World Shia Forum condemns the shameful smear campaign against Naweed Syed

World Shia Forum condemns the campaign against Naweed Syed. Recently, UMAA invited the leading Canadian scientist, Dr. Naweed Syed, to speak at their event wrt the contributions of Imam Jaffar Sadiq (as).

We have been critical of UMAA on multiple issues. That disagreement does not extend to UMAA’s hosting of Naweed Syed. On the contrary, we support UMAA on this issue and are hoping that they issue a statement to support Naweed.

Naweed has made Shia Muslims proud across the planet. He has made Pakistanis proud with his positive promotion of the country. He has made Canada proud by achieving breakthroughs in science and technology.

Naweed Syed has never apologized for either his Pakistani heritage or Canadian nationality. He has never been an apologist of his Shia Muslim faith – something that cannot be said of some of his Uncle Tom detractors.

Naweed regularly assists Pakistan and has proven that he is loyal to both Pakistan and Canada when it comes to promoting science and technology. He assists students from across the world and provides research opportunities to the brightest minds regardless of their faith background.

Some young activists, have recently attacked Naweed Syed for taking a stand against foreign clerics who misuse US and Canadian freedoms to spread hate and intolerance.

Naweed had submitted a private affidavit to Canadian authorities where he was blunt in his criticism of those extremist clerics whose loyalties lie with foreign countries as opposed to their hosts. Naweed had correctly pointed out how these imported clerics were spreading a more intolerant and politicized ideology which is at odds with mainstream Shia Islam.

These extremist trends have been gaining ground in North American Shia communities. Some clerics have banned centuries old salutations (Naar e Haidari) for Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib. (as). These clerics discourage Shia gnosis regarding the Imams, Divinity, and metaphysics and instead tend to focus on their perverted version of political Islam.

They are more focussed with gaining and controlling political power and financial tithe than with doing anything constructive for Shia communities. In short, these clerics oppose Shia intellectual and mystical endeavor and are obsessed with power and control.

These Calvinist-Lutheran “reform” trends have permeated Islam in the form of Salafism Wahhabism. And they are now being spread within North American Shia communities.

Whenever these intolerant trends and emphasis on political Islam are called out, apologists play the Islamophobia card to deflect attention away from the issues. This is the tactic of Wahhabi funded and GCC centric advocacy groups and it is now being used against Naweed.

Rather than being circumspect about the ghettoization of Shia Muslim communities due to the brainwashing of extremist clerics, the apologists have doubled down. They have directed their guns at Naweed. This tactic is bound to backfire and WSF entreats young activists to focus their energies more constructively versus being the hired guns of imported clerics.