National Security
Challenging systemic Islamophobia in Canada’s national security agencies to end racial profiling and discrimination against Muslims.
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
National Security and Islamophobia
For over two decades, Islamophobia has been inseparable from national security. Muslims in Canada still face intense scrutiny from security agencies—whether in domestic terrorism cases, immigration, or charities.
It is well known that Canada has a dark history of accusing Muslims of terrorism, with little to no evidence.
Muslim Canadians like Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki, Muayyed Nureddin, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and others were accused of terrorism without due process and sent to foreign prisons where they suffered the worst forms of torture. These examples are utterly despicable failures by our government’s security agencies.
At NCCM, we have been at the forefront of combating systemic hate deeply embedded in our national security agencies. In our testimony to the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs in October 2024, we noted the following: the simple reality is that for agencies like the CBSA, CSIS, the CRA, and the RCMP, systemic racism, anti-black and anti-Indigenous racism, and Islamophobia continues to be challenges.
Without real structural change, Muslims and other racialized individuals will continue to be profiled at borders, over-investigated by the RCMP, and falsely accused by CSIS.
This means more cases like Maher Arar, more charities targeted for having “Muslim” in their name, and more Muslims treated as second-class citizens in their own country.
NCCM HAS SUCCESSFULLY PUSHED FOR:
- After years of advocacy, and decades of surveillance & flawed operations, a CSIS oversight body (called NSIRA) was created to ensure accountability for our national spy service.
- Preventing bad national security policies like the proposed Barbaric Cultural Practices Hotline from taking effect.
- Canada to recognize the harm caused by systemic Islamophobia in our national security agencies.
NCCM Advocacy Officer Ahmad Al Qadi at the House Committee Studying Bill C-70 (on countering foreign interference)
IMPACT STATS
37%
of Canadian Muslim institutions, including mosques, have had a negative interaction with a CSIS agent.
2 Years
Was how long Abdullah Almalki tortured in a Syrian jail after Canadian officials falsely indicated to the Syrian authorities and other countries that he was a terrorist threat.
100%
Of terrorist risk financing was fallaciously assessed by Canada’s national security agencies to be from racialized communities, prior to NCCM’s report. Since then, the National Impact Risk Assesment parameters have been more approriately adjusted.
A SNAPSHOT | OUR WORK
2002 - NCCM Played Pivotal Role in Repatriating Maher Arar and Pushing for Inquiry
In one of Canada’s most shocking cases of injustice, Maher Arar—a Canadian citizen—was wrongfully detained, deported, and tortured in Syria due to flawed intelligence sharing by Canadian authorities.
We played a pivotal role in advocating for Arar’s return and demanding accountability. From the moment he was detained in 2002, we worked tirelessly to mobilize public opinion, engage policymakers, and push for a full public inquiry into the actions of Canadian security agencies.
Our advocacy—alongside the unwavering efforts of Maher’s family, legal teams, and civil society allies—led to the Arar Inquiry, which revealed the failures of Canada’s national security system. The inquiry’s findings forced the government to issue a formal apology to Maher Arar and provide compensation for the grave violations of his rights.
This case was a turning point in Canada’s national security policies, highlighting the dangers of racial profiling, extraordinary rendition, and unaccountable intelligence practices.
2007 - NCCM Intervened in Supreme Court of Canada Case on Security Certificates
We intervened in Charkaoui v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration). In the case, the Court ruled that aspects of the security certificate regime violated sections 7, 9, and 10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Security certificates were used by government authorities to detain and deport terrorist suspects which cannot be used against Canadian citizens. This was an important piece of constitutional litigation that put some limitations on the scope of the security certificate regime.
2009 - NCCM Testified at Public Safety Committee on Harms Caused by National Security Agencies
On 18 June 2009, the Standing Committee on National Security and Public Safety presented its report to the House of Commons, which observed that Canada needed to recognize the harm done to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati, and Muayyed Nureddin by the involvement of Canadian officials in the men’s overseas torture and detention. The report recommended, among other things, that the men receive an apology and compensation, and that Canadian officials make efforts to correct the misinformation that had been circulated about the men between national security agencies in Canada and abroad.
However, the government took no action, citing ongoing civil litigation, refused to comment on the recommendations.
We fought hard for Abdullah Almalki, Omar Khadr, Abousfian Abdelrazik, and Mohamedou Ould Slahi (whose case was later turned into a movie called “The Mauritanian”) – all of whom were unjustly tortured because of Canada’s national security agencies erroneously targeting them.
At a time when many were afraid to publicly raise their voices to stand by those unjustly accused by terrorism, we stayed principled. As a result, history, and Canadians, eventually stood with us.
2015 - NCCM Contributed to Successful Opposition Against the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015 (Bill C-51)
In 2015, NCCM actively opposed Bill C-51, expressing concerns over its potential to infringe upon civil liberties and the lack of adequate oversight for national security agencies. We provided detailed submissions to parliamentary committees, advocating for amendments to protect individual rights, and raised our voices loudly across the country.
We were successful in seeing many of the unjust provisions in C-51 be rolled back in its next iteration, Bill C-59.
2017 - NCCM Successfully Pushed for CSIS Oversight for Bill C-59
We provided key input during the legislative process of Bill C-59, advocating for enhanced oversight and accountability measures within national security agencies. Our efforts, alongside many, contributed to the establishment of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), which oversees all national security and intelligence activities.
We continued to raise concerns, however, that C-59 didn’t go far enough. One of our recommendations at that time was to make changes to the No Fly List – an advocacy campaign we were successful on years later with the No Fly List Kids campaign.
2019 - NCCM Supported the Creation of the Intelligence Commissioner
NCCM endorsed the establishment of the Office of the Intelligence Commissioner, an independent body responsible for overseeing certain activities of CSIS and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). This move was seen as a step toward greater transparency and accountability.
2022 - NCCM Provided Recommendations on Facial Recognition Technology Concerns Adopted by Ethics Committee
The usage of cutting-edge technology, including facial recognition, by our security agencies and law enforcement, has long been increasing. Yet marginalized communities haven’t been given a chance to voice concerns about how these imperfect tools might increase racial profiling and discrimination in the name of public safety.
Former NCCM CEO Mustafa Farooq and Advocacy Officer Rizwan Mohammad appeared at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in Ottawa to note these exact concerns.
Their specific recommendations were supported in the final recommendations from the Ethics Committee.
2023 - NCCM Resolved a Mosque "Shooter" Training Exercise at the Canada Armed Forces
A video circulated last December showed members serving in the Canadian Armed Forced training at a base in Southern Alberta that included a model of a mosque, complete with minaret and dome, raising concerns that this was a sign of anti-Muslim sentiment within the Canadian military.
Our team immediately got in touch with Minister of National Defense Anita Anand to voice the community’s dismay at the usage of Islamic places of worship as an enemy target for the military. We found that this model is sourced from the UK, where it is used in training.
Minister Anand took action with her counterparts in the UK on ensuring that this never happened again.
2023 - NCCM Played Role in Having "Duty of Candour" Legislation Tabled
The Federal Court has found CSIS and its leaders to have repeatedly violated their duties of candour over the years, amounting to a “cavalier institutional approach” towards the law.
NCCM was successful in working towards drafting a model bill on Duty of Candour legislation. A version of that was tabled by MP Salma Zahid in the form of Bill C-411 on May 2, 2023. This legislation mandates a “duty of candour” for CSIS and the national security establishment, ensuring that security officials operate transparently and within the bounds of the law.
2024 - NCCM Provided Opposition to Bill C-70's Overly Broad Provisions
Bill C-70 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) to allow the Immigration Minister to ask the courts for the detention and removal of a permanent resident or other non-Canadian citizen if their actions are deemed injurious to “international relations.”
We voiced our concerns that the “international relations” provision could lead to the expulsion of “Ukrainian dissidents, Uyghur activists, or Palestinian citizens.” C-70 also amends the Security of Information Act, which deals with crimes against national security. It specifically governs the sharing of safeguarded information, or “special operational information” with a foreign entity or a terrorist group.
After our advocacy, the Minister of Justice subsequently clarified at committee that the Bill should never be read as such, hopefully providing future courts with an appropriate interpretative lens.
YOUR CIVIL LIBERTIES STILL AT RISK
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