Cleric who calls Jews 'enemies' of Islam denied use of Montreal theater amid speaking tour

A Canadian event featuring a Saudi cleric who has described Jews as enemies of Muslims was denied the use of a Montreal theater, Jewish groups announced on Friday, amid politicians’ outrage over his tour in the country.

A Sunday Penny Appeal charity event featuring Assim Al-Hakeem in Montreal was not hosted at the Rialto Theatre as originally planned after the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and B’nai Brith Canada expressed concern about the Islamic preacher.

“Théâtre Rialto has informed us that they have canceled host Sheikh Assim Al-Hakeem’s event this weekend and will not host his tour stop,” CIJA said on social media on Friday. “The antisemitic and homophobic rhetoric spread by the Islamist hate preacher poses a threat to the safety and well-being of Mile End and Outremont, as well as to Montreal as a whole.”

The Eventbrite page for the Montreal Al-Hakeem lecture initially said that the location would be announced, but it and the pages for Saturday London and Tuesday Vancouver events were later deleted. Penny Appeal Canada website pages and Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok posts about Al-Hakeem and his tour were inaccessible as of Monday.

The event page for the cleric’s August 21 Winnipeg lecture at St. Peter’s Church remained available. B’nai Brith had called on the Church and the Archdiocese of Winnipeg to “publicly condemn the antisemitism they have enabled” on Thursday. The Winnipeg Archdiocese issued a Friday statement in which they claimed that the parish was instructed to tell the charity to disinvite the speaker, but “due to circumstances, the disinvitation did not occur.”

“The Archdiocese of Winnipeg has a policy of not permitting the use of parish facilities for political purposes, either domestic or foreign,” read the statement. “A speaker, Assim Al-Hakeem, was invited by the charity to address the people on the importance of charitable giving. Unfortunately, this speaker is known as a political activist.”

B’nai Brith called on other venues not to host Al-Hakeem, because of his “hate-filled and extremist views” that “publicly demonized Jews, glorified terrorism, and justified inhumane practices such as sexual slavery.”

History of antisemitic views

In a July 19 video on his YouTube channel with over a million subscribers, Al-Hakeem called for the liberation of al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock “from the oppressors and from our enemies, the Jews.”

Al-Hakeem claimed in a March 30 video that Jews and idol worshipers were those who had the most hatred for Muslims, and that “What’s happening in Gaza, it’s a clear indication, a clear sign, of their hatred and enmity – it’s in their DNA.”

In a 2021 video, the cleric said that the majority of Jews, as Zionists, “are against Islam and Muslims” and criticized those who tried to push the narrative that Jews are “fine,” that encouraged the teaching of the Holocaust in schools and the discouraging of the teaching of Jihad.

The cleric alleged in a 2019 video that the Jews had conspired against Islam throughout history, and that the “fingerprints of the Jews” were on historical assassinations of Muslim leaders.

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet questioned on Thursday why Al-Hakeem would be allowed to spread his ideology in Canada and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to refuse him access to the province.

“Assim Al-Hakeem makes statements that are completely contrary to Quebec values and to what the Liberals also claim to be theirs,” Blanchet said on X. “Why is this person allowed to come here knowing his intentions to spread his hostile and hateful speech?”

Thornhill MP Melissa Lantsman also lambasted the Trudeau government for allowing Al-Hakeem to preach “the most vile hate against Jews, Christians, gay people & many others” to tour across the country.

“Why, at a time of rising hate against these groups, would he allow such a person into our country?” Lantsman demanded on Friday.

CIJA said last Tuesday that Al-Hakeem’s visit was part of a trend in which “radical Islamist, antisemitic and homophobic speakers are being invited to visit Canada to hold events.”