One of my most interesting assignments involve advising an Imam who wishes to limit his liability exposure during Exorcisms. While most popular culture images of exorcisms arose from the 1973 move called “The Exorcist” starring Linda Blair as the demonic child, interest continues with widely-disseminated stories of Catholic priests performing exorcisms. The most famous appears to […]
The Muslim Chaplaincy at the University of Toronto recently launched a campaign to raise money to bring a full-time paid chaplain to support Muslim students at the University. First widely reported in a Toronto Star story, this has generated a lot of interest, comment, and even excitement. The stated goal is to raise $70,000 000 to cover the immediate […]
There were two recent op-ed pieces by Andrew Mitrovica (author of Covert Entry: Spies, Lies and Crimes Inside Canada’s Secret Service) in the Toronto Star that neatly encapsulate the concerns that the Muslim commnity should have about the current state of CSIS oversight bodies. In his first piece from April 30, 2012 , he outlines […]
It seems bad feelings are still lingering at the Danforth Community Center (“DCC”) which operates the Baitul Aman Masjid at 3114 Danforth Avenue in Toronto. Members of the DCC, who are primarily of Bangladeshi origin, were involved in bitter litigation in the Fall of 2011, partially arising from the suspension of certain members, which led to a number […]
Diverse representatives from the GTA’s Muslim community met for the first time with Public Safety Minister Vic Toews on Friday June 8, 2012 in Hamilton, Ontario to discuss a wide range of issues. In fact, to our knowledge, this was the first substantive meeting in the GTA between the Muslim community and any Conservative Minister […]
The Islamic Society of Willowdale won an important decision with their appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. They appealed a refusal by the City of Toronto Council to approve a by-law amendment to rezone a listed heritage property (Riseborough House) from a single family dwelling to a place of worship The Board`s Decision is here: […]
The Islamic Society of Toronto (Masjid Dar us Salaam / Thorncliffe Mosque) has been in turmoil and litigation over an internal governance dispute between some of its members. Some of the Relevant Documents are here: Islamic.Society.v.Abowat.Cda_.Corp_.apptment.monitor.mar_.20.12 Order Issued and Entered Apr 19 12 Order of Brown, J. issued and entered Mar 20 12 Reasons for […]
The complex legal proceedings arising from the receivership of UM Financial Inc. and UM Capital Inc. by Grant Thornton LLP continue. The long and extensive documents relating to this are posted online at the Grant Thornton LLP website. The latest is a court order allowing the Receiver to market the litigation proceedings that were commenced […]