He’s a Muslim. But after last year’s terror arrests in Canada, he “expressed frustration that some Muslim community leaders had emphasized that Islam was not to blame for the arrests.”
“Khan’s move to Conservatives no surprise, say friends who call him Tory at heart,” by Gregory Bonnell and Tobi Cohen for CP, with thanks to James:
TORONTO (CP) – The latest Liberal MP to defect to the Conservatives has been a military pilot, a prisoner of war, an immigrant and a car salesman who rose from the rank and file to become president of one of the country’s largest auto dealerships.
Those who know Wajid Khan personally say there’s another important descriptor to add to the list – genuine Conservative at heart.
“He essentially started as a Conservative politician,” said Muslim Canadian Congress founder Tarek Fatah, who came to know Khan through their work in the Muslim community during the past 15 years.
“Very few people are aware of his Tory heritage.”…
Last June, in the wake of the sensational arrests of 17 terror suspects – many of whom resided in Khan’s Toronto-area riding of Mississauga-Streetsville – the MP expressed frustration that some Muslim community leaders had emphasized that Islam was not to blame for the arrests.
Khan then offered his services as adviser to Harper, which the prime minister readily accepted.
His controversial position on the arrests led to death threats, via e-mail and telephone, that warned that he would be “taken care of” in either Canada or in Pakistan for being anti-Muslim, a source told The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity.
The source, who has deep roots in the Muslim community, said he fears Khan’s defection to the Tories will lead to even more threats against the MP.