CJC Letter to Jean Chretien on Terrorist Funding

December 2001

December 12, 2001
Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
BY FAX AND MAIL
Dear Prime Minister:
I write on behalf of Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) to protest the distinction that you have made between the "military" wings of Hamas (Izz-al-Din al-Qassem) and Hizballah (the Hizballah External Security Organization), which your government has declared to be terrorist organizations, and their so-called "social and political branches" which will be allowed to continue their charitable fundraising activities in Canada.
In our view, any attempts to distinguish between military and civilian wings of terrorist organizations must be rejected. Even the most creative and imaginative bookkeeping could not differentiate funds raised for the putative humanitarian activities of Hamas and Hizballah from their murderous terrorist operations. Freezing the assets of, and shutting down fundraising front groups for, the military wings of terrorist groups is only a start for the money still flows to them from the donations to the social and humanitarian agencies that are inextricably enmeshed in the same apparatus of terror. In fact, humanitarian aid from these organizations comes with a price: one becomes beholden to the movement in exchange for social services and must participate in its activities to maintain the flow of assistance.
This is certainly true of Hamas, whose social agencies fund radical Islamist schools with rabidly anti-Israel curricula and resources that inculcate among Palestinian youth a culture of demonizing Israel and Jews. USA Today (August 13, 2001) reports that, "In Hamas run kindergartens signs on the wall read: 'The children of the kindergarten are the shaheeds (martyrs) of tomorrow.'" Such sanctioned appeals to hate at a young age foster the cult of suicide bombers whose families then receive "pensions" from Hamas as part of their "humanitarian work." This is particularly dangerous now, given reports that Iran is substantially increasing funds to Hamas through front organizations to help underwrite the establishment of a radical Islamic régime in the West Bank and Gaza.
As you are aware, Canadian Jewish Congress strenuously supported Bill C-36 and the approach of your government's anti-terrorism measures. We commended, inter alia, the criminalization of terrorist fundraising, noting in our brief on the Bill that, "money is the fuel that drives the engine of terrorism." Delineating false distinctions between the terrorist and social/political wings of groups like Hamas and Hizballah detracts from the legislation's objectives, compromises the integrity of the Canadian charitable system and, unfortunately, undermines the hitherto justified claim that the government is taking all available steps to combat terrorism in Canada and abroad.
Canadian Jewish Congress submits that if Canada is to honour the commitment of Bill C-36 to "suppress, investigate and incapacitate" terrorist activity, the government cannot continue to endorse the untenable notion that elements of the Hamas and Hizballah terrorist organizations are divisible and subject to differential treatment. We strongly urge you to reconsider your position on this issue and instruct Cabinet to approve the inclusion of all components of Hamas and Hizballah in toto on the list of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. The Office should then send out appropriate notices of advisement to relevant financial institutions in Canada to freeze completely all assets of Hamas and Hizballah and their various front organizations in this country.
We thank you for your consideration of the above and look forward to hearing from you in the very near future on this important matter of great urgency to our community.
Sincerely,
Keith M. Landy
National President - Canadian Jewish Congress
c. Hon. Art Eggleton, PC, MP
Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, PC, MP
Hon. John Manley, PC, MP
Hon Paul Martin, PC, MP
Hon. Anne McLellan, PC, MP
Hon. James Peterson, PC, MP

Source: Freeman Center

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