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Justice Minister Tyler Sandro has asked the head of the Alberta Human Rights Commission to resign after more than a dozen Muslim organizations and mosques signed a public letter calling for action.

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Calgary lawyer Colin May began his five-year term as head of the Commission and Courts on July 14, but he had already come under fire from critics who said a book review May wrote in 2009 was Islamophobic. Sign up to receive daily news headlines from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

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On Monday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) released a letter calling on Sandro to take action, arguing that May had shunned offers to meet with community leaders and issued letters threatening to sue unnamed critics. Joseph Dow, Sandro’s press secretary, said in a statement that once Sandro received the NCCM letter, he asked May for an explanation. “After considering the explanation, Secretary Shandro has requested Mr. May’s resignation,” Dow wrote. The firing comes after a series of tweets Monday from the NCCM, which also called the book’s criticism “deeply problematic,” and as Muslims in Alberta have faced a rash of physical and verbal attacks recently, including at least nine attacks reported in Edmonton police for six months in 2021.

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Monday’s letter, signed by 28 community organizations and mosques across the province, noted that when the book criticism first came to light, May pledged to work with the province’s Muslim community. “May has not prioritized scheduling these meetings, but more importantly, he has decided to threaten to sue his critics. This behavior cannot be dismissed by the chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission,” it said.

  1. Today, over two dozen leading Alberta Muslim organizations and mosques sent a letter to Minister @shandro calling for the resignation of Alberta Human Rights Commission Chair Collin May. pic.twitter.com/4rSmUF6FOe — NCCM (@nccm) September 12, 2022

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Said Omar, Alberta advocacy manager for the NCCM, told Postmedia that the book May reviewed contains views that are stereotypical and Islamophobic. “We have received many calls from members of the Muslim community who are frankly shocked and horrified that Mr May would favorably review this book,” he said, adding it was another example of why minority communities are losing faith in institutions. “Many members of the community were at a loss for words – they don’t understand how they could trust this institution if they needed to,” he said. First flagged by left-wing media organization the Progress Report, May’s review of historian Efraim Karsh’s book Islamic Imperialism: A History highlights Karsh’s argument that Islam is inherently militant.

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“(Karsh) defies the multicultural illusion about peaceful Islam and goes to the heart of the matter. Islam is not a peaceful religion abused by radicals. Instead, it is one of the most militaristic religions known to man, and it is precisely this militaristic legacy that informs the actions of radicals across the Muslim world,” May wrote in the review. May did not immediately provide a statement to Postmedia Monday, but in a statement in July, May said his review agreed with some of the book’s claims but rejected others. “I want to state clearly that I neither believe nor accept the characterization of Islam as a militant religion or movement, especially in light of the significant recent and varied scholarship that is working to overcome misconceptions about Muslim history and philosophy. I specifically want to affirm that Muslim Albertans are entitled to the full and equal respect afforded to all our communities,” he wrote.

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Earlier Monday, NDP justice critic Irfan Shabir said in a statement that the views expressed by May in the book review “perpetuate hatred,” calling on Sandro to remove May from the Human Rights Commission. UCP leadership candidate Rajan Sawhney had previously called for an inquiry into May’s appointment, but in a tweet on Monday mentioning the letter he sided with the NCCM. “An important read. And I agree,” he wrote.

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Fellow leadership candidate Leela Aheer also weighed in by reposting the NCCM letter, saying “it is imperative that all communities feel safe and supported by their government institutions.” Many thanks to Muslim organizations across Alberta. It is imperative that all communities feel safe and supported by their government institutions It’s about inclusion. This is about security. This is about Albertans #ableg #abpoli https://t.co/DfUBKgLwnO — Leela Sharon Aheer (@LeelaAheer) September 12, 2022

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