Islamic Groups With Suspicious Activity Receive Federal Grants

Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International  (Head Office in Toronto)

 In a video posted by the American Center for Democracy, the president of IIDCI, Dr. Shabir Ally said that “God’s law says that what we’re talking about here [homosexuality] is wrong, and if they do that wrong they have to face it.” Dr. Ally went on to compare homosexuality to murder and pedophilia.

 News reports indicate that IIDCI received summer funding as recently as last year.

 Islamic Relief Canada (IRC) (Burlington, Ontario)

 IRC is a branch of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), an organization with ties to Hamas, a designated terrorist entity in Canada. Both Israel and the United Arab Emirates have blacklisted IRW for its ties to terrorism. Reports reveal that IRW also has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and funds its operations.

 In Canada, IRC has received millions of dollars from the government, for funds and appeals, as well as for summer job grants. The organization previously had links to the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy-Canada, a designated terrorist organization within Canada, as well as the Muslim Association of Canada according to a Middle East Forum briefing.

 IRC has hosted events with hateful and homophobic speakers and in 2014, the Financial Post withdrew IRC from its list of top charities due to its alleged connections to Hamas, and its terror funding.

Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Toronto (Jaffari Centre) (Thornhill, Ontario)

 There have been various unsavory incidents linked to the Jaffari Centre, including the promotion of antisemitic literature and the encouragement of “keeping fit for Jihad.” Concerning hate in the classrooms of Jaffari-affiliated schools, charges were not brought forth even though the school had a curriculum that “suggested intolerance” and “challenged some of Canada’s core values.”

As recently as the summer of 2019, the Jaffari Centre mosque also has been used as a frequent pickup/drop-off spot for a bus to take members of the mosque to the infamous al-Quds Day in downtown Toronto. The event year to year has hosted speakers and demonstrators who have spewed hateful rhetoric towards Jews. 

 Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) – Canada (Mississauga, Ontario)

 In September 2018, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) served ISNA Canada with a one-year suspension. The CRA determined that “the society’s resources may have, directly or indirectly, been used to support the political efforts of Jamaat-e-Islami and/or its armed wing Hizbul Mujahideen.”

 Jamaat-e-Islami is a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated political party in Pakistan that leans hard right and continually advocates for the enactment of Shariah Law. Hizbul Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Islami’s military wing is a designated terrorist organization in India, the European Union, and the United States.

 While the group did not receive a permanent bar of its charitable status, it had to pay a penalty of $550,000 and sign a compliance agreement. Records show that ISNA Canada received grants both last year, and in 2018.

Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) (Three chapters – Ahuntsic-Cartierville – Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton)

 In 2015, the Toronto Sun reported that MAC transferred $296,514 to International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy-Canada (IRFAN-Canada), a designated terrorist organization within Canada, that also acted as a charity to give resources of $14.6 million to Hamas.

 The MAC/IRFAN-Canada partnership was included as part of a 2015 search warrant conducted by the RCMP, however, charges were never laid. Recent news reports demonstrate that MAC received summer jobs funding last year and in 2018.