Religious Freedom Needs To Be a Tenet of Qatar Diplomacy

Rev. Majed El Shafie wrote to the U.S. Congress Foreign Relations & Foreign Affairs committees about the need to make religious freedom a tenet of Qatar diplomacy.

READ: One Free World Internatioanl Qatar Letter 

June 12, 2017

Dear Chairman Corker, Senator Cardin, Chairman Royce and Representative Engel,

The recent accusations against Qatar as a state sponsor of terrorism and severing of diplomatic ties by its neighbors reminded me that in just over 4 years Doha will host the World Cup. Since it was awarded this prize in 2012, FIFA’s decision has been mired in controversy.

The issues regarding the notoriously corrupt FIFA are well understood. I am writing about two other issues that the world must not lose sight of:

• The brutal conditions the Qatari stadiums’ migrant builders are forced to work in, directed by a government that is exploiting this workforce in ways akin to slavery, with extraordinary death rates; and
• The Qatari constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and relies on Sharia to serve as the foundation for the development of laws. Reports indicate Qatar TV has aired sermons containing anti-Semitic language, Qatari funded publishers produce anti-Semitic books and even a high-ranking Minister penned a forward of a poetry book containing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. According to Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List, Qatar ranks 20th of the most difficult nations to be a Christian. It remains a capital offense to convert from Islam and a conviction for blasphemy and proselytizing can garner a sentence of up to ten years in prison.

It may be too late to take the World Cup away from Qatar. But we should work together to pressure organizations such as FIFA – many of which have safely hidden behind Teflon-coated claims that global issues such as terrorism financing, labor rights and freedom of religion are none of their concerns – to make such issues front and center in any bid. After all, hosting the World Cup puts the global spotlight on the host country and its leaders.

As a victim or torture and persecution, I founded One Free World International to give a voice to those facing persecution and to work towards a world where all people can live free and worship as they believe. I respectfully request you make religious freedom a tenet of your approach as you deal with Qatar and, as importantly, with organizations such as FIFA.

Sincerely,

Rev. Majed El Shafie Founder and President One Free World International

CC: The Honorable Jim Risch, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism

The Honorable Tim Kaine, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism The Honorable Christopher Smith, Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

The Honorable Karen Bass, Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa

The Honorable Theodore Deutch, Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa

The Honorable Trent Franks, Co-Chair, International Religious Freedom Caucus The Honorable Juan Vargas, Co-Chair, International Religious Freedom Caucus The Honorable Gus Bilirakis, Vice-Chair, International Religious Freedom Caucus The Honorable Jeff Fortenberry, Co-Chair, Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus

The Honorable Anna Eshoo, Co-Chair, Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus

The Honorable Randy Hutlgren, Co-Chair, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

The Honorable James P. McGovern, Co-Chair, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

OFWI in DC

Rev. El Shafie meets with decision makers on Capitol Hill

Safely home from Iraq & Syria, OFWI speaks out for victims of genocide and persecution in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON - Yazidis and Christians in Syria and Iraq need more support to live safely in their homeland. That was the message Rev. Majed El Shafie delivered to decision makers in Washington, DC this week. Having just returned from OFWI's Syria and Iraq mission to deliver needed medical supplies, Rev. El Shafie was briefing US officials on what OFWI learned and offered his insights to inform assistance to the region.

OFWI met with Representatives Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), as well as legislative staffers from the offices of Rep. Eshoo's (D-CA) co-chair of the caucus on religious minorities in the Middle East, office of Senator Risch (R-ID), Chairman on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the near east and terrorism, and Senator McCain (R-AZ), the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

OFWI has helped rescue over 400 Yazidi women and girls from ISIS slavery and just delivered 1200 kg of medication and medical supplies that will help save 20,000 lives in Iraq and Syria over the next five months. More support is needed to continue the fight against ISIS to return stability to the region and protect the lives of religious minorities following ISIS's genocide.

OFWI also discussed the persecution of religious minorities in China and the ongoing use of blasphemy laws in Pakistan in attacks on the Christian community.

Stay informed and help where you can. Click here to sign up for OFWI's Action Alert subscribers list here.

Medical Supplies Delivered to Iraq & Syria

OFWI helps deliver $500K of medication and medical supplies to Iraq & Syria

OFWI in partnership with Food for the Hungry Canada has just delivered 1.25 tons of medication and medical supplies worth $500,000 to Iraq and Syria. The supplies were delivered to the Red Crescent Society and are being distributed throughout Iraq and Syria, including to Rojava and Aleppo.

These supplies will help treat 20,000 Christians, Yazidis and other minorities in refugee camps throughout the region, as well as those on the front lines fighting ISIS for the next five months.

Thank you to all of OFWI's supporters who donated to our campaign to making this delivery a reality. Your donations are making a difference and offering hope to the people facing persecution in Iraq and Syria. We could not have delivered these desperately needed supplies without your support.

M-103 a step backwards for Canada

By Majed El Shafie, President & Founder, One Free World International

A dash to the finish is not always a win.

A well intentioned motion, with the potential to result in a greater sense of community and awareness between Canadians, now also has the ability to isolate, misinform and perpetuate the violence and hate it intends to eliminate.

Canadians have raised concerns with the anti-Islamophobia motion M-103, brought by Mississauga-Erin Mills MP Iqra Khalid. Instead of listening to their concerns and encouraging discussion on a topic that affects most communities in Canada, the government chose to end the parliamentary debate.

If the government had been willing to encourage dialogue on the topic, they would have heard Canadians want more answers. The haste displayed by the government reveals a lack of interest in the concerns of Canadians and a total disregard for addressing them.

The question most are asking is what is Islamophobia? The lack of a clear definition not only jeopardizes the reliability and clarity of law, but also creates uncertainty for larger charter right concerns of free speech. Are constructive discussions of Islam that share knowledge and highlight concerns under question and suspicion? An act must be clearly defined before it can be condemned.

Rushing through due process leaves many feeling shunned from the dialogue and the lack of transparency – something the Liberal government has claimed to pursue and advocate – is creating an endemic of misinformation, leading many to believe the worst of the motion.

Leaving people out of the dialogue results in a restless social atmosphere; people who feel they are not being heard are more willing to push extremes in an attempt to be heard. Look south of the border and their experience should be a warning of caution for Canadian legislators that should be considering all outcomes of their decisions before they make them.

The motion focuses on a number of priorities that Canadians would encourage: collecting data to conceptualize hate crime reports, a heritage committee study to develop an approach aimed at reducing and eliminating religious and race based discrimination, and community centered responses to hate crimes. These goals however, are harder to appreciate when they appear to benefit one community.

Canada’s criminal code provides the legal framework to address threats of violence and public incitement of hate through S.319, and the case development surrounding hate speech has strived to strike a balance with the Freedom of Expression, in s.2(b) of the Charter.

At the risk of being politically incorrect, it is necessary to highlight those that have committed violent crimes in the name of Islam, in Canada. The 2014 shooting on Parliament Hill and Quebec attack caused the deaths of two Canadian soldier on Canadian soil; both attackers’ motive was his association to radical Islam.

Canadian police and intelligence services have been crucial in tracking and preventing various plans of attack inspired by radical Islam before they have unfolded. The value in remembering these realities is to note that Islam remains vulnerable to extreme and violent interpretation, and while Islamophobia has had its share of violent consequences, shunning any constructive discussion or singling out one extreme will not build community in Canada.

Raising these concerns is not Islamophobic. The concerns of many with M-103 is its lack of reference to existing laws, and its lack of appreciation for statistics that show that the largest victims of hate crimes are Jewish members of our society. The key is to ensure that religious sensitivity does not overshadow our value in being Canadians. Religious freedom applies to all and laws that protect against religious hate crimes should protect all.

To those that will decide what comes of M-103, dialogue should encourage the sharing of ideas and constructive critiques that bode well for all elements of society. The personal right of expression is a benefit to the public sphere. When striving to strike a balance, the gains made by society should not be overlooked. Expressing thought and exchanging ideas should not be treated as privileges threatened to be taken away in tough times. The idea should not be to limit ideas and speech but to encourage its intellectual, compassionate and constructive elements. This path may ask for more work, but it also deserves it.

Majed El Shafie is the President and Founder of One Free World International. OFWI.org | @OFWI

Canada needs to bring Mr. El Attar home

Canada needs to bring Mr. El Attar home

Non-partisan coalition calls on the Government of Canada to take the steps necessary to secure Mohamed El Attar’s release from prison and return to Canada.

Watch The March 9 news conference.

OTTAWA – One Free World International held a news conference in Ottawa today calling on the federal government to act to bring Mohamed El Attar home to Canada. Wrongfully convicted on trumped up charges of spying for Israel in 2007, Mr. El Attar has been languishing in Egyptian prison.

After nearly a decade behind bars, Canadians are speaking out to renew the effort to advocate for his release and return him home to Canada. OFWI is calling on the Government of Canada to:

1. Fight for Mr. El Attar’s rights and request his immediate release from Egypt and return to Canada.
2. Update Canadians on their effort to secure Mr. El Attar’s release.
3. Commit to advocating for Mr. El Attar’s rights and release at all meetings and forums where Canada engages with Egyptian government.

One Free World International, led by President and Founder Majed El Shafie was supported at the news conference by a non-partisan distinguished group of parliamentarians and retired public officials:

• Hon. Peter Kent, PC, MP, Official Opposition Foreign Affairs Critic
• Hélène Laverdière, MP, NDP Critic for Foreign Affairs
• Elizabeth May, MP, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
• Hon. Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, Founder & Chair of Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Former Attorney General of Canada & Minister of Justice
• Andy Ellis, retired Assistant Director, Operations, CSIS

Mohamed El-Attar Biographical History

• Born in 1970 in Cairo, Egypt.
• In 2001, El Attar was arrested in Cairo after crashing a car.
• In 2002 he sought asylum in Turkey and was resettled to Canada as a UNHCR refugee.
• Worked as a CIBC bank teller in Toronto.

15 Year Prison Sentence – Convicted of Spying for Israel

In 2007, El Attar flew to Egypt to see family and friends but was promptly arrested upon his arrival on trumped up charges of spying for the Israelis.

On April 20, 2007 he was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in Egyptian prison.

The trial took place in a secret National Security court, which has been widely decried by rights activists in Egypt who generally support trying civilians in proper criminal courts where they have the right to appeal.

There is no possibility for appeal in his case, and now only a pardon from the Egyptian President would change the fate of El Attar.

Forced Confession Under Torture

His lawyer stated that El Attar confessed when the Egyptian authorities presented him with copious amounts of evidence against him. El Attar later stated that he confessed only after days of torture. Allegedly he was forced to drink his own urine, was given electro-shock therapy, and his family in Egypt was threatened. There is no official evidence that El Attar was tortured, even though tactics such as torture are commonly used in Egypt. El Attar’s conviction was exclusively based on his confession extracted through torture.

In an interrogation transcript, El Attar allegedly admits that he was paid $500 for each espionage report he filed on the Toronto Arab community. Allegedly, El Attar was prompted by Israeli authorities in Turkey to convert to Christianity and to help recruit people to spy on Egypt. According to El Attar’s lawyer, there is little evidence against him in this case.