Academics & Education

School board promises ‘thorough investigation’ into playing of Gaza protest song at Remembrance Day ceremony The school’s principal, Aaron Hobbs, at first defended the song's use, saying it was an attempt to bring diversity and inclusion to Remembrance Day. He later apologized

(National Post) Ottawa’s public school board has launched an investigation into a school’s Remembrance Day ceremony that featured a Palestinian protest song about peace in Gaza as the musical accompaniment at school assemblies. The Arabic-language song was played three times at the […]

Academics & Education

Ontario school played Palestinian protest song in Arabic as its Remembrance Day music 'They chose an Arabic song about peace for Gaza as the only song to play for a Remembrance Day service,' said a disappointed parent

(National Post) An Ottawa school played an Arabic-language Palestinian protest song associated with fighting in Gaza as the soundtrack to its Remembrance Day presentation, causing outrage and distress for some students and parents. The song was the sole musical accompaniment to a […]

Government & Politics

Islamic group calling for Shariah law cancels Canadian event after U.K. declares it a terrorist entity The group’s statements are seen as starkly antisemitic, hawkish on eradicating Israel, and supporting elements of militant jihadi violence

(National Post) The day after an Islamic organization was declared a terrorist group in Britain, the group’s Canadian branch cancelled a conference it was hosting this weekend that was calling for the resurrection of the Muslim caliphate and the imposition of Shariah […]

Deradicalization

Toronto 18 jihadi terror boss now works in an Ontario watch shop on day parole 'There has been no evidence of radicalization ... You appear to be committed to your long-term rehabilitation and your reintegration into the community has gone well'

(National Post) Zakaria Amara, once the firebrand leader of an al-Qaida-inspired terrorist group planning mass casualty attacks in Ontario, has been working at a watch shop and engaging in de-radicalization therapy while on day parole. No longer deemed a danger by the […]

Deradicalization

Toronto 18 terrorist leader gets parole after RCMP interrogation to show he isn’t a threat The intense scrutiny of Zakaria Amara's radicalization and subsequent deradicalization while in prison for the past 17 years was his idea. And it paid off

(National Post) Zakaria Amara, leader of an al-Qaida-inspired terrorist plot to explode truck bombs in Ontario in 2006, recently faced two days of interrogation by RCMP national security investigators to assess what threat he might still pose as he sought release on […]

News: North America

Toronto 18 terror attack plotter denied full parole; still ‘an undue risk’ despite progress 'It was the opinion of the board that the seriousness of your actions and their potentially devastating nature called for caution,' parole board says

(National Post) Shareef Abdelhaleem, one of the Toronto 18 terror plotters who tried to detonate large bombs in 2006, has been denied full parole despite his gregarious chat with parole board officials. His day parole, living in a halfway house in Montreal, […]

News: North America

Architect of Toronto 18 terror plot is loud and sometimes still angry — but not dangerous, he says 'I hope the board does not base their decision on whether for the next 30 years of my life I will ever get angry — of course I’ll get angry. It’s a human thing'

(National Post) Shareef Abdelhaleem, an architect of the Toronto 18 terror plot to blow up Canadian infrastructure, can be hard to stop once he starts talking. He’s brash, sometimes angry. His voice is loud. He can look intimidating. That doesn’t mean he […]

News: North America

Montreal jihadi who burned his Canadian passport allegedly held captive by al-Qaida affiliate in Syria In a notorious video, Sami Elabi douses his Canadian passport with flammable liquid, sets it on fire and then opens fire with an assault rifle

(National Post) A Canadian man who fought for the Islamic State — and starred in two of the terror group’s propaganda videos before quitting and disappearing — has been held captive by a militant group in Syria for more than a year, […]

Internet

Toronto 18 terror plot architect wants more computer access, but may not have to reveal passwords to parole officers Shareef Abdelhaleem has whined a lot about not having unlimited internet and being allowed only a single device [since] granted day parole 10 months ago, records say

(National Post) While a key architect of the Toronto 18 terrorism plot to detonate truck bombs in Toronto is pushing for more access to electronics while out of prison, the parole board is worried that requiring him to give his computer passwords […]