"Trends" and"International Council of Imams" They organize a forum in the Canadian Parliament on "Peace and security"

Ottawa, November 23, 2017 – The Trends Center for Research and Consultation, in partnership with the Canadian Parliament and the World Council of Imams, organized a press conference in the Canadian Parliament and Senate buildings, followed by a forum on “Peace and Security,” as part of the Trends research tour in Canada, at the invitation of Canadian MP Shouf Majumdar and Senator Leo Housakos.

The forum discussed pivotal issues, most notably dismantling the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, and highlighting the “Abrahamic Accords” as a model for realistic peace in the Middle East.

Speaking at the press conference were Imam Muhammad al-Tawhidi, advisor on combating extremism and terrorism at Trends and a member of the governing body of the World Council of Imams, and researcher Shamsa Arif al-Qubaisi from the Trends Center for Research and Consultation. Al-Tawhidi described the relationship between Trends and the International Council of Imams as “one of the most constructive and dynamic partnerships,” stressing that cooperation between the two sides went beyond traditional frameworks, as the memorandum of understanding had been signed in mid-2024.

Al-Tawhidi praised the Emirati model and said that the UAE has proven to the world what can be achieved when a nation chooses dialogue and tolerance instead of isolation, pointing out that Emirati values ​​organically intersect with Canadian values ​​based on pluralism and justice, pointing to the importance of the timing of the event, which coincided with the visit of the Canadian Prime Minister to the UAE.

Researcher Shamsa Al Qubaisi gave a presentation in which she explained that “Trends” produced more than 1,000 research papers and 40 books, and signed more than 300 international agreements, including partnerships with global institutions, such as Microsoft and the University of Cambridge, noting that the presence of physical and virtual offices of the center around the world, including a Canadian research team, confirms its commitment to providing a deep, evidence-based understanding of global issues.

Activities were held in the Canadian Senate hall, the activities of the Parliamentary Forum to Promote Peaceful Coexistence and Combating Extremism, under the slogan “Participatory and Applied Visions”, in the presence of the “Trends” research delegation through its virtual office in Canada, and the delegation of the Global Imam Council (GIC), along with Senator Leo Housakos, Representatives Shufaloy Majumdar, Melissa Lantsman, Anthony Housefather, and Greg Fergus, in addition to diplomats, and the former President. Canadian Intelligence Director Richard Fadden, as well as religious leaders including Imam Hassan Ismail Tarab, Rabbi Chaim Mendelsohn, and Reverend Raymond de Souza.

Also participating in the forum were international lawyer Irwin Kotler, CEO of Safe Canada Cheryl Saberia, Director of the MLI Institute Brian Crowley, journalist Steve Paikin, and a number of MPs, including Roman Baber and Jacob Mantel, and an elite group of researchers, managers and consultants.

At the opening of the forum, Senator Housakos, whose sessions were moderated by journalist Steve Bacon, stressed that parliaments are not merely arenas for legislation, but rather the “first line of defense” in the face of security threats and extremist ideas, while Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of “Trends,” stressed that world peace is not achieved with good intentions only, but rather requires courage and moral clarity in confronting extremist ideologies, foremost of which is the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, “the umbrella that emerged from Under it are all extremist organizations.”

He reviewed the Gulf states’ success in dismantling the group’s networks, noting that the Emirati vision for peace, represented by the “Abrahamic House” and the “Abrahamic Agreements,” is fully consistent with Canadian values.

Al-Ali presented a five-year road map for cooperation with Canadian institutions, focusing on confronting extremism with scientific evidence, supporting moderate religious leadership, and spreading the culture of the Abrahamic Accords.

First session: Deconstructing the “Brotherhood” discourse

The first session discussed “Muslim Brotherhood extremism and its repercussions on Canada,” during which Dr. Wael Saleh, Director of the Trends Virtual Office in Canada and Advisor for Political Islam Affairs at Trends, presented an intervention in which he explained that the Brotherhood’s discourse produces violence and gives it symbolic legitimacy, that Islamism is an anti-modern project, and that the Brotherhood’s perception of the state conflicts with the principles of citizenship, warning against the group’s targeting of non-Islamist Muslims.

Researcher Badriya Al-Riyami presented a research paper in English that addressed the contradiction between the Brotherhood’s ideology and the principles of the “Document of Human Fraternity” and the “Abrahamic Accords,” explaining how the group faced peace initiatives with rejection and described them as “conspiracies.”

The second session dealt with the theme of “The Abraham Accords – The New Peace Model,” where the economic and security opportunities created by these agreements were discussed, and how Canada can benefit from them.

In the session, researcher Shamsa Al Qubaisi focused on the Canadian dimension in the work of “Trends,” stressing that the center’s goal “is not symbolic but practical,” revealing the expansion of research cooperation with Canadian institutions, issuing papers on educational policies and analyzing digital information, and strengthening cooperation with the universities of Montreal and Carleton.

In turn, Representative Melissa Lantsman and Representative Anthony Housefather stressed that the Abrahamic Accords represent a historic opportunity for Canada to play a greater role in the Middle East, while Cheryl Siberia and Brian Crowley presented insights on transforming the principles of the agreements into policies that support national security, and the representative of the Aga Khan Council, Zul Qassamali, emphasized the role of civil society in transforming tolerance into a daily practice.

At the conclusion of the forum, the Parliamentary Forum for Peace and Security presented an award of appreciation to Dr. Mohammed Al-Ali, CEO of the Trends Center for Research and Consultation.

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