Salim Mansur is a long-time friend and colleague who is running for the Ontario Provincial Parliament in the June 12 provincial election. He is running for the Freedom Party. Salim is a pro-west Suni Muslim who has suffered considerable criticism from fellow muslims because of his views on the West, on Israel, and concerning human rights and freedoms. From his campaign website,
Salim is a Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Gatestone Institute in New York, a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Islamic Pluralism based in Washington, D.C., and a founding member of Toronto-based Council of Muslims Facing Tomorrow. He has also served as an academic consultant with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). ...
As someone who has experienced the chilling absence of individual rights and freedom in society widely prevalent across many parts of the world, he has devoted much of his writing and public speaking in defence of free speech, individual rights and respect for the dignity of the individual that are the building blocks of liberal democracy.