This Muslim association's lawsuit shows a major gap in Canada's tax law — it doesn't understand Islamic charity

Author Brennan Doherty
Canada’s regulations may categorize the activities of religious charities – especially Muslim ones – too rigidly.

Why It Matters

Muslim-led charities provide anything from prayer services to after school care for Canada’s Muslim (and non-Muslim) communities. Without the tax exemptions afforded by charitable status, some of these organizations may be unable to operate.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"This Muslim association\u2019s lawsuit shows a major gap in Canada\u2019s tax law \u2014 it doesn\u2019t understand Islamic charity. Muslim-led charities have complained about unfair scrutiny by Canada\u2019s regulatory agencies ever since the 9\/11 terror attacks. They point to exhaustive auditing, national security agencies scrutinizing their organization\u2019s foreign correspondence, and the threat of charitable status revocation as clear-cut Islamophobia. For what may be the first time ever, one such charity \u2013 the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) \u2013 is suing the Canada Revenue Agency over how it conducted an audit. \u201cFrom the very beginning, the practices of the Audit have been both Islamophobic and dictated by systemic biases,\u201d wrote

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