The Fight for Mosul

Fight for Mosul must protect civilians and minorities

As the fog of war engulfs Mosul, Iraq, the international community must ensure coalition forces protect innocent civilian life and take precautions to save minority populations as they fight to defeat ISIS. The atrocities committed in Anbar province cannot be repeated.

One Free World International in February blew the whistle on the massacre of Yazidis and Sunni civilians by forces fighting ISIS when Shia militias fighting for Iraq reclaimed Anbar province from ISIS’ deadly grip.

During the fight for Anbar, Yazidi and sunni civilians were indiscriminately killed by the liberating forces, with a report of 55 Yazidis being killed in one compound alone and hundreds more throughout the campaign that pushed ISIS from Anbar province.

A military campaign to reclaim the city of Mosul and defeat ISIS in Iraq began this week is being led by Iraqi forces with the support of Kurdish and international coalition forces. The campaign has been months in preparation and is the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq.

ISIS' defeat in Mosul will be an important step in the long road to returning security to the region and hopefully allow the tens of thousands of civilians including the Christian minority community to return home, as the Iraqi government has promised in the past. The international community must hold fighting forces accountable as they advance this important fight.

One Free World International is in regular contact with OFWI members in Mosul and will remain vigilant to do what we can to protect innocent civilian life. We call on the international community to work with the Government of Iraq to ensure the atrocities committed in Anbar are not repeated in the fight to liberate Mosul.

Canada's Parliament bids farewell to a champion of human rights

Dear Jason,

It is with a heavy heart in this moment, but one filled with optimism and joy for what your future holds, that I write to thank you for your tremendous public service to Canadians and commend you for an illustrious tenure as a Member of Parliament for Calgary Southeast and Calgary Midnapore spanning two decades.

Whether as Minister of Defence, Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, on the government benches, as Chair of the House of Commons Subcommittee for Human Rights, or using your privileged position as an opposition MP, thank you for being an exemplary champion for human rights. Your steadfast commitment to your principles and the concrete actions you have taken saved thousands of lives around the world.

Your commitment to memorializing past atrocities and calling out evil wherever it is present has strengthened Canada’s social fabric. You continue to educate and inspire new Canadians and the next generation to better understand the traditions and strengths of Canada’s values and our nation is better for it.

I have no doubt you will continue to make a tremendous contribution to the people of Canada, but your departure from Parliament is a tremendous loss to the House of Commons. As you leave Ottawa to return to your home in Alberta, we wish you nothing but continued success.

I have never met an Honourable member so worthy of such distinction. On behalf of everyone at One Free World International, thank you and God bless.

Sincerely, Rev. Majed El Shafie President & Founder One Free World International

Prime Minister Trudeau must defend Canadian Sovereignty from Chinese Attacks

OFWI & the China Rights Network outline a human rights agenda for Prime Minister Trudeau's upcoming official visit to China and G20 summit.

Toronto – One Free World International and the China Rights Network have called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stand up for Canadian values on his upcoming official visit to China. He can do this by rebuking Chinese government attacks on Canadian sovereignty, resolving the consular cases of Kevin Garratt and Hussein Celil, and balancing trade negotiations with respect for human rights.

You can watch the video of the press conference by clicking here.

You can read Canoe.com's coverage of the conference by clicking here.

Recent attacks against Chinese human rights activists on Canadian soil have yielded little response from the government. If they do not take a stand against these flagrant violations of Canadian sovereignty, the door is open to more Chinese state-led attacks against the rights of Canadian citizens.

“China does not stand for human rights, and they do not stand for freedom of speech. Now they are silencing Chinese human rights activists on Canadian soil, and the government isn’t doing anything about it. This is fundamentally anti-Canadian,” says Majed El Shafie, President and Founder of OFWI.

In June, the Chinese Foreign Minister lambasted a Canadian journalist for asking questions on human rights in China; Minister Dion sat idly by as the Chinese minister scolded the Canadian journalist. Chinese-Canadian human rights activist, Xue Sheng, was hacked with her private files manipulated and distributed widely across the Internet in an attempt to discredit her; Minister Goodale has remained silent on this issue. Canadians Huseyin Celil, Kevin Garratt, and countless others remain wrongfully imprisoned in China; The Prime Minister has done little to secure their release. Canadians demand that their government stands up for the Canadian values of free speech and equality for all, rather than the Chinese values of silencing free speech and the repression of minority groups.

The media availability featured six members of the China Rights Network:

• Rev. Majed El Shafie, President and Founder, One Free World International
• Sheng Xue, President, Federation for a Democratic China; Writer & Journalist
• Rev. Michael Stainton, President, Taiwanese Human Rights Association of Canada
• Mehmet Tohti, human rights activist, Uyghur community representative
• Guru Dorjee, human rights activist, Tibetan community representative
• Paul Zhou, human rights activist, Falun Gong community representative

The Canadian government must act now to save Yazidis

Federal Government must live up to obligations to help victims of Yazidi genocide in Iraq One Free World International (OFWI) has returned from Iraq trip with a policy blueprint for resettlement of 400 rescued former ISIS sex slaves to Canada

 Toronto – Safely home from a trip to Iraq, OFWI gave voice to the victims of genocide by sharing the horrifying accounts of rape, murder, and unimaginable brutality committed by ISIS in its genocide of the Yazidi in Iraq and Syria. Majed El Shafie, Dr. Martin Mark, and the Hon. Tony Clement, MP, all a part of the OFWI Iraq delegation, called on the Government of Canada to take urgent action.

You can watch the full press conference by clicking here.

You can also read the National Post's coverage by clicking here, or the Toronto Sun's coverage here.

Each of the speakers recanted harrowing stories of rape, torture and murder, shared by survivors of the genocide. Tony Clement brought his iPhone with him, displaying an image of himself with three young Yazidi children. The picture illustrates the terrible present, but the potential for a better future. Dr. Martin Mark said that the mission clarified that there is a possibility to help, the logistics are available, the local support is there, and their need is greater than ever. These people need our help now, and Canada is in a unique position to be able to provide that help. We need to act immediately.

The delegation included Rev. Majed El Shafie – President and Founder of OFWI, Rachael Harder, MP, Hon. MP Tony Clement, MP, Dr. Martin Mark – Director of ORAT, and former MP Brad Butt. While in Iraq, the delegation met with local government officials, visited UN and non-UN refugee camps, and advanced the work required to resettle the most vulnerable victims of genocide from Iraq to Canada.

One Free World International (OFWI) and the Archdiocese of Toronto, Office of Refugees (ORAT) have submitted a joint proposal to the Canadian government to resettle 400 Yazidi girls and women who were ISIS sex slaves to Canada. Canadians are ready to take action, and they want their government to do the same.

OFWI can and will continue to help, but we can only do this with your help.

Here is how you can TAKE ACTION:

• Write an email or call your local Member of Parliament to tell them that Yazidi victims of genocide need our help. Don’t know who to contact? Find out here.
• Email or call the Minister of Immigration, John McCallum at 613-954-1064
• Email Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or call his office at 613-995-0253
• Please donate to support our work. It is only through your help that we are able to continue our work.

Thank you for your support and spreading awareness of these important issues. We couldn't do our work with you.

Anniversary of the Sinjar Massacre

Last week, OFWI’s President Majed El Shafie attended a reception at the Ontario Legislature to commemorate the ISIS-led massacre against Yazidis on Mount Sinjar in Iraq. The event marked the second anniversary of the genocide in Northern Iraq, and featured participants from both the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and the Conservative Party of Canada. OFWI was honoured to have our work recognized by the presenters as an example of how Canadians can help and how necessary that help is.

In a press conference prior to the reception, The Hon. Peter Kent, MP Dean Allison, MP Michelle Rempel, and MPP Gila Martow called on the Canadian government to do more to help save innocent Yazidi lives in the region. The government finally recognized the genocide against the Yazidis, but has still not taken action to save lives and prevent further losses. These elected officials all agreed: much more needs to be done.

Following the press conference members of the Yazidi community gathered in a solemn reception to reflect on the struggle at hand and to discuss next steps as a group. Majed El Shafie led the gathering in a moment of silence for those who lost their lives that day at Sinjar.

As we all reflect on the anniversary of this terrible tragedy, we must remember that we can all do more to help Yazidi refugees. OFWI has encouraged all of our supporters to write their MPs, Ministers, and Prime Minister Trudeau to let them know that you demand action from the Canadian government to save these vulnerable people.

If you can’t write your elected officials, then please consider donating generously to support OFWI’s ongoing efforts to rescue Yazidi refugees from war-torn Iraq and Syria.

We will continue to fight for the most vulnerable minorities in Iraq and Syria while pressuring the Government of Canada to implement our joint OFWI-ORAT proposal to resettle 400 women and girls who escaped ISIS’ slavery to Canada as refugees.