Canadian Muslim groups welcome ban on illegal settlement goods

Ahmad Al Qadi, Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer at the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), told reporters in Ottawa that the organization welcomed the government's announcement of a categorical ban on settlement products. "Although this step should have been taken long ago, September 8th, 2026, will mark a monumental day in Canada's history," he said, adding that future generations would view the date as a precedent for upholding human rights and territorial integrity.

Al Qadi thanked Carney and Foreign Minister Anita Anand for advancing the measure, noting that Canadian businesses operating internationally have a duty to respect human rights and ensure their activities do not contribute to adverse impacts. He stated the ban demonstrates that Canada is "not powerless" and retains the capacity to build a new world order respecting these values.

Religious and ethical imperatives

Imam Sikander Hashmi, executive director of the Canadian Council of Imams, said Canada's trade policy should not help sustain the dispossession of another people, calling the prohibition "overdue." He noted that Islamic teachings do not bar business dealings based on ethnicity, stating that Prophet Muhammad "conducted business with Jewish people and others," but emphasized that honest trade differs from commerce sustaining injustice.

"Trade that sustains injustice demands a different response," Hashmi said, adding that refusing to support dispossession constitutes a matter of basic fairness. He stated that while honest commerce builds relationships, policies enabling occupation require moral opposition grounded in religious principles.

International legal framework

Amira Elghawaby, Canada's former special representative on combatting Islamophobia, said the decision was grounded in clear principles of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention and numerous United Nations resolutions. The foreign ministers of twelve countries announced in a statement Tuesday that they would impose or consider trade restrictions on settlement goods, citing Israeli actions undermining prospects for a two-state solution.

Elghawaby stated the measures send "an unmistakable signal" that Canada and its allies "refuse to be complicit in the violation of international law," citing public opinion showing far more Canadians oppose illegal settlements than support them. Israel subsequently announced it would close the UK's consulate in occupied East Jerusalem in response to the coordinated international pressure.