‘Extremist scholar surprises, tones down rhetoric at Ryerson ‘

Wendy Sullivan reports:

The choice of Tamimi by the heads of the Al-Fauz Institute was controversial. This was Al-Fauz’s inaugural course, and having Dr. Tamimi as their speaker raised some hackles.

The Toronto Jewish community was rightly concerned to have Tamimi in town speaking to Toronto’s Muslims, given his history of making extremist comments praising the Taliban and the 9/11 killings, as well as the righteousness of Palestinian suicide bombers.

On the first evening of the seminar, attendees were greeted by a small protest outside the doors of the Student Centre, organized by the Jewish Defence League (JDL). About 20 people turned out to wave Israeli flags in protest against Al-Fauz’s choice of speaker.

Meir Weinstein, head of the JDL, was asked whether any other Canadian Jewish groups would be joining the JDL in protest against Tamimi.

“We are the only ones,” he said.

They needn’t have worried.