MONTREAL — Adil Charkaoui is blasting a decision by two Montreal junior colleges to suspend leases granted to his Arabic schools.
The schools suspended the contracts Thursday in the wake of reports that six young Quebecers left the country in mid-January and may have joined jihadist groups in the Middle East.
One of the schools defended the decision, saying a video circulating online suggested the activities of the school and the college's values were at odds.
Charkaoui says one of the six briefly attended courses offered by his school, which he says focuses on teaching religion and the Arab language.
Charkaoui told a news conference today he only found out this week from a journalist that a former student was among the six.
Charkaoui's association rented space from the colleges for weekend courses and he's considering legal recourse.
He said Friday it was clear that certain groups are stirring up Islamaphobia and fear of Muslims to gain political points.
Charkaoui was arrested under Canada's security certificate system in 2003. Canada's police and security departments alleged he was a terrorist and had trained at a militant camp in Afghanistan.
For nine years Charkaoui's movements were monitored by the state but he was never charged.
A court lifted the restrictions on the Morrocan-born Montreal resident in 2009 and he became a Canadian citizen last year.
He is now suing the federal government.
