Muslim Association of Canada apologizes for 'Jew free' appearing in word cloud during youth convent

ByMATHILDA HELLERAUGUST 16, 2026 18:04The Muslim Association of Canada has apologized for the phrase 'Jew free' appearing during an interactive word-cloud exercise at its recent convention.During the three-day conference in May 2026, MAC carried out “a public, anonymous audience-participation exercise” that produced a word cloud image, built on responses to the question of what kind of community the participants wanted. Fifty entries appeared in the cloud, including the phrase “jew-free."This was widely shared, with groups such as HonestReporting condemning it as an act of "normalized Jew hate."In a recent statement, MAC announced it has completed an internal investigation into the incident.It acknowledged that the phrase was "offense and hurtful to Jewish Canadians" as well as "Muslim Canadians, and to anyone committed to a pluralistic society."People attend a rally to highlight Islamophobia, sponsored by the Muslim Association of Canada, June 2021. (credit: REUTERS/ALEX FILIPE)MAC rejects antisemitic word cloud entry, says submitter could not be traced"Offensive and discriminatory statements of any kind have no place in the Muslim community, and MAC unequivocally states that the submission of this word was unacceptable and does not represent its values."MAC said the phrase was submitted to the word cloud by an "anonymous, bad-faith" actor. However, despite the internal inquiry, MAC said it was not able to identify the person behind the "antisemitic" phrase as all submissions were anonymous.It further claimed that the investigation found that the phrase did not reflect the views of the Muslim youth participants of the session, however did not state how this conclusion was made.MAC did, however, conclude that the incident was preventable, as controls were not in place within the third-party application which would have screened submissions, despite such technology being available.The organization promised to implement additional training for youth facilitators ahead of future sessions, in order to ensure that any attempt "to express hate during a live session is identified and addressed in the moment."MAC defends Hasan al-Banna discussion as study of Islamic historyThe word cloud was not the only point of contention regarding the conference. HonestReporting noted that, prior to the workshop, speaker Khaled Al-Qazzaz of Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC) spent 20 minutes praising Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasan al-Banna as a model for youth organizing and Islamic revival."This isn't just a disturbing and all-too familiar phrase on a screen," said HonestReporting. "It's a warning sign of what happens when Jew-hatred is institutionalized and normalized in spaces meant to shape the next generation."MAC defended the speech, saying it was "a historical biographical session using Imam Hassan al-Banna’s life to educate attendees.""Imam Hassan al-Banna built a movement significant in the modern history of the Muslim world. The message was that Canadian Muslim youth with far more access and freedom should not underestimate themselves," MAC said in a substack."Imam Hassan al-Banna is a renowned figure in Islamic history, and his life is taught in Islamic studies programs across Western universities. Discussing his biography is part of studying Islamic tradition."Al-Qazzaz publicly responded saying: "I spoke in my personal capacity about a letter written by Imam Hasan Al-Banna to Muslim youth in the early 20th century, using his words to inspire young people to positively contribute to their communities.""All Canadians, including Muslim Canadians, have the right to explore ideas and draw from their heritage. That is what free societies protect. I will not accept attempts to censor this exercise, least of all from fringe pseudo-journalists whose priority is Islamophobic smear campaigns.”Follow us on Google