Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center asked to condemn Islamophobic comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Speaker at group's event said Qur'an promotes terror, called Islam "immoderate," "totalitarian"
(Ottawa, Canada - 9/12/2004) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called on the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) to publicly condemn recent Islamophobic comments made by an invited keynote speaker at a conference sponsored by the group and held at the University of Toronto.

At the FSWC event, Bruce Tefft, a former official with the CIA and counter-terrorism and intelligence advisor to the New York Police Department, reportedly stated:

"Islamic terrorism is based on Islam as revealed through the Qu'ran."

"To pretend that Islam has nothing to do with Sept. 11 is to willfully ignore the obvious and to forever misinterpret events."

"There is no difference between Islam and Islamic fundamentalism, which is a totalitarian construct."

For the press release on the event, see:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2004/15/c3271.html
For media coverage, see: http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=5056

In a statement issued today, CAIR-CAN wrote:

"Mr. Tefft's comments were hateful, Islamophobic and have no place within a civilized Canadian discourse. Characterizing Islam as synonymous with terrorism can only lead to the demonization and marginalization of Canadian Muslims.

"It is appalling that Mr. Tefft made such statements in a public forum organized by an organization that prides itself on "fostering tolerance and understanding" and has as its goals the fighting of "bigotry, racial hatred, and ethnic intolerance."

"We are calling on the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center to immediately condemn Mr. Tefft's statements and to issue an apology to Canadian Muslims.

"We would also hope that both the University of Toronto and fellow speakers and panelists repudiate Mr. Tefft's comments in the strongest possible terms."

Recently, the United Nations held a conference to deal with Islamaphobia entitled "Confronting Islamophobia: Education for Tolerance and Understanding."