Pakistan-Born Canadian Liberal Tarek Fatah, A Progressive Muslim Commentator, Died After A Long Illness
Tarek identified himself as
Tarek Fatah outlines himself as “an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi guy born in Islam, an immigrant in Canada, speaking out against Islam, rooted in a Marxist youth.”
Tarek Fatah, who was he?
Tarek Fatah, a progressive Muslim commentator, well-known Canadian columnist of Pakistani descent, and well-known television personality, passed away on April 24, 2023, in Canada, at the age of 73, following a protracted illness. He was afflicted with cancer. His daughters, Nazia and Natasha, are his only survivors. Natasha, his daughter, announced it on Twitter.
Announcement of death over Twitter
“The Lion of Punjab. Hindustan’s son. I adore Canada. The truth-teller. Defender of the law. The voice of the oppressed, the underdogs, and those who are disadvantaged, @TarekFatah has handed over the baton… His revolution will be carried on by everyone who knew and loved him,” while announcing his death, Tarek Fatah’s daughter wrote on Twitter.
The Early Life of Tarak Fatah
Tarek Fatah was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 20, 1949. Between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, he led the leftist student movement. He was twice imprisoned by Pakistan’s successive military governments during these decades. He was accused of sedition by General Zia-ul Haq in 1977, which resulted in his banishment from the country’s media. He moved to Canada in 1987, where he has since been a journalist.
He was extremely proud of his Indian ancestry. He frequently claimed during interviews that he was born into a Rajput family that had been forcibly converted to Islam in the 1840s. He declared that he was a Hindustani who was born in Pakistan.
Speaking out against Islam
He was an outspoken opponent of Islamic fanaticism. As a result, Muslims all over the world frequently attacked him. He did, however, bravely express himself through his writing for various media, blogs, and books.
Fatah began to voice more and more criticism of Islamic fundamentalism and its effects on Muslim communities worldwide in the late 1990s.
His outspoken and direct criticism of radical Islam made him a frequent target of Islamist Maulanas.
Some of his work
Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State and The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism are just two of the books he wrote on the subject.
Additionally, he was the host of the Zed News program “Fatah Ka Fatwa,” which is short for “Fatah’s Opinion.”
His love for India
He frequently displayed his admiration for Hinduism and his pride in Indian civilization during his protracted public appearances.
He would say, “I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born into Islam, an immigrant in Canada with a Muslim consciousness, rooted in a Marxist youth. I am one of the many Midnight’s Children described by Salman Rushdie. We were taken from the cradle of a great civilization and made to live as refugees forever, sent in search of an oasis that turned out to be a mirage.
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