Islamic teacher’s contract axed over code of conduct dispute
Adil Charkaoui calls action ‘unfounded, defamatory’
MONTREAL— A controversial Islamic educator once considered a terrorist suspect by Ottawa has had his ties with a Montreal college severed because of allegations that he refused to abide by its code of conduct outside school property.
Collège de Rosemont announced Thursday it had ended its contract with Adil Charkaoui, who had been running kick-boxing and karate classes in a rented space in the school since 2010.
The institution and another junior college, Collège de Maisonneuve, suspended contracts with Charkaoui in February amid reports one of six Quebec youths who fled to Turkey, and may have joined jihadist groups in the Middle East, had briefly attended classes organized by Charkaoui at Collège de Maisonneuve.
The schools also claimed the website associated with Charkaoui’s Islamic centre linked to sites promoting violence and radicalism, which went against their code of conduct.
Collège de Maisonneuve allowed the resumption of Charkaoui’s Arabic lessons in March but said it reserved the right to have an observer present in the classroom.
Stéphane Godbout, head of Collège de Rosemont, said Charkaoui agreed to remove the controversial links on his website but allegedly refused to respect the school’s code of conduct when not on school property.
Charkaoui’s position was not good enough for the school, Godbout said.
“If someone expressed violent views outside the college, I can’t then pretend that I did not hear them and then let them hold events in the school,” Godbout said in an interview.
“Collège de Rosemont cannot be associated with (those views), directly or indirectly.”
Charkaoui reacted by saying the decision was “unfounded, defamatory and discriminatory.”
“(The karate club) reiterated its desire to respect the rules of the school when using its facilities, but refused the new clause that the school’s code had to be respected outside of school property,” he said.
The new clause “contravenes the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights and freedoms,” he added.
Charkaoui, a Moroccan-born Montrealer, lived under tight restrictions for several years after Ottawa accused him of being a terrorist. He was never charged.