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NCCAR letter published in the Globe and Mail on May 9, 2008
Alan Baker, Israel 's ambassador to Canada, asked if Muslim Canadians may "try to push Canadians to adopt their own values and principles." Muslim Canadians are not a monolith, they hold a variety of values and principles when it comes to Israel and the Mideast . Muslim Canadians share "Canadian values and principles" and are an integral part of the Canadian collective, just as is every other Canadian, each with his or her own religious, ethnic and national background. To suggest otherwise verges on racism and exclusion.
Mr. Baker seems to assume non-Muslim Canadians support the pro-Israel shift in Canadian foreign policy. Polling indicates that most Canadians favour a neutral stance.
Mr. Baker's recent statements reflect an unfortunate tendency among some Israeli ambassadors who feel free to criticize policy and citizens of the countries where they reside as guests. In April, Israel 's UN ambassador, Dan Gillerman, called Jimmy Carter a "bigot" for meeting with the leader of Hamas in Syria . While Mr. Gillerman has every right to disagree with Mr. Carter's actions, such disrespectful language lowers and closes the terms of debate and dialogue.
Canadians have typically rejected ambassadorial comment on internal affairs. We should do so now with Mr. Baker's insulting remarks.
Bahija Réghaï,
president, National Council on Canada-Arab Relations