(Middle East Eye) A prominent Canadian Muslim advocacy group has declined an invitation to attend an upcoming US government conference on religious freedom because of President Donald Trump’s travel ban of several Muslim-majority countries.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) on Monday called the Trump administration’s three-day summit, dubbed the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, a “betrayal” of its principles.
“We cannot attend while Executive Order 13780 and subsequent presidential proclamations (better known as the ‘Muslim Ban’) remain in effect,” NCCM Executive Director Mustafa Farooq said in a letter shared on social media.
“We believe in standing by our principles. We believe in non-partisan, common-sense policy to combat racial discrimination in our society.”
