Nothing personal

For the sake of clarity, I dropped a note to the Defence Minister’s press secretary with the following question.

Is there anything Imam Zajid Delic has said himself that concerns Minister MacKay or had any impact on the decision to revoke Mr. Delic’s invitation from the Defence department event?

The answer received is as follows.

Here is the statement I provided explaining Minister MacKay’s decision. You’ll note his concern rests with the CIC:

Imam Delic, Executive Director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, was scheduled to address Islamic Heritage Month celebrations at National Defence Headquarters on 4 October. This morning, upon hearing Imam Delic may participate in these celebrations, Minister MacKay took the decision to cancel the Imam’s role based on extremist views promulgated by the Canadian Islamic Congress. The Canadian Islamic Congress has declared that Israelis over the age of 18 are legitimate targets of suicide bombers. These types of comments don’t support Islamic Heritage, they simply divide Canadians, promulgate hate and they have no place in Monday’s celebrations. Instead, Monday’s celebrations will focus on the evolution of Islam in the Canadian Forces and the positive contribution of Canada’s muslim community to our society.