Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Alarmed at Attempts by Radical Islamist Organization to Establish Roots in Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 16, 2011) - FSWC is alarmed about an extremist British Islamic organization attempting to establish itself in Canada through a conference featuring anti-Semitic, anti-Gay speakers. The Islamic Education and Research Academy's (IERA) "Calling the World Back to Allah" conference has scheduled speakers who have called Jews "cursed," "filth," called for the death of homosexuals (http://hurryupharry.org/2010/02/24/muslim-extremist-hosted-by-kings-college-london/), and support the stoning of women (http://www.islamsgreen.org/islams_green/2006/02/terrible_and_br.html).

FSWC commends Sheraton Hotels for cancelling the use of their Toronto facilities for a gathering of hate-mongers on October 23. However, according to IERA's Facebook site, the new venue the organization plans to use for the conference is the Canadian headquarters of the Islamic Society of North America in Mississauga.

FSWC has also discovered that IERA is making inroads at Canadian universities: the IERA conference is scheduled for October 21 at Concordia University in Montreal, while one of the IERA featured speakers, Abdullah Quick, is slated by the University of Toronto's Muslim Student Association to present an 18-week series of seminars on Islam.

"We are extremely concerned that Concordia would allow such an event that insults Canadian values of tolerance and diversity to occur on its premises," said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. "We also call upon the University of Toronto to distance itself from the bigotry expressed by Mr. Quick and look forward to a statement to that effect by the University as soon as possible," he added.

Despite the issue of an IERA press release (http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ebb500c4922ec74a0f5b35a48&id=270d2db213&e=af2e098e68) which stated an "international team of speakers, staff and volunteers have never called for violence or hatred towards members of the Jewish or Homosexual communities," the speakers can be seen and heard making exactly those types of statements at the following link: http://eyecrazy.blogspot.com/2011/10/extremist-muslim-group-iera-threatens.html

IERA claims its condemnation and threats to the safety of homosexuals is in the context of "criminal law in an Islamic state."