In January of this year, Hizb ut Tahrir Canada was set to hold its annual Khilafah Conference. It was planned to be a discussion around the obstacles delaying the return of the Khilafah, and about how only the Khilafah can liberate Palestine.

During the advertising campaign for the event, Zionist groups became aware of the conference and were quick to implement all forms of pressure to stop it from taking place.

Their campaign of suppression resulted in various politicians from all levels of government putting pressure on Hizb ut Tahrir Canada to cancel the conference. As the location of the event had not yet been disclosed, and there was confusion as to which city it would be held in, there was a frantic search for the hosting venue so that pressure could be directly applied to cancel the conference.

The ticketing system used for the event was also successfully pressured into discontinuing its services for the conference. The mayors of two large cities, a federal member of Parliament, and finally the Associate Minister of Public Safety all branded the conference as a bigoted and hateful event and used their pulpits to demonize the organizers and speakers. Due to the circumstances, the conference was moved to an online format. 

A few weeks later, the i3 institute, as a part of their Reviving Roots conference, had invited the well-known online personality Mohammed Hijab to speak in Burlington.

A similar campaign was launched by the same groups because of Hijab’s outspoken support of the Palestinian cause. The Burlington Convention Centre was eventually convinced to cancel the event. This cancellation was then celebrated by the mayor of Burlington.

These are not isolated events, rather they are part of a larger pattern that our community will have to confront. How should we respond to this campaign of suppression, that is supported by elements within civil society and by all levels of government?

Understanding the Problem

It is crucial to understand the environment in which our community is operating. The Muslim community in Canada has by and large been sold a vision of Canada that claims freedom and rights. This means that many Muslims immigrated to Canada believing that as long as we obeyed the law, Canada would allow us the freedom to practice our deen without making us feel ostracized, demonized, or criminalized.

The freedom of religion, speech and assembly were assumed to be staunch Canadian values.  The reality, however, is that these values only exist when it is convenient for the political elite. As we have seen time and time again, when it is more politically useful for the elite to abandon these values, they will do it without question.

This is why our sisters in Quebec cannot wear the hijab if they work for the government, or why Muslims in Ontario were prevented from choosing to arbitrate marriage and divorce under the guidance of an imam. In both times, it was more politically convenient to allow these restrictions on Muslim expression and religious practice, and so the political elite allowed it to happen. 

So, it is no surprise that when different Muslim organizations want to speak about the liberation of Palestine, the political elite will be opposed, as it is not politically convenient to have a serious and impactful conversation on this issue. This is why multiple levels of government went out of their way to pressure a community event to be shut down.

Beyond Hypocrisy

The purpose of mentioning this is not to merely point out the hypocrisy of a system that prides itself on a set of values that it is quick to abandon the minute it becomes beneficial to do so. Yes, we need to adjust our expectations of the political elite in Canada and become disillusioned with the false vision of freedom and neutrality that was sold to us. 

But that is not enough. We need to understand that the political elite are actively trying to control and shape what Islamic discourse looks like in the public sphere.

They want to be able to define what it means to be ‘a good Muslim’: A Muslim who sees their religion as a private matter, only reflected through individual acts of ritual worship, and personal buying choices.

But a Muslim who sees Islam as a collective effort, a mission to convey God’s Word, and is connected to the global Ummah in light of this mission? This is a ‘bad’ Muslim.

This Muslim might oppose the Capitalist plunder of the Muslims lands, might speak up against Capitalist conceptions of unlimited liberty and hedonism, and might advocate for an alternative way to run the economy which does not shuttle so much of the wealth into the hands of the “top 1%”.

It does not matter if these ‘bad’ Muslims do not break a single law and are only dedicated to spreading their ideas through wisdom and beautiful preaching, as Allah (swt) advises in the Quran. They will still be expulsed from the public sphere, as their views expose the power and hegemony of the Capitalist elite.

Even Muslims who agree to take part in the same systems of the Capitalist elite are often disciplined for being too critical of some aspect of the system.

For example, Trudeau’s appointed Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia was forced by the PMO to apologize to the people of Quebec after making the totally obvious point that the hijab ban was popular there due to anti-Muslim sentiment.

Catering to the feelings of Quebeckers was more important than acknowledging the serious problem that Quebec – a province in which Muslims have been murdered in a masjid, and women are forced to uncover to go to work – has an obvious bigotry problem.

In another example, Ontario NDP MPP Sarah Jama was also censured in the provincial assembly and then removed from her party for taking a principled stance in support of Palestine.

What Do We Do?

Realizing our conflicted position with the economic and political elite in Canada is not an excuse for inaction, or compromise. Rather, analysing our condition is only useful if it helps us form a strategy to move forward. So, what can we do?

Unify on the Truth 

The worst thing we can do in our situation is to exploit the natural differences we have as a community in viewpoints, backgrounds, and approaches to try to position ourselves as one of the ‘good’ Muslims, in opposition to the other ‘bad’ ones.

It is natural that we will never agree on everything as a community, but what unites us is much more crucial than anything we disagree upon: a commitment to the revealed word of Allah (swt) and the lived example of His Messenger (saw). And while they might be coming for a group of Muslims that we have disagreements with today, tomorrow they might come for all of us.

Instead, let us follow the example of the Sahaba who emigrated to Abyssinia during the height of Quraish’s oppression.

Quraish sent a delegation to ask the Negus of Abyssinia to send them back, and in the face of this danger, the Sahaba united under Jafar ibn Abi Talib (ra), who was known for his eloquence, deep faith, and courage. The meeting with the Negus became a resounding victory for the Sahaba because they united around a leader who spoke the truth when it counted the most.

Recognize the Prophetic Legacy of Conflict

Instead of being discouraged by the suppression of the political elite, we should remind ourselves that this is the sunnah of all the prophets. Every Prophet mentioned in the Quran resisted against the political, economic and social elite of their time, including the Last Messenger (saw). We should feel energized by the realization that we are on their path.

Accept Risk

It should be clear that being opposed by the elite is not going to come without a cost. There are real risks to the charitable statuses, zoning clearances, and licenses of Islamic organizations if they are seen as “uncooperative”. We must put our own personal sense of convenience, comfort, and ease in the context of the Ummah’s wider struggles.

So, for example, should we be comfortable getting a parking lot by staying silent on the murdering of our children in Gaza? Should we be happy to be able to claim out tax deduction receipts if it came at the cost of being unable to guide our children to their proper gender roles?

Ultimately, nothing that is taken away from us is as valuable as what Allah (swt) has already put in our hearts and minds: the aqeedah of Islam, and our conviction in it. We would be foolish to water down or squander Islam out of fear of a tyrannical elite.

Strategize 

While it is crucial to accept risk, we should never be reckless. We should recognize the threats to our personal and collective practice of the religion, and we should research or explore tools that may help us ward off some of the risks.

This means investing in legal expertise, to ensure we are trying to fight for our just rights if we are targeted or oppressed. It means looking for alternative financing models for our Masajid, so they are not dependent on being in the good graces of the government. It means striving to make our institutions as independent as possible from the structures of the political elite, instead of ingratiating ourselves to them and trying to curry their favour.

Thinking as a Global Ummah

Finally, we must not get so caught up in the circumstances of our individual communities that we lose sight of our broader commitment to the Ummah. The struggle between the justice of Islam and the tyrannical elite is not a local phenomenon, rather it is taking place all across the world.

From the streets of Gaza to the camps of East Turkestan, to the valleys of Kashmir, we are all engaged in the same fight. We must attach ourselves to this global effort to revive Islam as a way of life by implementing it in the Muslim lands. 

“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.” [TMQ 12:21]