Birju Dattani resigned from his upcoming role as Canada's human rights chief due to backlash over his previous anti-Israel statements.
Breitbart reported that Dattani, who was set to be the first Muslim to lead the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), stepped down from his position before even starting his term. This followed a revelation from the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) which highlighted past antisemitic comments Dattani made under an alias.
In June, Dattani was appointed to head the CHRC, marking a significant milestone given his background. However, his selection was met with immediate scrutiny when CIJA unearthed troubling posts made under the pseudonym "Mujahid Dattani.”
The term ‘mujahid’ usually refers to a holy warrior in Islam, which raised further concerns about his suitability for the role of upholding human rights impartially.
It was found that Dattani's undisclosed posts compared Israelis to Nazis and Palestinians to Jews during Nazi Germany, severely questioning his impartiality in future human rights judgments.
Additionally, his participation in the controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and associations with problematic figures from the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir in 2015 further fueled the criticisms against his appointment.
Justice Minister Arif Virani's response to the situation was to put Dattani on "leave" while a thorough review of both his past comments and the overall appointment process was conducted. The revelations led the Privy Council Office to admit their lack of awareness regarding Dattani’s alias and controversial historical positions, which sparked debate on the effectiveness of the vetting process.
Melissa Lantsman, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party, sharply criticized the handling of Dattani’s appointment.
She called into question the transparency of the review initiated by the government and underscored the failure to ensure a basic background check was performed, which she claimed could have been understood with a simple search on Google.
Amidst mounting pressure and ongoing investigations, an independent probe was launched. Its findings highlighted a distinct lack of candor and full disclosure from Dattani, which ultimately led to his resignation.
Upon his resignation, Dattani expressed continued belief in the CHRC’s mandate and its importance to Canadian democracy, attempting to maintain dignity in his departure.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Virani, accepting Dattani’s decision, reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the integrity of the Human Rights Commission.
CIJA, however, remained critical, stating, “The appointment of someone with such a deeply flawed background only exacerbates the skeptical public perceptions of the CHRC.”
Virani’s acknowledgment of accepting Dattani’s resignation marked a pivotal moment in addressing the lapses in the vetting process. Lantsman's call for an independent inquiry into the vetting procedure underscores the broader implications of the incident, suggesting potential reforms might be necessary to restore public trust in future appointments.
This series of events from Dattani's controversial past becoming public, through to his resignation, reflects significant issues within the processes used to ensure key public officials are appointed with thorough oversight.
The story of Birju Dattani's short-lived appointment as Canada's human rights chief underlines the importance of transparency and thoroughness in governmental vetting processes, especially for roles critically linked to fairness and human rights.