Police are investigating whether comments by the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress constitute a hate crime. Mohamed Elmasry said that all Israelis over 18 are fair targets for suicide bombers. He later recanted this view, saying he was trying to express a widely held Palestinian position, not his own.
His remarks and apology continue to cause outrage among Jewish and Muslim groups, which are calling for his resignation. The comments have sparked a probe by Halton Regional Police and by the University of Waterloo, where Mr. Elmasry is a professor of computer engineering. "We have been made aware of this interview and the circumstances and comments made, and will determine whether there are any criminal offences here and go from there," said Sergeant Jeff Corey of the Halton Regional Police.
Mr. Elmasry initially made the remarks on Oct. 12 on The Michael Coren Show, an Ontario weekday current-affairs program on Crossroads Television System in Burlington, Ont. He reiterated them in an interview with The Globe and Mail on Friday, which were published on Saturday. "Israel has a people's army and a draft, and therefore they should be considered legitimate targets. They are part of the occupying power, and Palestinians consider them targets for suicide bombers, as well as other means," Mr. Elmasry told The Globe. |