Joint Letter to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture: Canadians Stand with Amira Elghawaby

October 28, 2025

RE: Joint Letter to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture: Canadians Stand with Amira Elghawaby

Dear Minister Steven Guilbeault,

We, the undersigned, representing community, faith based, Muslim, and advocacy organizations from across Canada, express our unequivocal support for Ms. Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia and her critically important work of advancing inclusion and belonging. We also stand with her in the face of the smear campaign targeting her and attempting to undermine her crucial work.

Ms. Elghawaby is currently the subject of a renewed and coordinated hateful online  campaign that seeks to undermine her role and the mandate she upholds. This is part of a series of concerted efforts aiming at intimidating and silencing public figures and leaders  from Canadian Muslim communities. . 

Ms. Elghawaby’s career demonstrates a deep and consistent commitment to fighting Islamophobia and racism in all its forms. She has long advocated for human rights, challenged structural discrimination, and supported efforts that foster mutual understanding among Canadians. Her principled opposition to racism underscores her dedication to reconciliation and interfaith dialogue. The current attacks aim to discredit her efforts to fulfill her mandate of informing policy on issues affecting Canadian Muslims, including addressing  the impacts of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in Canada.

The attacks on Ms. Elghawaby and other community figures is itself a form of Islamophobia. They reflect a pattern of  weaponization of stereotypes, misinformation and racism to delegitimize Canadian Muslim communities from participating fully and equally in civic spaces and from articulating their rights to fair treatment alongside all Canadians. .

Minister Guilbeault, considering the rise of Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism in Canada, your government’s clear and unwavering support for the Special Representative’s office remains imperative. Therefore, we call on the Canadian government to publicly dismiss these misinformation campaigns, express their confidence in the work of Ms. Elghawaby, and ensure that her office continues to receive full institutional and political support.

Canadians have a collective responsibility to combat hate in all its forms; the Canadian government has a responsibility to support the courageous leaders who are stepping up to the challenge. Ms. Elghawaby’s work supports the federal government’s duty to assure vulnerable communities that their safety and human rights remain a priority and helps reaffirm Canada’s commitment to justice, equity, and the right of all Canadians to live without fear or discrimination.

Signatories:

Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC)

Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association

Arab Canadian Lawyers Association

Independent Jewish Voices

The Canadian-Muslim Vote

Canadian Muslim Healthcare Network

Legal Centre for Palestine

Hikma Public Affairs Council

Arab Canadian Vote

Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)

International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF)

Human Concern International

Doctors for Humanity

United for Peace – Canadian Interfaith Coalition

Canadians in Support of Refugees in Dire Need

Bel Agir

Al Rashid Mosque 

The Ottawa Muslim Association

Tawheed Community Centre

Islamic Social Services Association Inc.

Mission Relief

Kanata Muslim Association

Palestine House-Toronto

Muslim Association of Woodstock

Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute

York Region Muslims

Think for Actions

Palestinian Canadian Congress

Pakistan Canada Association – Al Masjid Al Jamia Vancouver

Downtown Muslim Professional Network

The Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA)

Islamic Care Center

Canadian Council of Imams

Olive Branch

Canadian youth development

Winnipeg Central Mosque

Islam Care Centre

Palestine Solidarity Committee of Saint John

Atlantic Canada Palestinian Society Halifax

Independent Jewish Voices – New Brunswick

CSRDN (Canadians Supporting Refugees in Dire Need)

Ruh Care

Ummah Community Services Foundation

Anatolia Islamic Centre