Birju Dattani
Birju Dattani (also known as Mujahid Dattani) is a Canadian lawyer and human rights professional who is a senior fellow at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dattani was previously appointed as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 2024, but he was forced to resign before starting his role due to accusations of antisemitism.
Early life and education
[edit]Dattani was born in Calgary, Alberta, to parents who were refugees from Uganda.[1] He later attended the University of Wales and the London School of Economics.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Prior to his federal appointment, Dattani served as the executive director of the Yukon Human Rights Commission.[1] He also held positions at Centennial College and worked as a human rights lawyer in Alberta.[1]
Appointment to Canadian Human Rights Commission and resignation.
[edit]Dattani was appointed to become the first Muslim or racialized chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, with a term to begin August 8, 2024.[1][3][4] However, complaints from Canadian Jewish leaders accused Dattani of antisemitism under the alias Mujahid Dattani, prompting justice minister Arif Virani to order an independent law firm investigation.[3]
In 2015, Dattani had appeared on a panel with a member of the Islamic fundamentalist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which calls for the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.[5][6][4][7] Dattani denied knowing that the other panellist was a member of the group and said "I wholeheartedly disagree with and condemn Hizb ut-Tahrir".[5] The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs also criticized what they said were Dattani's comparisons of Israel and Nazi Germany on the Twitter account @mujahid_dattani.[8][5] Dattani acknowledged sharing the article, but said that it was "for discussion as I was an academic studying such issues" and that he "did not agree with the comparison".[5]
Virani received the report on August 7, 2024 and announced that Dattani would be on leave pending a review of the findings.[3] The report found that while there was no evidence that Dattani had antisemitic views as he had been careful to criticize the State of Israel and not its people, he had failed to disclose his "Mujahid Dattani" alias and his scholarly criticism of Israel during screening.[9][10] After Virani sent the results to Dattani with a letter expressing concerns about his candour.[9] On August 12,[3] Dattani resigned from the role without having undertaken any duties, saying that he "could not have been more candid and transparent."[9]
Later career
[edit]After resigning from the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Dattani became a senior fellow at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University.[8]
In February 2025, Dattani filed defamation lawsuits against Conservative Party of Canada deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, right-wing commentator Ezra Levant, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs for allegedly mischaracterizing him as "an antisemitic, terrorist supporter".[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Hatherly, Dana (21 June 2024). "Yukon's past director appointed Canada's top human rights commissioner". Yukon News. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Department of Justice Canada (14 June 2024). "New Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission appointed by Minister of Justice". www.canada.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Bessner, Ellin (7 August 2024). "Birju Dattani has resigned as chief of the Canadian Human Rights Commission". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ a b Levitt, Howard (5 July 2024). "Howard Levitt: Human rights commissioner's past leaves agency open to allegations of bias". The Financial Post. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Major, Darren (25 June 224). "Feds reviewing new human rights commissioner's online posts after Jewish advocates raise concerns". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Blaff, Ari David (25 June 2024). "New head of Canadian Human Rights Commission investigated over allegations of anti-Israel activity". The National Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Starr, Michael (3 July 2024). "New Canadian Human Rights Commissioner to be investigated for BDS past". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ a b Taylor, Stephanie (23 September 2024). "'It raises an eyebrow': Embattled federal human rights pick lists job he never did on resume". The National Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Taylor, Stephanie (September 23, 2024). "'It raises an eyebrow': Embattled federal human rights pick lists job he never did on resume". National Post. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ Crossley, Sarah C.; Freitag, Laura J. (July 29, 2024). Report Regarding Appointment of the Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (Report). Department of Justice. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ Lewis, Stewart (February 5, 2025). "Short-lived Canadian Human Rights Commissioner launches defamation suits against Lantsman, Levant, CIJA". National Post. Retrieved February 6, 2025.