E-Arabica Newsletter

• NCCAR is organizing a dinner to honour Ms. Alexa McDonough, Former Leader of the New Democratic Party and Member of Parliament for Halifax on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 7 pm at the Sheraton Hotel (Rideau Room) located on 150 Albert St. in Ottawa.  For last minute reservations, please contact our office at (613) 238-3795 or by email: nccar@nccar.ca .

• NCCAR issued a   news release on October 15, 2008 announcing its coordination of the national speaking tour of Al Haq, a Ramallah-based Palestinian human rights legal organization ( www.alhaq.org ) and West Bank affiliate of the Geneva based International Commission of Jurists. Al Haq will begin its Canadian public speaking tour in Halifax on October 20, before continuing to Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto and London. More details regarding Al Haq public events can be found at www.nccar.ca

• NCCAR issued a news release on October 6, 2008 expressing strong dismay over Ken Dryden's statement: “Stop all aid that flows into Gaza.” NCCAR demanded clarification from the Liberal Party leader, of his party's position. NCCAR further called on Mr. Dryden to renounce these statements and apologize to Canadians, or remove himself from the federal elections campaign. A letter to NOW magazine was issued later by Dryden to explain his comments but fell short of an apology.

• NCCAR issued a press release on October 10, 2008 acknowledging Mr. Dion's comments that “…the Liberal Party has supported and will continue to support the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza through international aid organizations.....” NCCAR called on the Liberal party to adhere to international law, and requested that the Official Opposition “rise in the House at the earliest opportunity to call not only for continued international aid to help alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians, but also for Canada to uphold its international responsibility as the Gavel holder in the Refugee file and actually engage in finding a just solution to the conflict.”

· NCCAR and CAF sent a Questionnaire prior to the federal elections to leaders of the Bloc Québécois, Conservative Party, Green Party, Liberal Party and New Democratic Party addressing the key issues of security, immigration and foreign policy. Responses from Bloc Québécois and the Liberal Party can be found  at www.caf.ca   and www.nccar.ca . 

• NCCAR president Bahija Réghaï published an article on October 10, 2008 in Countercurrents titled “ The Last Bastion Of Acceptable Prejudice...” Réghaï states that Canadians want to see "real changes in how our public officials and those they deal with speak about and to Arabs and Muslims—and meaningful challenge and consequence when boundaries of respect and dignity are transgressed." The article can found at http://www.countercurrents.org/reghai101008.htm.

• NCCAR's Mark Khoury, Vice-President, Government and Media Relations, and Rula Odeh, Secretary, will be holding a Montreal Get-Together event on Saturday November 22, 2008 between 4 pm and 6 pm. The event is intended to showcase to NCCAR supporters, members and Board of Directors, both current and recent, the Council's new mission and vision and recent accomplishments. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to meet current Board members and exchange ideas and input for the upcoming year. To RSVP, please call NCCAR at (613) 238-3795. 

NCCAR is looking for research and office volunteers to help with the organization of our Speakers' Bureau tours, projects, and many other general administrative tasks at our office in Ottawa. If you are interested, please contact NCCAR at nccar@nccar.ca or by telephone (613) 238-3795.

Contacting your Member of Parliament (MP) is an effective way to take action and to be heard.  If you have any trouble finding your MP or need help, use the following link using only your postal code: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=