Canadian - Jamaican born Imam: 'Female circumcision is permitted, not female genital mutilation'.

Canadian - Jamaican born Imam: 'Female circumcision is permitted, not female genital mutilation'. HT CIJNews.

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, a Canadian and Toronto-based Muslim scholar, was born as a Christian in Jamaica in 1947 and grew up in Canada, where he accepted Islam in 1972.

He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usool ad-Deen) at the Islamic University of Madeenah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985, and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, he completed a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. Bilal Philips is regularity invited to mosques in Canada and abroad to speak about the teachings of Islam.

In recent years he was banned of entrance to or was deported from several countries, including Australia, UK, Germany, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines, reportedly because of radical views or security reasons.

In his most recent video (March 19, 2016), Bilal Philips clarifies the Islamic Law regarding the popular practice in Muslim countries of circumcising the girls. Bilal Philips asserts that Islam prohibits female genital mutilation, but permits female circumcision, which is a “slight” cut that does not affect the ability of women to achieve sexual satisfaction. Hmmmm......Outrage from all feminist groups and individuals........Crickets. Read and see the full story here.

Toronto city council agrees to hear appeal from group banned from city square for singing about Jesus.

Toronto city council agrees to hear appeal from group banned from city square for singing about Jesus. (LifesiteNews).

The City of Toronto has agreed to hear an appeal from a Christian group after it was banned last month from using a prominent downtown square for its annual musical festival on account of musicians singing about Jesus.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, the legal group representing Voices of the Nations, will make the appeal to the square’s Board of Management December 10 at Toronto City Hall.

Wynna Brown, manager of media relations and issues management for the City of Toronto, told LifeSiteNews that the appeal process exists for “applicants that do not meet the guidelines, or disagree with permit decisions.”

“Upon written request, the Board of Management will review and consider such matters at one of its regularly scheduled meetings,” she said.

It was almost a month ago when the Christian group was told that it would not be given a permit for its annual event in the City’s downtown Yonge-Dundas Square, where the group had been celebrating Christianity through a live music and dance event without issue for the past five years.

On October 22, Natalie Belman, the manager of events for Yonge-Dundas Square told the group it had violated the City’s policy against “proselytizing” by signing the name of Jesus.

“If you’re praising Jesus, ‘praise the Lord,’ and ‘there’s no God like Jehovah,’ that type of thing, that’s proselytizing,” she told the group in a recording of a phone conversation obtained by LifeSiteNews.

On November 3, the Justice Centre issued a legal warning letter on behalf of the Christian group to the City of Toronto, demanding that the group’s application be approved by Tuesday, November 10, or the City would face “court action.”

On November 9, one day before the deadline, Voices of the Nations delivered petitions with over 40,000 signatures — 30,000 collected by LifeSiteNews and the remainder by TheRebel.media — to Mayor John Tory’s office demanding that the City reverse the decision.

But the City failed to meet the November 10 deadline to reverse the ban, which prompted the Christian group to ramp up preparations for a rally, taking place yesterday Saturday, in support of Christian expression in the public square.

 Hmmmmm.........Apparently the city has no problem with the police services celebration Islamic heritage month in December.....while it is in October that this celebration is sheduled for Canada.

Related:   Toronto police services hold Islamic Heritage month in December (Islamic heritage month in Canada takes place in OCTOBER).

Video - The 'Stop Bullying Christians Now' rally will be held on Nov. 21 Th. at Toronto's Dundas Square

The 'Stop Bullying Christians Now' rally will be held on Nov. 21 Th. at Toronto's Dundas Square.(Stopbullyingchristians). (Christianophobie).

The ban by the City of Toronto to 'Voices of the Nations', a Christian musical group, to hold its usual festival in this city (see here), caused an outcry of Christians throughout Canada and responsiveness of good quality. 

A petition of over 40,000 individuals was delivered to the municipality ... who ignored this petition.

Voices of the Nations is now considering legal action against the City of Toronto, but will be supported by a large gathering which is convened Saturday 21 November.

The "battle for the rights and freedoms" of Christians has started in Canada. The event will be held on the theme: "Stop anti-Christian bullying now! ". A pugnacious and effective video has just been put online, along with a dedicated website. We will follow all this very carefully .

Related?

Toronto police services hold Islamic Heritage month in December (Islamic heritage month in Canada takes place in OCTOBER).

I'm confused. I thought October was Canada's Islamic History Month. Since when is there an "Islamic Heritage Month" (I could find nothing about it online)? And since when is it held in the same month as Christmas?

Hate crime cover up? Toronto man wearing “Infidel” patch stabbed for allegedly offending Muslims.

Hate crime cover up? Toronto man wearing “Infidel” patch stabbed for allegedly offending Muslims. HT: TheRebel.

Jonathan D. Halevi reports at CIJNEWS.com that a 56-year-old man was attacked by three men in a dispute allegedly involving the victim's "Infidel" jacket patch.

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 11:18pm, CP24 dryly reported that “a man in his 50\s is in serious condition in a hospital after he was stabbed multiple times in Scarborough on Sunday night.”

According to the Police, “the man was stabbed in the area of Danforth Road and St. Clair Avenue East, just after 10 p.m. Sunday” and “several suspects were seen fleeing the area on foot.”

CP24 also quoted the Paramedics who said that “the man was rushed to the hospital trauma centre for treatment. He suffered multiple stab wounds.”


Since then the Police has not provided any further details about the motive of the stabbing attack or the identity of the perpetrators.

On October 29, CIJNews contacted police, asking if they were treating the stabbing "as a hate crime/terrorist attack/criminal attack":

In response to the query, the Police Media Relations Officer wrote in an email sent to CIJnews that she “was unable to locate an incident with the location you have provided” and asked for “more information to follow up.”

CIJnews provided her with the names of the victim and the Detective who interrogated him in hospital. The Police Media Relations Officer has not yet responded to the latest correspondence. Read the full story here.

Pakistani ISIS sympathizer planned to bomb US consulate in Toronto, Foiled by undercover CBSA.

Pakistani ISIS sympathizer planned to bomb US consulate in Toronto, Foiled by undercover CBSA. (NAPO).

A Pakistani man arrested by immigration officials this week is an ISIS supporter who had plotted to bomb financial buildings and the U.S. consulate in Toronto, the Canada Border Service Agency alleged at a hearing Wednesday.

Jhanzab Malik, who came to Canada as a student in 2004, told an undercover police officer he had attended training camps in Libya and wanted to build an explosive device to conduct attacks in Toronto, the CBSA said.

Believing the undercover officer was a veteran of combat in Bosnia, he attempted to recruit him by showing him ISIS beheading videos and encouraging him to watch the lectures of al Qaida figure Anwar Al-Awlaki.

He was arrested on Monday following what the CBSA called a “lengthy investigation” by the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in Toronto. He faces no criminal charges at this point but is being deported.

Since arriving in Canada, Mr. Malik made several trips abroad that the government has been unable to explain. He became a landed immigrant in 2009 after he was sponsored by his wife, from whom he is now separated. He has been arrested several times for fraud and violent crimes.

The government is attempting to deport him on the grounds he is a security threat. The hearing in Toronto, which occurred under tight security, was to determine whether he should be detained while Ottawa tries to deport him. Hmmmmm.....Any would be terrorists Just come to Canada, all you risk is ......Deportation? Read the full story here.

Video - Imam Said Rageah of Toronto Declares Canadian PM Stephen Harper "The Enemy Of Islam"

Hmmm.....Time to start using the new legislation on terror. HT: BlazingCatFur.

Tarek Fatah: Things you hear in the local mosque

Tarek Fatah: Things you hear in the local mosque.HT: Scaramouchee.

Fatah went to a mosque (he doesn't tell us which one) last Friday because he wanted to hear what the imam would say post-Charlie Hebdo carnage.

Alas, the cleric's message was entirely in keeping with Islam's supremacist teachings:

Inside the mosque, I was hoping that in wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, the cleric would have the good sense not to speak about non-Muslims as adversaries or enemies, but my hopes were dashed.

Far from condemning the acts of terror, the cleric, speaking in English, thundered that Islam “will become established in the land, over all other religions, although the ‘Disbelievers’ (Jews, Christians, Hindus and Atheists) hate that.” I could not believe my ears.

There was no indignation expressed at the taking of Jews as hostages by a French jihadi that morning.
The imam did ask us Muslims, that in reacting to insults we should take the example of Prophet Muhammad himself and follow in his footsteps... Fatah kept the name of the mosque and the cleric out of his Toronto Sun column. Let's hope, however, that he shared the info with CSIS.

Video - 'Canadian values' in your Toronto neighborhood - Al Quds Rally in Toronto.

HTand more at BlazingCatfur.

Video - Antisemitic fest started at Toronto 'AlQuds' day, attacking Harper gov.

Saudi Arabia now starting MERS tests for camels and livestock.

Saudi Arabia now starting MERS tests for camels and livestock. HT: Croft.

Via Arab News: MERS tests for camels and livestock. Excerpt:

The Kingdom has started testing camels in the country for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to Minister of Agriculture Fahd Balghuneim. 

Speaking at a workshop in Riyadh recently on registering and numbering livestock in the country, Balghuneim said the ministry would start testing all livestock in the Kingdom starting next week to make sure they do not have MERS. 

He said there would be coordination with the Saudi Wildlife Authority to take samples from wild animals kept in nature reserves to determine the level of coronavirus infection in the Kingdom. 

He said there is no suitable equipment to conduct speedy tests for coronavirus. Officials have to take blood or mucus samples, which takes a long time. 

Balghuneim confirmed that there are no tests for the coronavirus at quarantine sites in countries exporting animals to Saudi Arabia. 

He said the measure is part of the ministry’s program to control the spread of infectious diseases. Livestock entering the Kingdom just before Ramadan would be quarantined and vaccinated in exporting countries. 

“We started registering and numbering livestock last year in Um Raqaiba. We started with camels belonging to Prince Mishal bin Abdulaziz to encourage other camel owners to do the same. Next week we will speed up the operation. The numbering of livestock will include sheep and camels in Badia through contractors working for the Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.

How MERS could topple the House of Saud, and beyond

How MERS could topple the House of Saud, and beyond. HT: Croft.

The Tyee has published my article How MERS Could Topple the House of Saud, and Beyond. Excerpt:

Statistically, the bug now known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a trivial threat. In the two years we've known about it, the World Health Organization has officially recognized just 635 cases of MERS, with 193 deaths. All appear to have originated in the Middle East, chiefly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 

By comparison, Saudi Arabia suffered 6,596 traffic fatalities in 2010, and about 20 per cent of the people in the Persian Gulf region suffer from diabetes. 

But look again at those MERS deaths: a 30 per cent case fatality rate, where SARS had a rate of eight per cent. A disease that deadly will get attention, especially when it comes from a previously unknown virus and it flourishes in hospitals. 

The Gulf monarchies also have political reasons to fear MERS, and Saudi Arabia just announced that it's been fudging the case numbers for a year -- a confession likely to have major repercussions.Read the full story here.

CIDRAP on the new Saudi MERS numbers '133 detections including 92 fatal cases'

CIDRAP on the new Saudi MERS numbers '133 detections including 92 fatal cases' HT: Croft.

Via CIDRAP, Robert Roos writes: Review raises Saudi MERS case count 20%, death toll 48%. After summarizing the KSA MOH statements today, the post concludes:

Experts who commented on today's announcement welcomed the Saudi move toward greater transparency and expressed hope that it continues and increases. 

Connie Savor Price, MD, chief of infectious diseases at Denver Health and Hospital, commented, "When the new [minister of health] came into office, I do believe one of his priorities was to re-examine the data to ensure experts were getting accurate data to inform interventions. More rigorous case findings identified the additional cases and deaths that you heard about today. My sense is that most of these cases are healthcare associated." 

She denied any knowledge of the reasons for Memish's dismissal, but said she found the timing of today's announcement "interesting." 

"The MOH seems to want to be clear that they are here to collaborate and value transparency. That is a step in the right direction," she added. 

Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, who has done consulting work on MERS-CoV in the Middle East, said it's unclear why the additional cases were not reported earlier and what implications they have for understanding the MERS outbreak in Saudi Arabia. He is director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, publisher of CIDRAP News. 

"We welcome this new level of transparency and hope it will continue with more detailed information about these cases and what will be done so that this doesn't happen in the future," he said. 

"It also reinforces the point that we need much more information about the risk factors for transmission, which can be answered only by the completion of a comprehensive case control study.  

"The bottom line message that we've got to understand is that this is not a Kingdom of Saudi Arabia problem or even a Middle East problem; this is an international problem," he said. "All it would take is one super-shedder of this virus to land in Tokyo or New York or London or Toronto, and this situation would turn on a dime."

Related:

Via his VDU's blog, Dr. Ian Mackay writes: MERS-CoV charting on hold after 113 new cases reported without details... Excerpt:

With the announcement overnight that a bunch (133 detections including 92 fatal cases) of old laboratory confirmed MERS-CoV detection had been found, but without any specific data to identify them, I will not be posting any further MERS-related charts. 

I believe there is a big WHO Disease Outbreak News update coming soon and it will provide all the detail - we bloggers will need to take a week off from our day jobs to add this detail to our line lists - but I'll resume charts some time after those data appear. 

This is all obviously being dumped at the feet of the stood down Deputy Minister of Public Health whose reputation for total control was well reported. Let's not forget that Minister, Abdullah al-Rabeeah, was stood down 21-April by King Abdullah. While Prof Memish obviously loved a good paper, and that was his chosen method of science communication (I've talked about that as a less-than-ideal route for public health matters), but I personally have no evidence for or against the scope of his control over this latest debacle. 

This is Acting Health Minister Adel Faqih's second try for "transparency" in reporting MERS. On the first try, we were all impressed with the new details, until the details began to vanish and the infographics had nothing new. This time we have tables plus infographics, and one big announcement, but we need a lot more.

Especially we need a lot more specialists in the KSA MOH to tell the Acting Minister that he can't fire his way to a MERS-free Kingdom by the start of the next Hajj in October. 

All he can really do is tell the world the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and hope the world will help him find the answer.

Iran to assemble group and send to Canada for arresting Mahmoud Reza Khavari ex-head of Bank Melli Iran.

Hmmmm....It's not exactly what i would call living in hiding.

Iran to assemble group and send to Canada for arresting Mahmoud Reza Khavari ex-head of Bank Melli Iran. (Taz).

A special group of police officers will be assembled and sent to Canada for searching and arresting the former head of Bank Melli Iran, Mahmoud Reza Khavari, deputy chief of Iranian police, Ahmadreza Radan said, newspaper "Iran" reported on Jan. 6.

"Iranian police asked the Canadian police to arrest Khavari as soon as he's spotted, and return him to Iran, however Canadian officials said Khavari is not in Canada," Radan said.

"After that, we asked to allow us one week to search for him in Canada. Currently, we're negotiating this with the Canadian side."

The fraud case originally started in 2007 by Iranian Amir Mansour Arya Investment Company, and progressed in 2010 after some Iranian major banks, including Bank Saderat and Bank Melli, issued loans for the company.

Iranian officials said at the time that the case involved the use of fraudulent documents to obtain credit for this investment company, one of the country's top financial institutions.

The company used them to purchase assets such as state-owned companies.

In 2012, the $3 billion fraud case led to investigation, which had many Saderat Bank officials arrested. At the time, Khavari was the head of Bank Melli Iran, and was reportedly involved in the fraud case.

In Autumn of 2012, Khavari, who has a dual Iranian-Canadian citizenship, escaped to Canada. Iran requested Interpol to announce an international search for Khavari.

In June of 2o12, Fars news agency reported that Interpol placed Khavari on its Red Notice Wanted list.

Related: Interpol announces international search for Iran’s former Melli Bank chief Mahmoud Reza Khavari.

"Crazy Canucks" - Raw video: Toronto City Council Dance party, featuring 'mayor' ROB FORD.

Raw video: TORONTO CITY COUNCIL DANCE PARTY, FEATURING 'Energizer' ROB FORD.....The guy just keeps giving. HT: SunNewsNetwork.

Video - 'Crazy Canuck' Rob Ford replaces Van Damme in parody of 'Epic Split'.

Video - "Crazy Canucks" - The Rob Ford media frenzy.

Toronto man charged in international child-porn network bust, All in all, 341 were charged.

Toronto man charged in international child-porn network bust,  All in all, 341 were charged.(TheStar).

It was an extensive investigation that spanned the globe and resulted in charges against a Toronto man who detectives allege was at the centre of one of the largest child pornography rings they say they have ever seen.

A team of Star reporters had exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the child exploitation unit of the Toronto Police Services as they brought their three-year investigation to a conclusion.

The probe into the operation known as Azovfilms.com — and its proprietor, 41-year-old Brian Way — began in earnest in October 2010. For three years, detectives in Toronto, investigators in the United States and police overseas have been chasing the people who made the alleged child pornography, and the customers who bought it.

All in all, 341 were charged. People were arrested in Canada; another 76 in the United States. Overseas, more than 150 people face criminal action.

Officers from Spain, Mexico, the U.S. and Australia were scheduled to be in Toronto for the announcement at police headquarters Thursday morning.

Way faces about two dozen charges of making, possessing, distributing, exporting and selling the explicit images of boys, who range in age from toddlers to teens. The videos, police allege, were edited, packaged and sold from his west Toronto warehouse.

Among his alleged Canadian clients are a Chatham hockey coach, a Toronto teacher, a priest and Scout leader in Quebec, and a retired high school principal in Nova Scotia.

In the United States, police officers, educators and medical professionals were among the people arrested.

Some people have pleaded guilty and are serving sentences; others remain before the courts, proclaiming their innocence.

There were 50 arrests in Ontario. A dozen search warrants were executed in Toronto. And the RCMP got involved, passing on leads to other law enforcement in Canada. Investigations took place around the world.

In Spain, the high-tech crime unit of the Spanish National Police led on the probe they called “Operation Espada.” In all, 42 people were investigated, and 19 children were rescued, said Chief Inspector Luis Garcia. He said looking into the backgrounds of the men who were arrested because of child pornography allegations often led to more serious charges.

“This is a crime which is hidden, and which without this kind of operation we can put to the light,” he said. “We can find hands-on abuse, and we could never have known about this in any other way.”Read the full story here.

Related?

Ten Quebec teens arrested in Laval on child porn charges.HT: SunNewsNetwork.

Police in Laval, Que., have arrested 10 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 who are suspected of possessing and distributing child pornography.

About 40 police officers conducted raids Thursday morning and made the arrests.
The investigation began a month ago when staff at an English language school contacted police after seeing explicit photos on the cellphones of some students.
Police say the teens convinced seven young girls to give them revealing pictures of themselves.
The teens are scheduled to appear in court later Thursday.

Canada - City Councillor John Parker joins Michael Coren to discuss the Toronto jihadi mural.

Canada - City Councillor John Parker joins Michael Coren to discuss the Toronto jihadi mural.HT: SunNewsNetwork.

Video - Member of 'Toronto 18' muslim terror ring killed in Syria, local mosque calls him a martir, request prayers.

Member of 'Toronto 18' muslim terror ring killed in Syria, local mosque calls him a martir, request prayers.HT: Tundratabloids.

Video - Leader in Toronto Al-Quds Day Rally: We Should Give Israelis Two Minutes to Leave Palestine and Then Start Shooting.

Leader in Toronto Al-Quds Day Rally: We Should Give Israelis Two Minutes to Leave Palestine and Then Start Shooting.

Following are excerpts from an address by Elias Hazineh, former president of Palestine House, on Al-Quds Day, in Toronto. The address was posted on the Internet on August 3, 2013.

Elias Hazineh: Imam Khomeini reminded us that Jerusalem is ours and will remain forever ours.

Member of the crowd: Free, free Palestine.

Elias Hazineh: Free, free Palestine.

Crowd: Free, free Palestine.

Elias Hazineh: I want to also thank the organizers, who are coming on a hot day in the holy month of Ramadhan to remind the world that Jerusalem is under occupation.

We have to give them an ultimatum: You have to leave Jerusalem, you have to leave Palestine. The people of Palestine, who have been waiting in refugee camps in Lebanon, in Syria, in Egypt, and in Jordan, must have the right to return to their homes.

We cannot bring people from Russia and from Europe to live in the home that my grandfather built. It's unacceptable. It is not justice, and we will restore justice.

I want to remind you of how police work. When somebody tries to rob a bank, the police gets in. They don't negotiate, and we've been negotiating with them for 65 years. We say: Get out, or you're dead. We give them two minutes, and then we start shooting.

That's the only way that they will understand.

Member of the crowd: That's right. Source: Memri.