Canada: The North American Shi'a Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO), including its mandate; whether it can verify an individual's Shi'a affiliation in Pakistan; whether it issues membership cards
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 20 February 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CAN36284.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Canada: The North American Shi'a Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO), including its mandate; whether it can verify an individual's Shi'a affiliation in Pakistan; whether it issues membership cards, 20 February 2001, CAN36284.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be181c.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on NASIMCO's mandate, its date of founding, location, leadership, affiliations, etc. can be found on NASIMCO's Website which is referenced below.
In correspondence dated 30 November 2000, the president of NASIMCO stated that NASIMCO is a federation of North-American Shi'a organizations. Its current membership comprises 26 organizations from Canada and the United States, and it is currently encouraging other organizations to join. Only organizations, not individuals, can become members of NASIMCO.
The president stated that the mandate of NASIMCO is to be of service to the Shi'a community in North America in particular, and worldwide in general. Its overseas projects include economic development, education and relief from poverty.
The president of NASIMCO indicated that the organization does not issue membership cards. He maintained, however, that NASIMCO is capable of verifying an individual's Shi'a affiliation. The verification is done through Shi'a contacts in Pakistan. According to the president, these contacts are aware of the genuine Shi'a organizations in Pakistan, and also have their own contacts in various cities and villages in the country (ibid.). In later correspondence, he explained that, due to the structure of the communities in Pakistan, large or small, it is always possible to verify whether or not an individual is a Shi'a (25 Dec. 2000). He indicated that every Shi'a community in Pakistan is structured around a mosque or an Islamic Centre (9 Jan. 2001). Individuals who are active in the community would certainly be connected to these centres and therefore, refugee claimants in Canada who claim to be active in a Shi'a community would be known to these centres (ibid.).
The president stated, however, that at this time, NASIMCO has set up these verification mechanisms in Pakistan only, but that if need be, it would look into setting up the same mechanisms in other countries (30 November 2000).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
North American Shi'a Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO), Thornhill, Ontario. n.d.
President, NASIMCO, Thornhill, Ontario. 30 November 2000, 25 December 2000, and 09 January 2001. Correspondence.
