Representatives from more than ten mosques and Islamic associations in British Columbia sent a letter to Premier David Eby demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Post-Secondary Education from her position.

They also say that no candidate from the New Democratic Party MLA or for the upcoming election will be welcomed in their places until the Premier takes action against Selena Robinson.

Robinson faced severe criticism and calls for resignation since last week when she referred in an online discussion hosted by B'nai Brith Canada to Israel as being founded on a "dirty piece of land".

She has since apologized in a social media post, saying her comments were "disrespectful," and that she was referring to the land having limited natural resources.

In the post, she said her statements diminished the “Palestinians' connection to the land as well,” and apologized unreservedly.

For his part, Eby said Robinson's comments were wrong, hurtful, and increase division in the province.

Heather Leavy, the creative director of the New Democratic Party, did not respond to questions about whether Robinson would be removed from the cabinet, but said in a statement that the party's fundraising event scheduled for Sunday night, which was supposed to include the Premier and the rest of the caucus members, has been rescheduled.

"We have heard from the community that this is not the right time for a celebratory event. We have some work to do," she added. "We look forward to rescheduling the event soon."

The message from Islamic groups, dated Friday, said Robinson's apology or Eby's response did not address the serious harm done to community members, and said Robinson showed "blatant bias" that tarnished the reputation of the province and the New Democratic Party.

The representatives questioned in the letter: “Ultimately, what it comes down to is, does the New Democratic Party in British Columbia tolerate these attitudes towards any group deserving equality, regardless of the Palestinian Arab and Islamic communities that are already more vulnerable to harm?”

Haroon Khan, director of the University Mosque in Vancouver, was one of 18 people who signed the letter, and said hearing Robinson's comments was painful.

We were told this is a small bad place, and that doesn't mean much of anything. It means everything, means everything, to many people. He said: “The sacrifice and loss that happens every day is still on our minds.”

"Her remarks were very insulting, very disturbing, and really unhelpful."

A video of the discussion broadcast on YouTube also shows Robinson expressing regret over the lack of knowledge about the origins of modern Israel, saying the land on which it was founded “has nothing on it,” before adding that there were “several hundred thousand people.”

Khan said it should be left to the voters to decide whether Robinson remains a member of the Western Liberation Army, but she should not be a minister representing the province.

He pointed out that the community is open to meeting with politicians but is no longer willing to be part of what it considers "nonsense."

He said: "We are not interested in any photo ops, and we are not interested in letting politicians tick the box that they have met with our communities."