The story of the Hadhad family, refugees from Syria, is now famous across Canada, if not the world. Escaping from persecution and the destruction of their Damascus chocolate factory, they arrived in Antigonish, Nova Scotia in 2016, re-establishing their business, called “Peace by Chocolate.” They are the quintessential “immigrants made good” tale, celebrated by all.

By the end of 2022, Peace by Chocolate had been the subject of a compelling eponymous documentary film   as well as the release of a 2020 book Peace by Chocolate, the Hadhad Family’s remarkable journey from Syria to Canada. As Ian Austen, writer of the Canada Letter in The New York Times, reported in 2022, 

“Many heartwarming stories have developed in the seven years since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted Syrian refugees arriving by plane in Toronto. But few caught the public’s attention as much as that of Tareq Hadhad, who was aboard the third planeload of Syrians to land in Canada, and his family.”

In fact, the Syrian family who settled in Antigonish NS was the toast of the province for nearly a decade.  Even Prime Minister Trudeau visited their workshop and retail outlet on several tours. Perhaps it was to shore up Liberal support in the Maritimes, or it could have been to commend the refugees for their pluck, but  the family behind Peace By Chocolate got a lot of favourable media and popular support.  CEO Tareq Hadhad a former medical student in Syria, turned businessman and booster of Canada. 

All that good feeling and warmth extended toward Tareq was swept away when The Advocates Society cancelled Hadhad whom they had invited to give the keynote speech at its end-of-term dinner in Toronto, in June.  

What, really?

“…by selecting Mr Hadhad, we have harmed many of our members and made them feel unwelcome.” 

The Advocates Society

Just the other day, the board of The Advocates Society (TAS) issued this statement, “We recognize that, by selecting Mr Hadhad, we have harmed many of our members and made them feel unwelcome.”

Let me get this straight. Men and women, who are top lawyers, advocates and judges –who argue or decide cases of murder, extortion, rape and child abuse every day –feel they have been “harmed” and made to feel “unwelcome” because Tareq Hadhad, a peaceable newcomer to Canada– posted “genocide” on social media with reference to Israel’s killing of 50,000 Palestinians in its war on Gaza.

The Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA) said that complaints from The Advocates Society noted Hadhad had not provided “equal comment” – meaning he did not put forward Israel’s side of their murderous regime that is killing mainly women and children in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. 

The Advocates Society is a legal education nonprofit organization with 6,000 members across Canada.  It is made up of lawyers, jurists and judges.  The Society’s own mission states its role is “to  amplify the voices of advocates in protecting and enhancing the legal profession and our justice system.” 

The Society boldly states on its site, 

“TAS [The Advocates Society] is dedicated to becoming a leader within the legal community in supporting and promoting equality, inclusion, and diversity in the bar. TAS acknowledges the need for its own continuous learning and improvement and welcomes feedback from its members on TAS’s diversity and inclusiveness.”

Somehow that inclusiveness becomes divisive when people who come from oppressed, war-torn middle-eastern countries such as Syria dare to condemn Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.

“…a clear message: those who stand for human rights are screened first as to whose human rights they are standing for.”

Muneeza Sheikh, lawyer

As Toronto-based employment and human rights lawyer Muneeza Sheikh said, the message is clear, 

“The fact that someone as passionate about human rights as Mr. Hadhad can get booted off a prominent legal stage (with young, racialized lawyers watching) in this manner sends a clear message: those who stand for human rights are screened first as to whose human rights they are standing for.”

But, seriously, after enthusiastically inviting Tareq Hadhad, why did The Advocates Society rescind the invitation?  More to the point– who actually went to the trouble to carefully monitor and read Hadhad’s social media posts, noted his opposition to Israel’s genocide, his support of the Palestinians and decide to de-platform him?  

There are several possible culprits– all of them fanatically pro-Israel. Certainly Honest Reporting Canada found fault with Hadhad, complaining that his “social media extensively condemned Israel, spreading the hateful “genocide” libel, and not even once mentioning Hamas.” Real news bureaux such as Associated Press, The New York Times and Reuters have condemned Honest Reporting as spouting “irresponsible” and “baseless speculation” that resulted in threats towards journalists.

A second culprit could be Canary Mission.  It documents people and groups that “promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews.”  It claims to “investigate hatred across the North American political spectrum, including the far-right, far-left and anti-Israel activists.” However, Canary Mission’s mission includes destroying the lives and livelihoods of what they call “antisemitic” professors, graduate students, doctors, journalists and politicians who dare to “diss” Israel. 

And perhaps what is worse is that these two ultra-right wing sites boast support from the “official” or establishment Jewish community. There is no evidence that CIJA or B’nai Brith has withdrawn support for either fanatical group.  And worse than that – in the case of the The Advocates Society, there is speculation that some Jewish members –leading lawyers and judges in Canada– have the chutzpah (nerve) to squelch free speech and open debate when it comes to defence of their precious Israel and silencing Israel’s critics.  Israel which has killed 50,000-100,000 Palestinians, among them 16,000 children.  Israel, whose armed quadcopters and missiles have sheared off the arms and/or legs of 3,000 -4,000 Palestinian children. 

Israel has murdered more than 232 journalists in Gaza since Oct. 2023.  These journalists are Gazans who bring us the urgent news of the genocide since Israel will not allow any in the western media into Gaza.  Israel which has destroyed more than a quarter of a million Palestinian homes and left hundreds of thousands living under plastic tarps in the streets. 

“Why is school out in Gaza? because there are no children left”…Maccabi Tel Aviv FC hooligans

Perhaps the most chilling thought is this one:  In November 2024, hundreds of Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC traveled to Amsterdam to watch a series of football games.   As journalist David Broder wrote in Jacobin, the Israeli supporters were “looking to fight and were treated as heroes.”    Broder reported that the last day the fans spent picking fights with Muslims, calling for the collective murder of Arabs, and tearing down Palestinian flags hanging from homes.  The Israeli fans even protested the minute of silence called for the victims of flooding in Valencia, Spain.  

One provocation stood out:  the Israeli supporters sang: “Why is school out in Gaza”? And they answered: “There are no children left.”

Back in Canada, there is a reign of civil terror against free speech about Palestine. Civil terror is shorthand for –at best– ignoring and at worst, banning and/or criminalizing free speech about Palestine.  Inevitably, free speech on Palestine challenges the Jewish establishment’s need to silence and gate-keep people who criticize Israel. In response to this intimidation, high ranking officials at universities, the courts, the legal profession, school boards, medical associations and the media have made decisions that negatively affect people’s careers, their futures, their opportunities — without a shred of openness or honesty.  These decisions affect many who dare to stand up for Palestinians’ human rights. 

Like it or not, Peace by Chocolate supports Palestinians and condemns Israel’s genocide against them. We need more Peace by Chocolate and fewer NGOs like The Advocates Society that cringe and back down before the pro-Israel lobby and the official Jewish community.

Photo at the top: Palestinians pray amid the ruins of the Imam Shafi‘i Mosque in Gaza City on February 28, 2025, amid the truce in the war between Israel and Hamas. (credit: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via AP)