On Sunday afternoon, the Earth Sciences auditorium was adorned with numerous banners and signs: “Defend civil liberties.” “Stop racial profiling.” “Project Threadbare.”

Project Threadbare, a city-wide coalition formed in response to an RCMP investigation called “Project Thread,” is calling for the immediate release of 20 Pakistani men and one South Indian man arrested in August as possible security threats and detained without charge, as well as the repeal of the law that made it all possible.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the federal government can detain indefinitely and without charge any landed immigrant or foreign national who is considered to be a threat to national security.

To raise awareness of the issue- –and the larger problems of security certificates, secret trials and evidence, and racial profiling-the organization held a public meeting featuring one of the three men released, Dr. Muhammed Naeem, as the keynote speaker. To loud applause and a standing ovation, the 54-year old family physician spoke of his ordeal and expressed gratitude to those who protested the violation of his rights.

Naeem, who came to Canada to upgrade his qualifications as a medical doctor, called the Aug. 14 pre-dawn raid that ended in his arrest a “very terrible experience.” He described the violent manner in which the police arrested him and the other men: breaking their door down, dragging them out of bed, handcuffing them, and later beating them.

Several others spoke their outrage at the arrest and continued detainment of the men, including Marilyn Churley, deputy leader of the Ontario NDP.

Churley criticized the Conservatives for placing immigration under the crime section of their election platform, and the Liberals for staying silent on the issue. “The worst form of complacency is silence,” she said. She also called the Anti-Terrorism Act the “anti-civil liberties act” and urged the audience to “speak out loud and clear against this discrimination.”

Amina Sherazee, a lawyer and civil liberties activist, said the arrest of the Pakistani men is not something new, but is illustrative of the “regressive” and “morally corrupt” treatment of Muslims and Arabs in Canada and the United States after Sept. 11. “These people are imprisoned in maximum security prisons with convicted (criminals) who have had their due process.”

Sherazee cautioned the audience not to forget the five Muslim Arab men incarcerated on secret evidence and the hundreds more we don’t know about. “What we do to foreign nationals today paves the way for what we do to Canadian citizens tomorrow,” she said.

After the speeches, the floor was opened for discussion, which proved to be quite varied.

A gentleman with the Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada announced a protest at CSIS headquarters in Ottawa on Halloween, during which couches will be set up to “provide psychological counselling to CSIS agents to help them get over their irrational fear of Arabs and Muslims.” (For more information, visit www.homesnotbombs.ca.)

Another man said the war on terrorism was actually a “war against the oppressed” and called on Jewish people to join the coalition. “It’s the same thing Israel has been doing to the Palestinians. That’s why I’m an anti-Zionist Jew.”

James Clark, a recent graduate from Queens University and an organizer of Project Threadbare, was pleased with the turnout of 172 people, considering the project started only three weeks ago.

Clark says the project grew out of the decision of a number of activists that something had to be done. So far the coalition is endorsed by 40 groups from a broad spectrum: Pakistani and South Asian communities, cultural organizations, immigrant and refugee groups, anti-poverty organizations, political groups, faith groups, trade unionists, students, and concerned individuals.

Clark found that the initiative has built solidarity between different groups, and hopes their efforts will give confidence to people who feel targeted and are afraid to speak up.

To find out more about Project Threadbare or to join, contact [email protected] or 416-579-0481.