Incoming human rights commissioner Birju Dattani has agreed to take leave of his position after an independent review into his record of antisemitism.Dattani, newly appointed by the Trudeau Liberals in June and touted as the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s (CHMC) first Muslim leader, was scheduled to start his new role on Thursday. The review was opened after Jewish advocacy organizations flagged Dattani’s decade-old anti-Israel posts on social media and a panel appearance alongside a known Islamic terror organization.Justice Minister Arif Virani on Wednesday evening, the day before Dattani was set to assume his new position, said the incoming head of the CHRC “has agreed to take leave” while Virani “considers” the findings of the review, according to the National Post. “While I carefully consider this matter, Mr. Dattani has agreed to take leave at this time and will not begin work at the (CHRC) on August 8.”“I will have more to say in the coming days,” he added. The anti-Israel posts were reportedly made under a different name while Dattani was a graduate student. In 2014, he shared an article entitled Palestinians are Warsaw Ghetto Prisoners of Today though he later said he disagrees with that viewpoint. An article he shared in 2015 compared Israel to Nazi Germany. Around the same time he joined a panel discussion with Islamic extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. The organization seeks to destroy Israel and eliminate Jews. In January, the US government listed Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist group, per the Independent. Virani upon hearing the allegations from prominent Jewish organizations said he was “troubled” by the matter and launched the independent investigation. Dattani earlier denied the allegations. He told the National Post he believes the investigation would “vindicate (his) longstanding commitment to human rights.”Tory deputy leader Melissa Lantsman has spoken out against Dattani’s antisemitic past and said if the Conservatives win the next election, he will be removed. The National Council of Canadian Muslims called the investigation a “witch hunt” and reiterated the position the findings of the independent review would vindicate him, the National Post reported.
