Troubling details about the thwarted Via Rail terror plot continue to emerge as officials investigate the matter further. Now we learn that the Tunisian suspect Chiheb Esseghaier wanted to inflict the maximum damage on unsuspecting populations by contaminating the air and water with bacteria to murder at least

A lively discussion on Islamic faith and practice took place on Saturday, January 26th at the launch of my new book "Unveiled: A Canadian Muslim woman's struggle against Misogyny, Sharia and Jihad." The event was hosted by the Muslim Canadian Congress at the Promenade Gallery in Mississauga, Ontario.

Members of...

There will be one less present under the Christmas tree for 27 Connecticut families this year, one less child to hug and say "Merry Christmas" to. One less place setting at the Christmas meal. But what is not likely to go away any time soon is the reignited gun debate...

The following excerpt is from Farzana Hassan's book "Unveiled: A Canadian Muslim woman's struggle against Misogyny, Sharia and Jihad" (available here). It is taken from the chapter "The Burka Debate"

The Supreme court of Canada ruled on Thursday, December 20 that the niqab would not be...

In Sharia-benighted Pakistan, an 11-year-old Christian girl with Down's Syndrome has recently been incarcerated for blasphemy.

Rimshah Masih allegedly burned pages of the Quran and other Islamic textbooks, including a Quran primer. The girl was found holding the charred pages. She was subsequently beaten by an angry Islamist rabble which,...

First Toronto, and now Calgary, has done the moral thing.

Both cities have passed a bylaw banning shark fins -- and thankfully even with the support of young Chinese Canadians anxious about our damaged environment and depleted oceans. Calgarians have enthusiastically backed the new law,...

I am a Canadian Muslim woman and have had the privilege of calling Canada my home since 1984. The opportunities I've been given from this beautiful country far outnumber the minor challenges I faced during my early years here.

I have benefited from Canada's prosperity, professional opportunities, the tolerance...

Thompson Rivers University must do the right thing. It must restore the display of an art assignment -- albeit a controversial one -- that depicts a woman wearing Muslim veils holding a bra while folding laundry.

Irate calls over perceived insults to Islamic culture, belief and practice...

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is the proud winner of Pakistan's first Oscar, but on the night of 84th Academy Awards ceremony, the young film maker announced modestly that the award belonged to the people of Pakistan.

Obaid-Chinoy was recognized for her short film Saving Face, which documents the horrors of acid...

The fate of Hamza Kashgiri is now in the hands of rabid and bloodthirsty Saudi clerics. The young Saudi journalist accused of disrespecting the prophet Mohammad on Twitter was recently deported from Malaysia to his home country so as to stand trial for alleged blasphemy. The offense is...

Thankfully, we have a conviction in the Shafia "honour killing" trial. The verdict for the three accused family members is guilty as charged on four counts of first-degree murder. The Shafia couple and their eldest son Hamed will now face the almost inevitable prospect of life in prison....

The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC), a grassroots organization of secular and liberal Muslims hosted an event in Toronto on Sunday to thank Minister Kenney for his courageous stand in banning the face veil from Canada's Citizenship ceremonies. The decision enjoys widespread support among Canadians across the country.

I recently delivered a talk on honour killings at an event organized by the Aiman Foundation, a children's rights advocacy group based in Scarborough, Ontario. The discussion revolved around the sociological causes of honour killings, including certain religious attitudes as a possible reason for so many of these killings in...

A year ago today in Pakistan, the governor of Punjab -- Salman Taseer -- was assassinated by a member of his own elite guard for defending a Christian woman by the name of Asia Bibi for allegedly disrespecting the prophet of Islam.

A few months...

2011 may be remembered as a year of revolutions and counter revolutions in the Middle East, but perhaps the most significant event of this tumultuous and eventful year was the capture and death of arch-terrorist Osama bin Laden.

As champion of the most radical strain within Islam, his death...

Awful tragedy has struck Christian communities in Nigeria on a day that was meant for great celebration. This was undoubtedly the intent of Boko Haram to begin with -- perpetrating violence on unsuspecting Nigerian Christians on Christmas Day. The radical group attacked churches last year as well. It seeks to...

Minister Kenney deserves our applause for taking a bold stand against one of ultra-orthodox Islam's most pernicious symbols: The face veil. He stated that:

"Starting [yesterday], any individual will have to show his or her face when taking the oath of citizenship. Recently I received complaints from members of the...

An Ottawa school recently decided to cancel a Christmas concert in favour of a "non-denominational" February Fest, much to the chagrin of many at the school community. The intent behind the decision was "inclusiveness" for certain minority cultures. A craft night will now replace what could have been...

Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms must protect the rights of all individuals, not just of those who commit egregious actions in the name of religious freedom. It is in this spirit that B.C.'s Chief Justice ruled to uphold Canada's polygamy laws on Nov. 23, 2011. Polygamy, he...

It's good that the Ministry of Public Safety has decided to introduce amendments to the existing Anti-Terrorism Act of Canada. These recommendations, if approved, will strengthen measures to address the ongoing threat of radicalization and terrorism in the country. The revised Anti-Terrorism Act would outlaw terrorist training, as...