Many people have tried to understand Tarek Fatah’s motivations over the years, which have been so contradictory and dissonant that it has forced Muslims and non-Muslims alike to reconsider his professed identity. Known for regularly belittling women who choose to wear the hijab and burqa, and mocking various aspects of the religion, let alone the individuals who are fervent believers, Fatah is acknowledged as a fraud in the Muslim community who has played on the fears and ignorance of well-meaning Canadians.
A Google search of “Tarek Fatah” and “Ex-Muslim of North America” (EXMNA) found that the individual in question donated $250 to EXMNA, an organization known for offering public support to Islamophobes like Maajid Nawaz, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Asra Nomani, two of whom appear on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists“. Evidence of Fatah’s donation is provided below, though no cache of the website seems to have survived a recent update:
Even members of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) have expressed confusion over where Fatah’s loyalties lie; for example, user “Ward_End” noticed that Fatah
“still calls himself a Muslim but he’s a huge critic on Islamism and Muslims in general who he thinks don’t subscribe to liberal secular values”
Furthermore,
“he seems to align himself with a lot of right wing figures in Canada and the US. Muslims are the problem as well as the Quran and Hadiths. Yet he still calls himself a Muslim. I find him a confusing figure.”
Another user by the name of “atheiststani” concurs with his observation:
“Yeah, it’s a bit weird he still calls himself Muslim as he only seems to have bad things to say about it.”
Fatah’s position may be bewildering to some, but to the average Muslim it’s clear that like his contemporaries, Fatah has made a lucrative career out of maligning the Muslim community and offering armchair expertise when none was ever needed.
References:
[1] W. (n.d.). Topic: What to make of Tarek Fatah? Retrieved August 13, 2017, from https://www.councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=30790.0
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