Posted On 06/07/10
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

B’nai Brith Canada calls on Canadian government to designate radical Turkish organization behind Gaza Flotilla incident a terrorist entity

TORONTO, June 7, 2010 – B’nai Brith Canada has called on the Government of Canada to designate IHH, the radical Turkish Islamist organization behind the Gaza Flotilla incident, as a terrorist entity. David Matas, renowned international human rights lawyer and B’nai Brith’s honourary senior legal counsel, laid out the justification for the designation in a brief sent to both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Leader of the Opposition Michael Ignatieff. The brief, which was based on numerous credible reports, highlighted the IHH’s links to the global jihadi movement, its close ties to Hamas, its support for Al-Qaeda, and its connection to various terror plots.

“We have contacted both Prime Minister Harper and the Leader of the Opposition to call on them to act against IHH without delay,” said Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President of B’nai Brith Canada. “The IHH, the radical Islamist organization which came to everyone’s attention when it organized the violent Gaza Flotilla incident against the Jewish State recently, has a long history of involvement with and links to Islamist terrorist organizations which clearly justify its inclusion of the list of designated terrorist entities. Designating the IHH as a terrorist entity would clearly fit with the Harper administration’s public safety platform, and we fully expect that the Liberal Party, under the stewardship of Mr. Ignatieff, will support this undertaking.”

“There is more than enough information on the public record about IHH to raise real concern that this organization uses humanitarian aid as a front or cover to pursue a terrorist agenda,” said David Matas, Honourary Senior Legal Counsel of Bnai Brith Canada. “Because of the IHH’s connection to the Canadian-linked Millennium Bomber terrorist plot, Canada should pay special attention to the threat that this organization could pose.

“Listing the IHH as a designated terrorist entity now would also serve as a timely reminder that the Gaza Flotilla incident was far from a humanitarian operation. IHH was rather using the cover of humanitarianism to poke a hole in an arms blockade against Hamas, a terrorist organization which the IHH has very strong ties to.”

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For more information, please contact, Dan Rabkin, Communications Officer:
416-633-6224 X 140 / cell: 416-312-9173

B’nai Brith Canada has been active in Canada since 1875 as the Jewish community’s foremost human rights agency