Marty York: The Muslim and Arab Canadians who can’t stand Carney’s inaction on Jew-hate

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at CANSEC in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK/Postmedia

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While many Canadian Jews feel alone and unsupported because of increases in antisemitism, they may find it comforting to learn that many non-Jews, including a number with Muslim and Arabic backgrounds, are objecting strongly to some of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s questionable choices.

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Take Canadian human-rights activists Yasmine Mohammed and Ashti Waissi, for instance.

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The pair put their heads together with other volunteers at CLARITy Coalition Canada earlier this week and emerged with a petition aimed at persuading Carney to reconsider his choices for the advisory council he recently formed to combat racism and antisemitism in this country. Among their top concerns was Carney’s appointment of Omar Alghabra, former Liberal MP and transport minister, to the council.

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Before he was a politician, Alghabra was the president of the Canadian Arab Federation. The organization has advocated against the listing of Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations, and when Alghabra was its president, it made a formal complaint against the National Post for labelling the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade as “terrorists,” despite it being designated as such by the government.

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Last Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told a reporter, “I remember Mr. Alghabra lobbying me, before he was in politics, to keep Hezbollah legal. So I’m not sure that he’s the right guy to combat antisemitism.”

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Waissi, who is of Kurdish descent, told me over the phone Thursday, “This appointment was a slap to the face of Jewish Canadians and anyone who cares about human rights. We are hoping that our petition will apply the necessary pressure on Carney and his administration to make the changes necessary to ensure the effectiveness of this advisory council.”

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Waissi said the petition was posted online at midnight on Tuesday. It has been signed by nearly 2,000 people as of Friday afternoon.

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Waissi and Mohammed say their petition will be widely circulated and will be brought to Carney’s attention. Waissi called the response to the petition “amazing” and said she expected many more signatures by the weekend. She also said many of the positive responses thus far have come from Muslim Canadians.

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“I was absolutely horrified by the appointments chosen by Carney,” said Mohammed, a podcaster and author who has spent years fighting for women’s rights. She spoke with me over email on Thursday.

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“I genuinely cannot conceive of why he would choose someone who has spoken up in defence of terrorist groups to an advisory council meant to combat racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate in all forms, and to foster social cohesion and protect rights across Canada.”

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CLARITy describes itself as a coalition founded by Muslims, ex-Muslims, academics, scholars, authors and activists who stand for peace, democracy, liberty and secular governments.