Date: February 10, 2003

Press Release

Canada Threatened by Injustice

Calgary) Islamic Supreme Council of Canada's national president Syed Soharwardy has requested the Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien not to support war against Iraqi human beings and change Bill C-18. As we all know that the American President Bush and his Secretary of Defense has repeatedly said that if Saddam Hussein leaves power in Iraq than USA will not rage war against Iraq. Therefore, the war against Iraq is not for weapons of mass-destruction but it is against the Iraqi dictator. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein has killed thousands of Iraqi and other human beings but similar killings have been carried out by several faithful allied dictators of US government. Why President Bush and his government do not condemn and help in removing his own allied dictators from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, China, North Korea, Kuwait, etc?

If the human rights of Iraqi citizens have been violated by Saddam Hussein why Mr. Bush do not see the worse human rights abuses by his own allied governments in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, China, North Korea, Kuwait, etc.? Why there is no urgency in bringing freedom to the people of these countries? Mr. Bush and his government are using Saddam Hussein as a scapegoat to occupy Iraq and bring back the colonial era of oppression and violence in the world. The dual standards of American government are not only hurting the American society but it is also influencing the Canadian government. The revival of a racist society in America is also encouraging Canadian government to bring back racism in Canada.

The newly proposed Citizenship Act (Bill C-18) will change the Canadian society. It will bring back the era of racism and Multi-tier society in Canada.. It will categorize some six million naturalized Canadians as third grade citizens. Through a citizenship revocation process, Bill C-18 differentiates between those who have acquired their citizenship within 5 years of the revocation process and those who acquired it more than 5 years before. The current citizenship revocation process is completely based upon judicial process, including the right of appeal, in which politicians play no part. The Bill C- 18 will change it to a political process without any room for appeal. Clause 17 allows secret citizenship examination trials and no right to judicial review. Thus, denaturalization can be carried out based on confidential information, some of which could come from unreliable sources. No appeal or review of the decision process would be allowed.

Doesn't Mr. Prime Minister think that the secret trials are the tradition of dictators like Saddam? America has already adopted this tradition and Canada is about to follow it. How Canadians can claim that Canadian society is a just society? Secret trials are a gross miscarriage of justice, for the accused is doomed before the process even begins. Supporting evidence cannot be submitted or examined, and the government's sources of testimony against one cannot be verified or impartially reviewed. It is a cruel oxymoron in such cases to call a secret trial "fair." Clause 17 is tragically regressive erosion of our justice system and is against the Canadian Charter of Rights and freedoms.

I request the Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien to safeguard the Canadian values and Charter of Human Rights and do not surrender to the terrorists and dictators by adopting their values. May Allah Bless Canada and help Canadians to follow the path of justice and peace. Amen.

Thanks

Best Regards

Syed Soharwardy

Phone: (403)-208-7148