Over the past weekend, several international scholars and speakers invited to attend the annual conference of the Islamic Association of Canada (MAC) in Toronto faced unusual immigration scrutiny. According to MAC, many had their electronic travel authorizations delayed or canceled at the last minute, while some had their visas revoked without prior notice. Several speakers were interrogated for hours at Toronto Pearson International Airport, denied water, and given no space to pray. MAC described the incidents as 'deliberate and coordinated'.
Among those affected was Ebrahim Rasool, former South African ambassador to the United States. Rasool said the interrogation in Canada reminded him of apartheid-era questioning, albeit in a softer form. British Muslim commentator Anas Altikriti was interrogated for 11 hours before giving up his attempt to enter Canada.
All targeted individuals had publicly criticized Israeli policy or engaged in advocacy for Palestine. Earlier, Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, was also denied entry to Canada. In November of last year, former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk and his wife were detained and interrogated at Toronto Pearson Airport before attending a tribunal on Canada's responsibility toward Palestine.
Pro-Israel organizations such as HonestReporting Canada, B'nai Brith Canada, and the Centre for Jewish and Israel Advocacy lobbied ahead of the MAC conference, calling for speaker cancellations and government intervention. Similar campaigns preceded the denial of entry to Rima Hassan.
The author, a conference attendee, noted that the event's atmosphere was not extreme or violent, but featured discussions on spirituality, parenting, mental health, and social responsibility. The tightening of border controls on Palestinian activists is being criticized as a repeat of measures applied to Muslim communities after 9/11, under the guise of counter-extremism and national security.
Many fear that the misuse of antisemitism allegations to suppress criticism of Israel is shrinking democratic space and turning Canada's border into an 'ideological checkpoint.' The author warns that if the government begins to treat dissenting views as security threats, then not only Muslims or pro-Palestinian advocates, but all social activists could become the next targets.
