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Group says it mistakenly attributed statement to parliamentary nominee
Posted: December 24, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

In a correction, a group that claimed a Canadian parliamentary candidate declared to supporters his nomination by the Liberal party was a victory for Islam says the statement actually was made by an accompanying town council member.

The Canadian Coalition for Democracies, or CCD, issued an apology, saying it wanted to set the record straight, but pointed out the candidate, Omar Alghabra, did not disavow the statements.

The group originally said Alghabra, who won the Liberal Party nomination for a parliamentary seat in Ontario, Canada, declared in a speech earlier this month, "This is a victory for Islam! Islam won! Islam won! ... Islamic power is extending into Canadian politics,"

Now, the CCD says the statements attributed to Alghabra actually were made by Khalid Osman, a council member from the town of Markham, Ont., who was introduced by Alghabra as his major supporter Dec. 1 after the nomination victory.

Witnesses said, however, that Alghabra's celebratory actions on the podium appeared supportive of Osman's declarations and argue the candidate did not distance himself from the comments or offer any correction in his speech.

The speech was made at the Coptic Christian Centre of the Church of the Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius in Mississauga.

David Ragheb, a member of the congregation, reported that following the speech, Osman took to the stage and declared to cheers and applause from the audience:

"We have the East, we have the West, and now we have Mississauga!"

The Liberal Party of Canada responded to CCD's original claims Tuesday with a press release charging the group had launched an "ethnic smear campaign."

Defending itself, CCD said it has "no vested interest in any allegations that are not true and defensible and would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight."

At least two local figures confirmed Osman's statements.

A former hold of the Mississauga-Erindale seat sought by Alghabra, Carolyn Parrish, told the Mississauga News in a story published Thursday that Osman "made comments about Muslims eventually being [represented] in every riding (district) in Mississauga ... He made it sound like [Muslims] were taking over. It was extremely inappropriate."

Elias Hazineh, president of the Mississauga-Erindale Federal Liberal Riding Association, also was quoted as hearing Osman say, "this is a victory for Muslims."

But CCD said: "Failing to distance oneself from inappropriate statements from a supporter that mix religion and politics is not the same as uttering those statements, and CCD regrets the mistake it made."