Canadian Human Rights Museum CEO Told “Just Say No” To Anti-Israel Nakba Narrative

The Nakba was not the only subject brought forward by the Zionist contingent.

Meir Weinstein of the Jewish Defence League, presenter of the weekly Never Again podcast and the sole organizer of counter-protests at the annual Al Quds Day hatefests in Toronto, pushed the question of exactly where the Museum stands when it comes to antisemitism shrouded as legitimate political debate.

Prior to the meeting, Weinstein had written to Khan about entertaining the demands of the Nakba proponents.

“I have become aware that there is an active BDS campaign to enter the “Nakba” into the Canadian Human Rights Museum on the same level as the Holocaust exhibit. The BDS “National Committee” includes the Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine. This council includes several groups designated by much of the world as terrorist organizations: including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. There are a few vitally important details in the Nakba narrative, such as Zionism is a racist endeavour built by European Jews, and that European Jews had no place in Palestine. These elements are fundamental pillars upon which the rest of the tale is built. The pure Nakba narrative is an ahistorical, hard-core anti-Zionist position… This BDS Nakba campaign is antisemitic and a justification of terror organizations such as Hamas which is also anti Canadian.”

Briefly touching on these same facts, the meeting also heard of Weinstein’s own family suffering gravely at the hands of the Grand Mufti’s Nazi cohorts. The longtime activist called the very idea of a Nakba exhibit at a federally-funded facility, “An obscenity. I want to know if the museum recognizes and accepts the IHRA definition of antisemitism.”

Khan, who came to the museum helm after years at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, claimed, “it’s just hearing from community groups. It’s really a platform for storytelling. Part of our work is putting those stories out there. It’s intended to touch people… so they can do something and be inspired in some way.”

Weinstein pointed out the deep connections of CJPME with Samoudin  (the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network), which is affiliated with a banned terrorist organization, PFLP (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine). He persisted and asked Khan of her personal position on accepting the IHRA, given her prior links to the pro-BDS CCMW.

“I think, you know, in all honesty, that’s a conversation not for me in this call,” Khan replied, claiming “Some of our senior staff are involved, our research and curatorial staff, think about how we do our storytelling, we are here to hear you.” She conceded that, “you can appreciate we get a lot of email campaigns and yes, we are subject to an email campaign from CJPME… It is rather overwhelming the number of emails we are receiving.”

East followed up by asking her, “Has the museum taken the first steps to discuss at the board or committee level adopting the IHRA definition?” as a basis for considering exhibits. He also wanted to know the museum’s position on BDS, as the federal government has accepted the IHRA definition and opposes BDS.

Khan replied, “I cannot answer that question but I will find out the answer to that question.” She also said she could not recall whether the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg had ever contacted her about the Nakba or these other matters.

After trying to distance herself from Abdulla’s boasting about their personal connection, Khan concluded, “Mr. East, my role is a difficult one in some ways as the head of the museum. What I’m guided by is the museum’s mandate. There isn’t room for my personal perspective. Our mandate is quite clear. We don’t weigh in the way some would like us to, we are a platform for raising human rights issues, it is complex and hearing the issues you raise, not something we are going to take lightly. When people talk to us with the Palestinian perspective or the Israeli perspective, our job is to listen.”