MONTREAL — The Collège de Maisonneuve said Thursday it had no legal grounds to cancel its contract with Adil Charkaoui, as nothing inappropriate was found in the courses offered.
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Charkaoui’s name had been thrust into the spotlight in late February in connection with a group of Montreal-area teenagers believed to have joined militants in Syria.
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Charkaoui rented four classrooms at the college in order to teach Arabic and the Qur’an. These were offered in rented premises in the college every Sunday by the Islamic Community Centre Montreal East. Charkoui is president of the organization.
The father of one of the six teenagers told the French newspaper La Presse that his son attended some of Charkaoui’s courses.
The Collège de Maisonneuve suspended its rental agreement with Charkaoui after news of the students leaving Montreal broke, saying it had discovered video footage that promoted “values that are different from ours.”
A second school, Collège de Rosemont, also suspended its contract with Charkaoui’s school.
Charkaoui blasted the decision of the two Montreal colleges, comparing it to “a witch hunt” and suggesting it was part of a wider culture of bias against the Muslim community.
READ MORE: Adil Charkaoui speaks out after 6 teens reportedly join militants in Syria
On his Facebook page, Charkaoui applauded the decision by the Collège de Maisonneuve: “Good news,” the post read.
“The suspension of the contractual agreement with Collège de Maisonneuve has been lifted.”
He also noted that classes would resume Sunday.
— With files from Nick Logan
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