Over two dozen of Alberta’s leading Muslim organizations and mosques have sent a letter to Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Tyler Shandro asking for the resignation of the Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, Collin May..On Monday, a letter was posted to social media by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCMM) calling for May to resign..NCMM is condemning May for a 2009 academic book review in which he made Islamophobic comments in the review of Israeli-British historian Efraim Karsh's Islamic Imperialism.."Dear Minister Shandro, we write this letter to you to formally ask for the resignation of Colin May, appointed Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission in May 2022," the letter from NCMM stated.."We do not ask for resignations lightly."."We are not interested in furthering a culture of reactionary culture wars. Above all, we believe that our religion is premised on the notion of forgiveness and redemption. However, we believe as we know, the majority of Albertans do, that while forgiveness should be there for everyone, justice requires accountability and taking ownership. A standard of justice is especially required for the Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission," the NCMM said..May's review in 2009 highlighted Karsh's Islamophobic assertion that the religion is "inherently militaristic in nature" and under "the guise of analysis."."[Karsh] defies the multicultural illusion regarding pacific Islam and goes to the heart of the matter. Islam is not a peaceful religion misused by radicals. Rather, it is one of the most militaristic religions known to man, and it is precisely this militaristic heritage that informs the actions of radicals throughout the Muslim world," May wrote in his 2009 review..The C2C Journal, where May's review was published, is mainly an online publication, whose "unabashed bias is in favour of free markets, democratic governance, and individual liberty," according to its website.."When this book review came to light, Mr. May committed to engaging with Alberta's Muslim community," NCMM stated.."He declined those dates, but Mr. May's depolarization of accountability in terms of scheduling issues are far secondary to a more serious problem. Even as Mr. May promised to engage with Alberta's leaders to learn and to reflect. We have learned that Mr. Mae has also been issuing demand letters threatening to sue his critics. This is simply unacceptable in a time where brazen attacks on Muslims in Alberta have been growing, specifically targeting black Muslim women wearing hijab."."Let the record be clear. Mr. May wrote terrible things in relation to his undertaking of Islamic text. Leaders of Alberta's Muslim community while shocked and appalled, extended a hand of goodwill to Mr. May in acknowledgment of his unsensible suggestion and desire to sit down and listen. Mr. May did not prioritize scheduling those meetings but far more importantly decided to threaten to sue his critics. This behavior cannot be counterions by the chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, we, therefore, call upon you to meet the taking action in calling for Mr. May's resignation," NCMM said.."It has become clear that Mr. May does not appear to be interested in taking accountability or ownership over his actions. For that reason, we have no choice but to call for his resignation," the NCMM stated..Alberta's NDP reacted to the call for the resignation of May by the NCMM..“Muslims in Canada are targeted for harassment, assault, and murder purely because of their faith," NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir said..“The views expressed by Collin May perpetuate hatred and are completely unacceptable for the chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Mr. May was given an opportunity to apologize and make amends for these hateful views but refused. Instead, he threatened legal action against his critics.".“UCP Justice Minister Tyler Shandro must listen to the Alberta Muslim community and remove Collin May immediately," Sabir said..The Western Standard has reached out to May and Shandro but so far hasn't heard back.
Over two dozen of Alberta’s leading Muslim organizations and mosques have sent a letter to Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Tyler Shandro asking for the resignation of the Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, Collin May..On Monday, a letter was posted to social media by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCMM) calling for May to resign..NCMM is condemning May for a 2009 academic book review in which he made Islamophobic comments in the review of Israeli-British historian Efraim Karsh's Islamic Imperialism.."Dear Minister Shandro, we write this letter to you to formally ask for the resignation of Colin May, appointed Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission in May 2022," the letter from NCMM stated.."We do not ask for resignations lightly."."We are not interested in furthering a culture of reactionary culture wars. Above all, we believe that our religion is premised on the notion of forgiveness and redemption. However, we believe as we know, the majority of Albertans do, that while forgiveness should be there for everyone, justice requires accountability and taking ownership. A standard of justice is especially required for the Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission," the NCMM said..May's review in 2009 highlighted Karsh's Islamophobic assertion that the religion is "inherently militaristic in nature" and under "the guise of analysis."."[Karsh] defies the multicultural illusion regarding pacific Islam and goes to the heart of the matter. Islam is not a peaceful religion misused by radicals. Rather, it is one of the most militaristic religions known to man, and it is precisely this militaristic heritage that informs the actions of radicals throughout the Muslim world," May wrote in his 2009 review..The C2C Journal, where May's review was published, is mainly an online publication, whose "unabashed bias is in favour of free markets, democratic governance, and individual liberty," according to its website.."When this book review came to light, Mr. May committed to engaging with Alberta's Muslim community," NCMM stated.."He declined those dates, but Mr. May's depolarization of accountability in terms of scheduling issues are far secondary to a more serious problem. Even as Mr. May promised to engage with Alberta's leaders to learn and to reflect. We have learned that Mr. Mae has also been issuing demand letters threatening to sue his critics. This is simply unacceptable in a time where brazen attacks on Muslims in Alberta have been growing, specifically targeting black Muslim women wearing hijab."."Let the record be clear. Mr. May wrote terrible things in relation to his undertaking of Islamic text. Leaders of Alberta's Muslim community while shocked and appalled, extended a hand of goodwill to Mr. May in acknowledgment of his unsensible suggestion and desire to sit down and listen. Mr. May did not prioritize scheduling those meetings but far more importantly decided to threaten to sue his critics. This behavior cannot be counterions by the chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, we, therefore, call upon you to meet the taking action in calling for Mr. May's resignation," NCMM said.."It has become clear that Mr. May does not appear to be interested in taking accountability or ownership over his actions. For that reason, we have no choice but to call for his resignation," the NCMM stated..Alberta's NDP reacted to the call for the resignation of May by the NCMM..“Muslims in Canada are targeted for harassment, assault, and murder purely because of their faith," NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir said..“The views expressed by Collin May perpetuate hatred and are completely unacceptable for the chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Mr. May was given an opportunity to apologize and make amends for these hateful views but refused. Instead, he threatened legal action against his critics.".“UCP Justice Minister Tyler Shandro must listen to the Alberta Muslim community and remove Collin May immediately," Sabir said..The Western Standard has reached out to May and Shandro but so far hasn't heard back.
