Pakistan-born journalist Tarek Fatah passes away in Canada

COLUMNIST Tarek Fatah passed away in Canada on Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer, The Hindustan Times reported, quoting a family source.

“Lion of Punjab. Son of Hindustan. Lover of Canada. Speaker of truth. Fighter for justice. Voice of the down-trodden, underdogs, and the oppressed. Tarek Fatah has passed the baton on… his revolution will continue with all who knew and loved him. Will you join us? 1949-2023,” Mr Fatah’s daughter Natasha, herself a journalist, shared the news on Twitter.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan before emigrating to Canada in 1987, Mr Fatah was an award-winning reporter, columnist, and radio and television commentator, both in Canada and abroad, with a huge social media following, according to Toronto Sun.

Mr Fatah, who died at 73, was a political activist, a fierce defender of human rights and a staunch opponent of religious fanaticism in any form.

As a secular Muslim who authored books titled The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism, and Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State, Tarek was never deterred by controversy.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023