Tarek Fatah Obituary

Tarek Fatah, a Canadian novelist, and activist of Pakistani heritage died at the age of 73 following a protracted illness.

He was described as the “Lion of Punjab” and a “Fighter for justice” who was beloved by everyone who knew him by Fatah’s daughter Natasha, who posted about his departure on Twitter. Fatah was recognized for his liberal perspectives on Islam and terrorism.

Tarek Fatah Obituary

On November 20, 1949, Tarek Fatah was born in Karachi, Pakistan, into a Punjabi Muslim family who had moved to Karachi from Bombay following the 1947 Partition of India. He majored in biology at the University of Karachi before starting his media career in 1970 as a reporter for the Karachi Sun.

Later, he worked for Pakistan Television as an investigative journalist. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was also a prominent student leader and was twice detained by military governments. He was accused of sedition in 1977 and prohibited from working in journalism during Zia-ul Haq’s rule.

Longtime Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) supporter Fatah ran unsuccessfully as the NDP’s candidate in Scarborough North in the 1995 provincial elections. Later, he was employed by Howard Hampton, the head of the Ontario NDP.

He quit the NDP in 2006 to support Bob Rae’s bid for the Liberal Party of Canada’s leadership. In an opinion piece published in Toronto’s Now Magazine, he said that the creation of a faith caucus, which he believes will allow religious zealots to join the party, was the reason he left the NDP. Fatah condemned the Liberal Party’s racial and religious organizing after Rae was defeated.

At a news conference in October 2008, Fatah harshly denounced the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). He asserted that under Alexa McDonough, the party started permitting Islamists to join, and that under Jack Layton, they began to pour into the party. Additionally, he asserted that Islamists in the NDP were attempting to make Muslim adolescents feel like victims.

Fatah was an outspoken and progressive commentator on matters pertaining to Islam and terrorism during his whole life. His works include “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.” He was a well-known figure in Pakistan and Canada, and his passing in 2023 was lamented by many.