A freedom of speech issue? Really? “Anti-Semitic website back online: York U student on the run from Interpol,” by Marten Youssef for The Canadian Press, December 21 (thanks to Abe):
VANCOUVER – An anti-Semitic Islamic website police say is operated by an Ontario student who is on the run is now back on the Internet after being shut down earlier this year by a Canadian web-hosting provider.
Salman An-Noor Hossain, 25, of Mississauga, operated a website called Filthy Jewish Terrorists and he and the site were the subject of a five-month investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police.
The site was shut down in March and Hossain was suspended from York University as the OPP investigated him.
But the anti-Semitic site has re-launched, using a host in Switzerland.
On Tuesday, Hossain posted a blog identifying himself as the operator of the re-launched site, and using the same design as the old one. The new web site is registered with generic information making it impossible to locate him.
Last July, the OPP said in a statement that Hossain “wilfully promoted hatred and advocated genocide of the Jewish community.” His website called for direct terrorist attacks.
Hossain was charged with five counts under the seldom-used hate-crime section of the Criminal Code, but he didn’t show up for his court date.
Last month, the Ontario Superior Court issued an international warrant for his arrest on Interpol. Hossain’s picture, birth date, height, weight, colour of eyes and hair are listed on the international police web site.
“Every single Muslim in North America and Europe has a right to go and physically fight alongside the Islamic resistance groups in the various regions under external occupation (Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir, Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, and other places),” the website reads….
The Canadian Press reported Monday that an al Qaeda-linked website names more than 100 Arab Christians living in Canada.
The site apparently targets them, accusing them of playing a role in converting Muslims. The site, Shumuk Al Islam, includes pictures, names, addresses and cell phone numbers of Coptic Orthodox Egyptians mostly living in Eastern Canada….
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Tuesday the list of Canadian names is worrisome.
“It’s very disconcerting that Canadians would be targeted in this way, but it simply illustrates the fact that Canadians are not immune from terrorism,” Toews said.
“There is also a very fine line between what is freedom of speech and what is a criminal act. I think, in this kind of a situation, we are looking at criminal activity and criminal statements and all I can say is RCMP and CSIS are monitoring this very closely and working together with affected people.”
Shumukh Al-Islam has also posted dozens of sensitive Canadian sites, such as nuclear facilities and dams, and noted them as potential targets….
Sounds like a criminal act to me, but hey, I’m no lawyer.