News Releases & Statements


NCCM welcomes Federal appeals court ruling on citizenship oaths

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – September 15, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, welcomes today’s decision by the Federal Court of Appeal to uphold a federal judge's earlier decision to strike down a policy that prevented women wearing niqab (face veil) from taking the oath of Canadian citizenship. This past February, the Federal Court ruled that an arbitrary regulation implemented by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, at the behest of then-Minister of Immigration & Citizen...

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NCCM joins call to PM to personally intervene in case of jailed Canadian journalist

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – September 8, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, joined 300 notable Canadians in requesting Prime Minister Stephen Harper to personally intervene in the case of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy. In an open letter sent today, prominent Canadians urge the Prime Minister to pressure Egypt’s president to deport Fahmy to Canada. “The world knows that Mr. Fahmy is an innocent man trapped in a political nightmare -- that he is in prison simply for ...

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NCCM welcomes RCMP charge of Syrian officer in Maher Arar case

Calls on federal government to compensate three other Canadians who were tortured in Syria & to sign UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture -For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – September 2, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes the RCMP’s announcement yesterday of charges against a Syrian intelligence officer accused of torturing Maher Arar. Precedent-setting move “The move to charge a foreign national in the case of torture against a Canadian is preced...

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NCCM calls verdict against Canadian journalist in Egypt “a travesty of justice”

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – August 29, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, joins fellow civil rights organizations including Amnesty International Canada, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, in expressing its deep concern and disappointment with the recent guilty verdict and sentence handed down against Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy. “Today’s verdict against Mohamed Fahmy is a travesty of justice and represents a serious ...

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NCCM welcomes Supreme Court decision affirming the correct legal test for discrimination across Canada

Case points to the need for greater transparency in national security designations (Ottawa – July 23, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) welcomes several aspects of today’s Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) judgment in a case of alleged discrimination against a Canadian Muslim pilot. The judgment highlights the need for more transparency in how Canadians are designated national security threats and what redress is available to remedy the adverse impact of discriminatory designations. The NCCM appeared as a public interest intervener in the case, ...

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NCCM denounces vandalism of Islamic centre in London and newly emerged video of anti-Muslim attack in Calgary

Calls on authorities to investigate and on officials to publicly condemn anti-Muslim hate -For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – July 22, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, denounces the racist vandalism of a Muslim community centre in London, Ontario which occurred this past weekend.  The NCCM also condemns a racist and anti-Muslim attack on a Calgary cab driver captured by video and which emerged this week. Attack in London, Ont. Worshippers arrived at the Bosnian Canadian Islamic ...

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NCCM: Senate report fails to offer concrete solutions for tackling terrorism

Report is patronizing and discriminatory -For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – July 9, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties & advocacy organization, expresses its profound disappointment with a Senate committee report released Wednesday that fails to offer effective, robust, community-based solutions to the challenge of violent extremism and risks further alienating Canadian Muslim communities. “This report, while ostensibly about improving national security, in fact stigmatizes and marginalizes Canadian ...

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NCCM welcomes school board investigation of alleged anti-Muslim tweets by high school teacher

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – June 26, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization, is welcoming the investigation into a report that a high school teacher in Richmond Hill, ON, posted anti-Muslim comments on social media. The allegations that a high school teacher was using a Twitter account to share anti-Muslim statements were reported to the NCCM late on Thursday, as well. “Anti-Muslim sentiment and speech are offensive and hurtful. If the allegations against this teacher are found ...

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Federal bill on niqab undermines fundamental rights, says national advocacy group

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa - June 19, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties & advocacy organization, says the federal government's announcement of new legislation to ban the niqab (face veil) from citizenship oaths only undermines Canada's cherished principles of freedom and equality for all. The government announced today its introduction of the Oath of Citizenship Act which will require new citizens to show their faces while taking the oath during citizenship ceremonies. The Federal Court of Canada ...

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Canadian Muslims urge Immigration Minister to clarify controversial comments

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – June 15, 2015) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization, today calls on Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander to clarify remarks he made last week which appeared to link Muslim women who wear the niqab (face veil) with terrorism. In an open letter sent today, the NCCM urges Minister Chris Alexander to unequivocally state that women in niqab are clearly protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in practicing their faith freely in our ...

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