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Human Concern International Claims Religious Discrimination
ORIGINAL ADDRESS: http://www.wrmea.org/wrmea-archives/178-washington-report-archives-1994-1999/july-august-1999/2531–canadian-charity-claims-religious-discrimination.html
Author: Faisal Kutty (At the time, Kutty described himself as “a Toronto-based lawyer and international affairs columnist for iViews.com [and] a member of HCI’s board of directors.”)
Source: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July/August 1999, pages 52 and 137
Original title: Canadian Charity Claims Religious Discrimination
Human Concern International (HCI), a federally registered Muslim-run charity, charges it is being discriminated against by Canadian government officials. The Ottawa-based international relief and development organization has filed an application for judicial review of a decision by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to refuse funding the organization’s activities.
CIDA has not provided any explanation as to why funding has been cut or why it has smeared HCI’s name by requesting that other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) not work with HCI. Its officials are especially concerned about the organization’s reputation and the future for other Muslim groups. Indeed, the issue is far larger than HCI. Such selective “blacklisting” will continue so long as arbitrary decisions go unchallenged.
The troubles appear to have started back in WRMEA, December 1995, when HCI’s Canadian citizen regional director in Pakistan, Ahmed Said Khadr, was arrested by police who were investigating the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad. The relief group retained a promiment Ottawa lawyer, Marc Duguay, a former employee of the Justice Department, to go to Pakistan and Afghanistan to conduct a thorough independent inquiry of the incident.
A chronology of subsequent events helps clarify what followed:
Jan. 13-14, 1996. During the Canadian prime minister’s visit to Pakistan he personally inquired regarding Khadr’s circumstances.
March 1996. Khadr was released by a Pakistani court without any charges.
Khadr left HCI and is presently working with another NGO in Afghanistan.
July 22, 1996—Duguay’s report. Duguay concluded that HCI was not involved or in any way connected with the bombing. Moreover, he also concluded that there was no evidence linking Khadr to the terrorist act. Duguay also reported that a senior Egyptian government official told him that the detention of Khadr was a grave mistake. CIDA suspended HCI funding pending the outcome of Khadr’s situation.
Nov. 26, 1996. HCI was audited by Revenue Canada for the second time in a five-year period. Revenue Canada found no discrepancies or concerns.
A prospective board member met with CIDA Vice President Janet Zukowsky to inquire whether he should have any concern about joining the board. He was assured that the group was an ethical, honest and responsible organization.
April 1997. The minister for international cooperation informed HCI that CIDA funding for previously approved projects would be released, but added that CIDA “did not intend to proceed” with two further HCI projects which had been recommended for support by CIDA’s own staff.
June 1997. CIDA provided HCI with copies of newspaper articles from 1995 linking a European-based organization using the initials “HCI” or “HIC” with terrorist activities.
A series of Briefing Notes between CIDA and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade erroneously identified HCI as having offices in Australia, England, the Gulf States, Sweden and even the U.S. In fact, HCI has offices only in Canada, Lebanon, Pakistan and Guyana.
July 18, 1997. HCI’s executive director wrote to the minister for international cooperation confirming that HCI was not the organization referred to in these articles, that it had no offices in Europe and that it was not involved in any terrorist activities.
Oct. 8, 1997. The minister replied that the “suspension of CIDA funding to HCI is still justified.”
Nov. 14, 1997. A CIDA vice president wrote to inform the South Asia Partnership (SAP), a non-governmental organization which has worked extensively with HCI, that HCI’s funding was suspended and that HCI knew the reason why. No reasons were ever provided to HCI.
Nov, 27, 1997. SAP’s executive director, Richard Harmston, responded to CIDA that his group was “mystified about the reason,” and inquired, “What is the problem? What is the process to solve the problem?” CIDA merely confirmed that it had not changed its position on funding HCI.
Nov. 12, 1998. The chairman of HCI, Mumtaz Akhtar, wrote to CIDA requesting that HCI’s status as an eligible funding agency be restored.
Nov. 16, 1998. A formal proposal to fund a project in Lebanon was submitted to CIDA.
Feb. 8, 1999. CIDA responded that it was “not in a position to consider” the request for funding from HCI.
April 8, 1999. HCI filed for judicial review of CIDA’s decision.
No reasons provided to date
Since 1980 Human Concern International has worked tirelessly with the innocent victims of war and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, Sudan, Guyana, Bosnia, Somalia, Bangladesh, Palestine, Kosovo, etc. More than 20,000 Canadians donate approximately $1.8 million yearly to its projects.
In fact, the group had received high marks for its past work even from CIDA. According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, internal CIDA documents stated that “onsite inspections of HCI’s projects in the Middle East had shown that they were well managed.”
By taking the matter before the courts, HCI is asking that government officials make public their reasons for concluding that HCI is not entitled to funding. HCI’s lawyer points out that it is a rule of fundamental justice that decision-making bodies act impartially and fairly on available evidence and not on bias and speculation.
In fact, four members of parliament have taken up the issue. Dan McTeague says it raises concerns about whether the group is being discriminated against for religious reasons. “It is one thing to be blacklisted. It is another thing to be blacklisted without any explanation whatsoever,” says the Liberal MP. “This isn’t the way we do things in Canada.”
HCI says it can continue operating without CIDA funding, but the decision to challenge CIDA’s position was made for the long-term interest of the group and the community.
Readers wishing to contribute to HCI’s Legal Defense Fund can contact Human Concern International, P.O. Box 3984, Station C, Ottawa, Canada, K1Y 4P2, Tel. (613) 742-5948, Fax. (613) 742-7733, Toll Free: 1-800-587-6424, e-mail: hci@istar.ca, Web site: www.come.to/hci