FAAE Committee Report

In the spring of 2003 the Committee began a study¹ of issues generating vigorous international debate and increasingly affecting Canadian foreign policy, yet so far little examined from a Canadian perspective. The role of religion in politics, and specifically of religious factors in international politics, is a sensitive subject that has been made even more controversial as well as problematic by the connection of religious motivations to extreme manifestations of political violence.² In particular, terrorism carried out in the name of Islam, as in the dramatic events of September 11, 2001, galvanized attention on the world of Islam in two ways: first, around the relations of Western states with those having Muslim majorities or large Muslim populations; second, around relations with growing Muslim minorities and diaspora communities within most Western countries. In both cases, Muslims may feel themselves to be unfairly targeted by allegations or actions perceived as “anti-Muslim”. More broadly, there is a shared concern worldwide about stereotypes of Islam and of Muslims being propagated that polarize and provoke conflicts. Many argue that what is needed instead are approaches to foster better understanding, addressing the causes behind the resort to violence and the sources of its appeal in order to eliminate or at least mitigate further ill effects on domestic and international relations.

This study is an exploratory one in that it aims to deepen a basic understanding of how best Canada can relate to countries in what has been loosely termed the “Muslim world”³ and to draw out some implications for the conduct of future Canadian foreign policy. To that end, the Committee held a series of panels with officials, experts and non-governmental spokespersons during April to June and September to November 2003. Representatives of the Montreal-based International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development also testified in February 2004. In addition, in the fall of 2003, His Excellency Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States appeared before the Committee, and President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan addressed Canadian parliamentarians at a meeting presided over by Committee Chair Bernard Patry.

Beyond those hearings in Canada, the Committee pursued its inquiry in other countries. In May 2003, the Committee undertook an initial study trip to New York, London, Paris, and Morocco. In October 2003, the Committee divided into several groups in order to be able to meet with a wide range of interlocutors (including high-level government officials, parliamentarians, academics, journalists, members of NGOs) in the Middle East and in South and Southeast Asia, specifically: Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

As extensive as the Committee’s meetings were, we were obviously able to cover only a part of the Muslim world, and then only briefly. This report makes no claim to comprehensiveness, either in terms of the vast subject of the role of Islam in the modern world or in regard to the many countries with significant Muslim populations. Instead, what we focus on are some of the most salient elements emerging from our discussions, such as the appropriate response of Western governments to Islamist political extremism and the relationship of Islam to liberal democracy, that have a direct bearing on relations among states and Canadian foreign policy options. We also comment specifically on the regions and countries visited, and on several cases that have especially tested Canadian diplomacy in its relations with important Muslim countries.

The Committee’s purpose is to contribute to a process of both educating and advancing Canadian policy towards countries in the Muslim world, building on a widespread positive perception of Canada abroad as an open, tolerant and pluralistic society. We believe that Canada has an important opportunity to make a constructive difference. That requires coming to terms with a very challenging and contested international context, one that witnesses repeatedly cautioned us not to oversimplify. In addition, they urged that Canada maintain an independence of policy analysis and action.

Part I of the report begins by setting out some of those key larger contextual issues that bear on the development of any effective Canadian policy. Part II carries that forward to consider the elements of a constructive approach reflecting Canadian interests and values.

The remaining parts of the report consider Canada’s relations with those regions and countries visited by Committee members in light of the broad themes outlined in Parts I and II. The focus is on the potential of those relations to further Canada’s overall relationship with the Muslim world within bilateral as well as multilateral contexts.

The Committee is conscious that we have only begun to scratch the surface with this study and that we cannot offer definitive conclusions or prescriptions. Nevertheless, we think that continuing to make the effort to understand the complex phenomena and forces that are at play is enormously important to Canadians’ security, well-being and long-term interest in a more peaceful, just and democratic world for all.