Academics & Education

Principal apologizes for asking student to remove Palestinian flag from online profile National Council of Canadian Muslims says similar incidents occurring in school boards across Canada

(CBC) The principal of an Ottawa public school has apologized for asking an elementary school student to remove the Palestinian flag as their profile picture. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) confirmed the incident took place during an online class last week. […]

Books

Markham Public Library removed Islamic history displays but returned them after review: CEO Catherine Biss apologized for 'hurt' and 'confusion' caused by situation

(CBC) Markham Public Library removed Islamic Heritage Month displays from its branches after it received complaints from the community amid the Israel-Hamas war, but put the displays back the same day following a management review, its CEO says. At a news conference on Tuesday, Catherine […]

Books

Markham Public Library apologizes after email suggests taking down Islamic Heritage Month displays Employee email suggested library was going to pull displays, library says email is inaccurate

(CBC) Markham Public Library apologized on Monday for an employee email posted online that suggested it was going to take down Islamic Heritage Month displays. According to images shared on social media of the email, Markham Public Library (MPL) was going to […]

Government & Politics

Lawyers ask Supreme Court to hear case of 4 Canadian men being held in northeastern Syria Federal Court of Appeal previously ruled that Ottawa is under no obligation to repatriate the men

(CBC) Lawyers for the families of four Canadian men detained in northeastern Syria are asking the Supreme Court of Canada to rule on whether the federal government has to repatriate them. The men are among many foreign nationals in Syrian detention camps […]

Academics & Education

Ontario school board’s anti-Islamophobia strategy questioned after Muslim student singled out Teacher asked sole Muslim student to discuss 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices

(CBC) An Ontario father is questioning the legitimacy of a school board’s anti-Islamophobia strategy months after his son was singled out by a teacher during a lesson that featured racist cartoons. During the January class, the high school teacher in Peel Region, which includes […]

Legal

Canadian Muslim charity wins ‘milestone’ settlement after being falsely accused of funding terrorism Islamic Relief Canada reached settlement in suit against Thomas Quiggin, others who admit claims 'unfounded'

(CBC) One of Canada’s largest faith-based charities has won a settlement over a set of publications that falsely claimed it was a “front” to fund terror groups abroad. Islamic Relief Canada reached the out-of-court settlement earlier this month in a lawsuit against Thomas […]

Government & Politics

Appeal court overturns ruling directing Ottawa to repatriate 4 men detained in Syria Federal Court of Appeal says the 'right to enter Canada is not a right to be returned to Canada'

(CBC) The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned a high-profile ruling ordering Canada to bring home four Canadian men detained in northeastern Syrian prisons for suspected ISIS members. In January, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown ruled the four men were entitled to […]

Government & Politics

Canada received assurances from Kurdish authorities it can repatriate 5 Canadians from Syria: lawyer 2 Canadian women and 3 children were detained and mistreated, say their lawyers

(CBC) A lawyer representing five Canadians held in a detention camp in northeastern Syria says he’s been given assurances the federal government will repatriate them, but doesn’t know when that will happen. The two Canadian women and three teenage girls were supposed […]

Children & Teens

Repatriation of Canadian women and children detained in Syrian camps underway, says lawyer Government has not yet confirmed repatriation has started or said how many are returning

(CBC) Multiple Canadian women and their children are on their way back to Canada after spending years held in camps for ISIS suspects and their families in northeastern Syria, according to their lawyer. Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon told CBC News that some of his clients […]

Government & Politics

Ottawa asks court to dismiss ruling directing it to repatriate 4 men detained in Syria Is the Canadian government under a legal obligation to repatriate four men detained?

(CBC) The federal government says the Federal Court of Appeal should dismiss a high-profile ruling ordering Canada to bring home four Canadian men detained in northeastern Syrian prisons for suspected ISIS members. Government lawyers told a Toronto court that the Federal Court […]

Children & Teens

Mothers in Syrian detention camps given ‘cruel’ choice to keep children or send them to Canada: advocates Repatriation coming any day for 29 Canadians. Government won’t say if 4 non-Canadian moms coming, too

(CBC) More than two dozen women and children held in northeastern Syrian detention camps are due to arrive on Canadian soil any day, but the fate of 10 of those children is unknown after their mothers were given the “cruel” choice of […]

Crime

Anti-Islamophobia rep Amira Elghawaby says in London, Ont., she’ll continue to call out discriminatory laws Elghawaby was in London, Ont., where Afzaal family members were killed, on 1st stop of community visits

(CBC) A few weeks after apologizing for comments in a 2019 opinion piece, Canada’s anti-Islamophobia representative began an official tour of communities with a stop in London, Ont., where a Muslim family was killed in June 2021 in what police describe as a […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Intelligence watchdog investigating CRA following Islamophobia claims CRA division is tasked with making sure registered charities aren't being used to finance terrorism

(CBC) One of Canada’s intelligence review bodies has launched an investigation into the Canada Revenue Agency’s work on charities in response to allegations of bias and Islamophobia. On Tuesday, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) — the watchdog set up to monitor the activities […]

Academics & Education

Family member says student at Halifax school was told to remove traditional scarf on culture day Halifax Regional Centre for Education acknowledges 'incident' but denies ban

(CBC) Some family members at Park West School in Halifax along with local advocacy groups are planning protests after they say children were told they couldn’t wear a traditional Palestinian scarf for the school’s culture day. The school principal and the Halifax […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Anti-Islamophobia representative Amira Elghawaby apologizes for past comments about Quebecers Quebec government, Pierre Poilievre have called for Elghawaby's removal

(CBC) The federal government’s new anti-Islamophobia representative Amira Elghawaby apologized Wednesday for past remarks about the prevalence of anti-Islam sentiment in Quebec. Elghawaby, who was appointed the special representative on combating Islamophobia last week, made the remarks before meeting with Bloc Quebecois […]

Clothing

Justin Trudeau stands by appointee Amira Elghawaby, says she will continue fight against Islamophobia Quebec government wants federal representative to combat Islamophobia to resign, just days into her new job

(CBC) The Quebec government is calling on the federal government to withdraw its support of Amira Elghawaby, the new representative to combat Islamophobia, only four days after she was first appointed. This comes a day after her attendance at the sixth commemoration […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Trudeau announces Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s first representative to combat Islamophobia 'No one in our country should experience hatred because of their faith,' Trudeau says

(CBC) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of a special representative on combating Islamophobia that will advise the federal government on how to better fight discrimination against the Muslim community. Human rights activist Amira Elghawaby will be responsible for serving “as […]

Banks & Banking

Interest-free, but not without charges: Islamic mortgages hit the Canadian housing market Financial products are being adapted to match the unique needs of many Muslims

(CBC) For Abdullah Mohiuddin, getting into the housing market involves more than just locating the right home for the right price. Like many other Muslims, Mohiuddin’s religious beliefs include restrictions on paying and receiving interest. Given that a typical Canadian mortgage includes interest […]

Children & Teens

Independent agency probing CSIS after claim that operative smuggled teenage girls into Syria Minister of public safety requested independent review in September

(CBC) An independent government agency is reviewing how Canada’s spy agency handles human sources after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in August to follow up on claims that an ISIS member who was also working as a CSIS operative smuggled three British teenagers into Syria in 2015. The three […]

Academics & Education

School board admits mistake using ‘Free Palestine’ as example of violence in dress code Advocates from London's Palestinian community say they were hurt to see the slogan in new guidelines

(CBC) The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is facing criticism for using the slogan “Free Palestine” as an example of a label on clothing that could incite violence. The example appeared in guidelines outlining the new dress code for students. It sparked complaints from community […]

Academics & Education

English-language school boards argue Quebec’s secularism law should not apply to them Lawyer for EMSB argues religious diversity is part of cultural DNA of boards

(CBC) English-language school boards argued before the Quebec Court of Appeal Wednesday they should be exempt from Quebec’s secularism law — known as Bill 21 — because religious diversity is part of the cultural heritage of English schools in Quebec. “The examples […]

Academics & Education

Muslim women most affected by Quebec’s secularism law, Court of Appeal hears School board lawyer tells court only Muslim women have lost jobs due to Bill 21

(CBC) As the court challenge of Quebec’s secularism law — commonly known as Bill 21 — continues this week before the Quebec Court of Appeal, groups contesting the law argued Tuesday Bill 21 overwhelmingly discriminates against Muslim women. The Quebec government and several civil […]

Academics & Education

Hearings on constitutionality of Quebec’s secularism law underway in Court of Appeal Opponents of law argue government's use of notwithstanding clause to protect law goes too far

(CBC) Opponents of Quebec’s secularism law — known as Bill 21 — argued before the province’s Court of Appeal Monday that the CAQ government went too far in pre-emptively invoking the constitutional notwithstanding clause in order to protect the law from court […]

Government & Politics

2 women arrested in Canada after coming home from Syrian camp for ISIS fighters’ families 2 women and 2 children were repatriated from northeast Syria, Global Affairs Canada confirms

(CBC) Police have arrested two Canadian women and charged one with terrorism-related offences after the federal government repatriated them from a detention camp in Syria for ISIS fighters’ family members. The RCMP said it arrested Oumaima Chouay on terrorism charges Tuesday night […]

Academics & Education

McGill lecturer’s tweet calling execution of Iranian protesters ‘heartwarming’ sparks backlash McGill says it is looking into matter while petition gathers thousands of signatures online

(CBC) Red tape covered their mouths. Their hands were bound behind their backs. They were on their knees. That was the silent statement protesters wanted to make as they gathered in front of Montreal’s McGill University Thursday afternoon to demonstrate against online […]

Government & Politics

Trudeau defends CSIS after U.K. author claims agency informant smuggled girls into Syria PM says the government will probe the claims and expects intelligence agencies to follow the rules

(CBC) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood behind the country’s top civilian intelligence agency on Wednesday in response to an allegation that one of its contractors helped traffic three British teenage girls to Islamic State extremists seven years ago. A new book by U.K.-based writer Richard […]

Government & Politics

Winnipeg council candidate asks voters to accept he’s grown since he issued hateful tweets Omar Kinnarath issued misogynist, homophobic and antisemitic tweets he now calls horrible

(CBC) A Winnipeg city council candidate says he takes full responsibility for posting misogynist, homophobic and antisemitic content to social media a decade ago and wants voters to know he has changed. Omar Kinnarath, a community organizer vying to unseat incumbent councillor […]