Islam

An Ontario judge has sentenced an Iraqi Uber driver to ten months in jail for sexually assaulting his passenger who was just looking for a ride home from a party.

The Ontario Court of Justice heard a woman engaged Sevan Halabi’s services as an Uber driver on Oct. 9, 2022. Halabi, who is a permanent resident of Canada, was angling for a lighter sentence to avoid deportation.

Why Gaza matters to every Canadian in the federal election

As Canadians head into the federal election, much has been made of the key issues shaping the campaign: affordability, national security, trade and foreign relations. But one issue cuts across all of these — Gaza.

At first glance, many Canadians may see Gaza as a foreign issue, far removed from their daily lives. But it isn’t. The principles at stake in Gaza — respect for international law, human rights and the rules-based order — are the same principles that protect Canada in trade, security, and foreign policy.

Canada exists and thrives in a world where international law is respected. Our trade relationships, national security and economic stability depend on a rules-based order where smaller countries are not pushed aside by the whims of the powerful.

This is precisely why U.S. President Donald Trump is seen as a threat to Canada. His disregard for trade agreements, alliances and global norms puts Canadian industries, jobs and sovereignty at risk. The same logic applies to Gaza. If we allow powerful nations to violate international law with impunity, we weaken the very system that protects Canada’s interests.

The Ahlul Bayt Mosque, a prominent Shi’a Islamic center in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, regularly uses its social media platforms to express its support for Hizbullah and Hamas, both of which are designated as terrorist organizations by Canada. Referring to these organizations as “our honorable resistance” in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq, it regularly reaffirms the mosque’s allegiance to their cause. reaffirms the mosque’s allegiance to their cause.

The mosque’s Youth Collective, @ aycwindsor, and the youth collective’s women’s group, @ ayc_sisters, frequently post tributes on Instagram to the late Hizbullah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the late founder of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the late IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

Another institution operated by the mosque is an educational institution known as Ahlul Bayt Islamic School, which is directly affiliated with the mosque’s leadership. The school’s extremist tendencies were clearly evident in a public statement issued jointly by mosque and the school condemning Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “Zionist” complicit in the killing of Gaza children and the destruction of Lebanon. It went on to declare unwavering support for “our honorable resistance” Hizbullah and Hamas and expressing pride in their cause.