Tarek Fatah
Toronto 43° 39' 12.53" N, 79° 23' 2.16" W Journalism Literature Person
Tarek Fatah is a Canadian writer, broadcaster and a secular Muslim anti-Islamist activist. He is the author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State published by John Wiley & Sons. In the book Fatah challenges the notion that the establishment of an Islamic state is a necessary prerequisite to entering the state of Islam. He suggests that the idea of an Islamic state is merely a mirage that Muslims have been made to chase for over a millennium. Chasing a Mirage was shortlisted for the $35,000 Donner Prize for 2008–09.
Fatah's second book, titled The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism,was published by McClelland & Stewart in October 2010. The book won the 2010 Annual Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Book Award in Politics and History.
In May 2009, Fatah joined CFRB 1010. Later that fall, he joined John Moore's morning show as a contributor. Currently, he hosts The Tarek Fatah Show on Sunday afternoons. He also has a weekly column in the Toronto Sun and is a frequent guest on the Sun News Network.
Fatah is the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress and served as its communications officer and spokesperson for several years, and was frequently quoted in the press as a result. Fatah advocates gay rights, a separation of religion and state, opposition to sharia law, and advocacy for a "liberal, progressive form" of Islam. Some of his activism and statements have met with considerable criticism from Canadian Muslim groups.