement, d'arrestations, de menaces et de procès. Au travers de ses activités  professionnelles, cet homme dénonçait les atteintes aux droits humains en Arabie saoudite. Waleed Abu Al Khair représente bon nombre de militants pacifiques, y compris son beau-frère Raif Badawi, blogueur emprisonné et condamné à 1 000 coups de fouet.
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Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement les positions de la CSILC - The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the positions of ICLMG
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The News Digest is ICLMG's weekly publication of news articles, events, calls to action and much more regarding national security, anti-terrorism, and civil liberties. The ICLMG is a national coalition of 43 Canadian civil society organizations that was established in the aftermath of the September, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. +++
La revue de l'actualité est notre publication hebdomadaire de nouvelles, d'évènements, d'appels à l'action, et beaucoup plus, entourant la sécurité nationale, la lutte au terrorisme, et les libertés civiles. La CSILC est une coalition nationale de 43 organisations de la société civile canadienne qui a été créée suite aux attentats terroristes de septembre 2001 aux États-Unis.
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