Lack of action on Gaza erodes Muslims’ sense of belonging in Canada: envoy

Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia, is seen at the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa on March 27, 2023. (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press)

OTTAWA — Ottawa’s approach to the war in Gaza is eroding many Muslim-Canadians’ “sense of belonging” in this country, says the federal special representative on combating Islamophobia.

“This ongoing, horrifying situation is deeply, deeply damaging the sense of belonging that people feel,” Amira Elghawaby said in an wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press.

“This relates to dehumanization … of Palestinian life, of Muslim life.”

Elghawaby’s job since February 2023 has been to advise Ottawa on how federal policies, including foreign policy, affect Muslim Canadians.

She said Muslims have been horrified by the Israeli military offensive and aid restrictions in Gaza that followed the October 2023 attack by Hamas militants which killed 1,200 in Israel.

The Hamas-run health ministry reports that Israel has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has included airstrikes on ambulances and hospitals.

Israel has set up aid-distribution sites where hundreds have been shot dead while trying to access food.

The UN World Food Program said last week that Israel’s restrictions on food reaching Gaza have resulted in “new and astonishing levels of desperation,” with 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and a third of the territory’s population going days without eating.

Israel disputes the United Nations’ account and says it restricted aid because large amounts of food were being stolen by Hamas. Aid groups have said there is no proof for that claim.

Elghawaby said the grief felt by Muslim-Canadian families over the suffering of loved ones in Gaza is being compounded by a sense that Ottawa isn’t doing enough to prevent the suffering, despite issuing “very clear statements” on the situation.

“‘Devastated’ is not even strong enough a word to describe how people are feeling,” she said.

“(These are) their loved ones, their family members, who are starving, who are continuing to face bombing and displacement, and who are just desperate — desperate for this to end.”

On social media, Elghawaby wrote that the fear felt by Canadians with family in the region grows “with each day that passes without meaningful action towards upholding international humanitarian law.”

In the interview, Elghawaby said she doesn’t have the mandate or enough detailed information to say whether Canada is doing enough. She said she can only convey the feeling widespread in Muslim and Arab communities that Ottawa is dropping the ball.

“How can it be — is what people are asking me — that international humanitarian law is violated in this way, and nothing is actually happening, or not enough is happening?” she said.

“They wonder, are our lives expendable? How many people have to die for there to be action, concrete action, to end this?”

Elghawaby said Muslim communities want “every tool” proposed by international organizations put to use “to ensure compliance (with) international humanitarian law.” She said those tools could include more sanctions or a full arms embargo on Israel.

She said her job is not to dictate Canada’s foreign policy. “I am here really to provide the insight into how our communities perceive policies that the government (is) putting forward,” she said.

Elghawaby also said Canada needs to fix problems in a program it launched to allow Canadians to resettle their Gaza relatives here. Fewer than 1,200 visas have been issued through the program, even though Ottawa has accepted 5,000 applications.

Elghawaby also said those advocating for Palestinians continue to be unfairly branded as anti-Jewish or pro-terrorism.

In January 2024, she said anyone spewing hate speech should face consequences, but noted that people have been fired and stigmatized for taking part in peaceful protests and petitions.

The problem has only gotten worse, she said.

“They continue to face all sorts of branding as being terrorist sympathizers, as being somehow out of step with democracy and human rights,” she said.

“In fact, that’s all they’re calling for — for democratic norms, around ensuring that international humanitarian law is respected around the world, including for Palestinians.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press