

Omar Alghabra

A Muslim who won the Liberal Party nomination for a parliamentary seat in Ontario, Canada, declared his success a victory for Islam in a speech to supporters, according to a Coptic Christian who attended the event.

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"This is a victory for Islam! Islam won! Islam won! ... Islamic power is extending into Canadian politics," Omar Alghabra, the Liberal candidate for Mississauga-Erindale, reportedly declared to his audience of several hundred.

Alghabra delivered his speech Dec. 2 in the Coptic Christian Centre of the Church of the Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius in Mississauga.

David Ragheb, a member of the congregation, reported that following the speech, Markham Councillor Khalid Osman took to the stage and made his own declaration.

"We have the East, we have the West, and now we have Mississauga!" he said to cheers and applause from the audience.

Ragheb commented: "A member of Parliament is supposed to represent my concerns about taxes and roads in Mississauga, not promote an Islamic agenda."

Victor Fouad, an associate member of the Canadian Coptic Association, said he wrote to Prime Minister Paul Martin, expressing concern about such Islamist rhetoric from a Liberal who could easily become a Canadian parliamentarian.

Foud says his message was ignored, however, and "Paul Martin's silence since that time can only be interpreted as approval of Mr. Alghabra's rhetoric."

"I was surprised that Prime Minister Martin showed no interest in such a dangerous mixing of religion and politics," said Fouad. "Since he has said nothing about it and this candidate is still representing the Liberal Party of Canada, I have to assume that Alghabra has the endorsement of the prime minister."

Fouad wrote a letter to the editors of several Canadian newspapers, saying the "Islamist declaration of Liberal candidate Omar Alghabra could have come from an al-Qaida mouthpiece."

The brief bio of Alghabra on the Liberal Party website says he "came to Canada at a very young age, and immediately knew Canada was his home."

He's described as an experienced entrepreneur who worked for the past six years for a large multinational corporation.

Alghabra is former national president of the Canadian Arab Federation, former member of the Community Editorial Board for the Toronto Star and currently a member of the Diversity Council for General Electric Canada.