News Releases & Statements


Coalition of agencies launches ad campaign to challenge Islamophobia & racism

(Toronto – January 23, 2017) A coalition of national and provincial organizations and agencies has partnered to launch an awareness raising campaign that encourages Ontarians to stand up to Islamophobia and racism. OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the Canadian Arab Institute (CAI), the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) have collaborated with media studio Mass Minority on a range of public education strategies, including public service announcements and a social media campaign. ...

Read More


NCCM and AMPAC call for noose incident to be treated as a hate crime

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – December 7, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization, joins the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council (AMPAC) in calling on authorities to treat recent threats made against Muslim women in Edmonton as a hate crime. On November 8, 2016, a man allegedly showed a noose to two Muslim women who were standing at the platform of an Edmonton LRT station. The alleged suspect was taken into custody earlier this week, according to media reports. “That someone would ...

Read More


Canadian Muslim organizations call for government action to counter growing Islamophobia

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa - December 5, 2016) A coalition of Canadian Muslim representatives joined the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) today in calling on the federal government to take concrete steps in countering Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination. At a news conference held this morning, national and local community representatives said there are growing concerns about anti-Muslim discrimination and hatred in Canada and that the federal government's leadership is required to effectively address them. "As ...

Read More


NCCM welcomes expansion of support for communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes

(Ottawa – November 30, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes the federal government’s expansion of the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) aimed at supporting communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes. On November 28th, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale made the announcement in Parliament, referencing a spate of anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and racist vandalism that took place in Ottawa. “Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the representations made by the Centre for Israel and Jewish ...

Read More


(Eng/ Fre.) Montreal woman appeals Quebec judge’s refusal to issue declaratory judgement on hijab in court/ Une Montréalaise interjette appel du refus d’un juge du Québec de rendre un jugement déclaratoire sur le port du hijab dans un tribunal

(Montreal – November 23, 2016) A Montreal woman prevented from appearing in court with a hijab is appealing a ruling of a Quebec superior court judge which denied her request for a declaration that she has a right to wear her it in Court. In a ruling issued last month, Justice Wilbrod Decarie wrote that Judge Eliana Marengo’s requirement that Ms. El-Alloul remove her headscarf before hearing her case was against the law. However, he deemed it unnecessary and outside his jurisdiction to issue a general declaratory ruling on the issue of religious attire in the ...

Read More


NCCM cautiously welcomes redress system for Canadian travelers

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa– November 22, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, is cautiously welcoming news that the federal government has approved a redress system to protect Canadian travellers. According to the Globe and Mail, the redress system will allow Canadians to apply for a unique identification number if their name matches the name of someone on a no-fly list. This number will allow travellers to avoid unnecessary travel delays and help free up resources which would otherwise ...

Read More


NCCM denounces spate of vandalism of religious institutions in Ottawa

Raises concerns about a rise in hate incidents in Canada following U.S. election -For Immediate Release- (Ottawa – November 18, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, denounces the recent spate of vandalism of religious institutions in Ottawa this week. The latest incidents occurred last night, targeting a local church and mosque. They follows three other incidents at two synagogues and the home of a Jewish rabbi. According to a media report, worshippers arrived at the Ottawa Muslim ...

Read More


NCCM welcomes apology of York school principal who shared anti-Muslim postings

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa - November 10, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes the apology of a York District School Board principal who had shared anti-Muslim postings on social media. Ghada Sadaka, a principal at the Sir Wilfred Laurier Public School in Markham, Ontario, and the school board, were criticized by parents and students at the school for failing to take responsibility for her actions, and for failing to follow the board's own policy on how to deal with such compla...

Read More


NCCM welcomes unanimous consent of federal motion condemning Islamophobia

- For Immediate Release - (Ottawa – October 27th, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, welcomes the unanimous passage of a motion condemning Islamophobia, presented for a second time last night in federal parliament. The motion was based on an e-petition sponsored by Liberal MP Frank Baylis (Pierrefonds-Dollard) and signed by over 69,000 Canadians. It was first put forward earlier this month by NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and was subsequently defeated by some Conservative MPs. It was presented ...

Read More


NCCM: Ottawa Police traffic stop study raises questions about racial bias

-For Immediate Release- (Ottawa– October 25, 2016) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties & advocacy organization, is raising concerns about a new report which suggests that a disproportionate number of Black men and Middle Eastern men and women are being stopped by Ottawa police. The numbers were released as part of Ottawa’s Traffic Stop Race Data Collection Project report, made public yesterday. The report is based on a landmark two-year study which was led by York University researchers. “When any racial or ethnic ...

Read More