April 8, 2019
By Daniel Koren
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
B’nai Brith Canada
OTTAWA – On the heels of the historic U.S. decision to label the entirety of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, B’nai Brith Canada is urging the Government of Canada to follow suit.
“Canada must swiftly list the military wing of the IRGC as a terrorist entity, as it has previously committed and as it did with Hezbollah in 2002,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada, referring to when B’nai Brith successfully pressured the Canadian government to ban the radical terror group.
The IRGC, a branch of Iran’s military, is specifically tasked with upholding the brutal Islamist dictatorship. It serves as the main link between the regime and its terror proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas. The Quds Force, which serves as the IRGC’s external operations branch, is already a designated terrorist entity in Canada.
Last summer, B’nai Brith lauded a private member’s motion, which received bipartisan support, that included a call to list the entirety of the IRGC as a terrorist entity. At the time, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale confirmed that the process to outlaw the IRGC would proceed.
B’nai Brith Canada is pleased to report significant progress in having the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (#IRGC) designated as a terrorist entity in Canada, a position we have strongly advocated for many years. https://t.co/KuFoXFjgXG
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) June 15, 2018
However, ten months later, the IRGC has yet to be so designated.
“The main objective of the IRGC is to fuel and fund terrorism. It serves as a constant threat to the safety and security of civilians in the region,” Mostyn said.
“Given reports that Hezbollah has been infiltrating Canada to advance its ‘transnational narco-terrorism’ agenda, in addition to coordinating terror attacks against Israel, a staunch Canadian ally, from inside Syria, we must send a strong message to Iran, the IRGC, and its various terror proxies that their ideology is contrary to world peace and will not be tolerated.”
B’nai Brith is also calling on the Government of Canada to:
- Recommit Canada’s determination that the Iranian regime never be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons;
- Implement more measures to combat the IRGC, “the direct patron of terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah”;
- Introduce additional sanctions to ensure ironclad constraints on Iran’s nuclear-capable ballistic missile program;
- Pursue a strong, united diplomatic front to ensure Iran not be permitted to establish a permanent civilian or military presence in Syria;
- Target propaganda tools of the Iranian regime (such as its annual Holocaust Denial Cartoon Content) through sanctions against Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB); and
- Encourage greater international financial support for Iranian human rights NGOs.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the IRGC is attempting to use its financial and military influence to incentivize Syrians to convert to Shia Islam and join Iranian militias. The report adds credence to the U.S. administration’s recent decision to formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, as it reflects the new strategic reality in the region.
“It is from the Golan Heights that Hezbollah, Iran’s terror proxy in Syria, seeks to open a second front against Israel,” Mostyn said. “This threat cannot be underestimated.”
