JULY 2, 2024. judy haiven-- Birju Dattani: in support of his appointment as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission
The latest contribution to civil terror against supporters for Palestinians, or supporters of a ceasefire, was initiated by an article in the National Post. This got boosted by one in The Globe and Mail plus three avowedly pro-Israel lobbying groups, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), B’nai Brith and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. All are pushing the federal Department of Justice to scuttle the appointment of Birju Dattani, the incoming head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
I have written here, here, here and here about civil terror rained down on academics, law students, lawyers, doctors, politicians — even restaurant servers — in Canada who criticize Israel, who support Palestinian human rights or who call for an end to Israel’s genocide of more than 40,000 mainly women and children in Gaza.
The latest victim of the pro-Israel campaign of civil terror is Mr Dattani.
The allegations against Mr Dattani are mainly what could be called “guilt by association.” As a graduate from an important program at the London School of Economics, Mr Dattani was invited to share the stage at public meetings with speakers whom he often did not know. Case in point is a 2015 event hosted by the UK’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in which Mr Dattani spoke on a platform with Adnan Khan from the “Party of Liberation” or Hizb Ut Tahrir. The National Post thus accuses Mr. Dattani of speaking alongside a “terrorist group.” However, in Canada, this group is not on the government’s proscribed terrorist list. Besides, Birju Dattani did not know this speaker or his background.
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In 2014-15, Mr Dattani also shared the stage at Cambridge University and the London School of Economics with Ben White, a respected journalist whose articles on Israel and Palestine have appeared in The Guardian and The Independent. White has authored four critically-acclaimed books on the Middle East. White’s views are his own, not those of Mr. Dattani. It is our view that appearing on panels with journalists, writers or speakers does not mean that one endorses or agrees with their views.
The National Post alleges that Mr Dattani compared Israelis to the Nazis. There is no evidence of this. The National Post also contends that Dattani subscribes to the doctrine of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Boycotts, divestment and sanctions are a time-honoured, non-violent vehicle to promote reform and are perfectly legal.
Across the world, many people in academe and in public life oppose what Israel is doing, particularly its treatment of Palestinians. The Canadian Jewish organization to which I belong, Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJVcanada.org) opposes Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and opposes Israel’s war on Gaza. This is, arguably, the leading human rights issue of our time. Moreover, IJV has supported the BDS call from our earliest days.
Yet Mr Dattani – who is an expert on international law of self-determination, law in Israel-Palestine and populist movements has NOT called for a boycott of Israel.
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“Guilt by Association” is a vile and pernicious concept and one that everyone in the human rights field must combat. Mr Dattani’s activities or speeches are in no way antisemitic, and do not preclude him from being the new Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Calgary-born, Mr Birju Dattani, was selected to lead the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) based on his academic, research and employment background. A graduate of two outstanding British universities, Mr Dattani has worked as a teaching fellow and teaching assistant in the areas of International Law, Human Rights Law and European Union Law.
Mr Dattani was assistant regional director at the Alberta Human Rights Commission. For several years he served as executive director of the Yukon Human Rights Commission, prior to 2023 when he joined Centennial College in Toronto as the director of human rights and conflict resolution.
For the first time, a person of colour, of immigrant-African background, and a person likely with lived experience of discrimination as well as an academic and research background in topics such as international law, advancement of human rights for all, implementing policies for equity, diversity and inclusion is appointed as Chief Commissioner of the CHRC. Mr Dattani has shown leadership in “unresolved issues with Indigenous communities to the ongoing concerns over Canada’s stances on international conflicts such as the Middle East Crisis” according to Yukon Human Rights Commission chair Michael Dougherty.
I think we Canadians should welcome Mr Dattani’s appointment on 8 August 2024 as Chief Commissioner of the CHRC and condemn partisan efforts to poison his reputation.
Image at the top: One of three Banksy art works in Gaza, 2015.
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