Version française ICI
Original address: http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10585585
Author: Shuyee Lee
Source: CJAD, September 6, 2013
Original title: Accused to stand trial for boy’s attempted kidnapping
A 51-year-old Tunisian Montrealer will go to trial on charges of trying to kidnap a little boy for ransom in Outremont last December.
The judge ordered Chiheb Battikh to stand trial on 10 charges, including attempted kidnapping, assault, uttering threats, and weapons possession. He was arrested with a taser gun and pepper spray on him.
The ruling came down following a two-day preliminary hearing, which is covered by a publication ban.
Police say they believe Battikh tried to snatch the three-year-old boy from his father while they were in a park December 19, the two related to a wealthy businessman.
Battikh, who was refused bail earlier this year, will remain detained pending a hearing in early November when they’ll set a trial date.
If convicted, Battikh could face life in prison.
Chiheb Battikh, a leader of the Muslim Association of Canada
So far, except for the Journal de Montréal, no mainstream media has alluded to the leadership role played by Chiheb Battikh within the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) in their reports about the attempted kidnapping of a child for ransom that occurred in Outremont (Montreal) in December 2012.
In recent years, Chiheb Battikh’s role at MAC has been mentioned in numerous documents accessible to the public:
2000 – Chiheb Battikh is identified by MAC as one of its administrators in the financial report submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency. Chiheb Battikh’s name appears as Chihab Battikh.
2001 – Chiheb Battikh is identified by MAC as one of its administrators in the financial report submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency. Chiheb Battikh’s name appears as Chihab Battiel.
2002 – Chiheb Battikh is identified by MAC as one of its administrators in the financial report submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency. Chiheb Battikh’s name appears as Chihab Batikh.
July 2004 – MAC’s website identifies Chiheb Battikh as a member of its executive committee responsible for the institutions. The executive committee is a distinct entity from the board of directors.
October 2005 – MAC’s website identifies Chiheb Battikh as a member of its executive committee responsible for the institutions. The executive committee is a distinct entity from the board of directors.
August 30, 2011 – In a MAC video, Chiheb Battikh identifies himself as a spokesperson of the organization and invites its supporters to attend MAC’s activities in Laval (a northern suburb of Montreal) to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
February 15, 2012 – In a motion by MAC to the Superior Court to compel the transfer of the ownership title of a building located at 615 Belmont in Montreal, Chiheb Battikh is identified as MAC representative responsible for the purchase of the building at section 22. Other references are made to Chiheb Battikh at sections 24, 25 and 26.
December 2012 – MAC’s Springs for Knowledge website identifies three positions occupied by Chiheb Battikh in MAC’s organisation chart: head of MAC Education Department, director of the Canadian Institute of Islamic Civilization (Montreal Chapter), a MAC substructure, and instructor of young Muslims enrolled in MAC’s Springs for Knowledge program.
According to its website, the Canadian Institute for Islamic Civilization (CIIC) was established by MAC to determine how to best implement Islamic principles in the current reality in Canada. The CIIC is destined to become a headquarter where Canada-based Islamist leaders knowledgeable in law, economy, engineering, computer science and other fields will determine the most appropriate tactics to implement locally the general decisions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Doha (Qatar), at the IIIT or elsewhere.
In 2012, MAC stated on its own website that its “modern roots can be traced to the Islamic revival of the early twentieth century, culminating in the movement of the Muslim Brotherhood … MAC adopts and strives to implement Islam … as understood in its contemporary context by the late Imam, Hassan Albanna (1906-1949), the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Hassan al-Banna’s main ideas are summarized in his 50-point manifesto. In it, al-Banna urges his supporters to abolish political parties and replace them by a single party system. He favours the modification of laws so that they conform to sharia and calls for the multiplication of associations dedicated to promoting the spirit of jihad amongst the youth.
In his essay On Jihad, al-Banna explains that “it’s an obligation for us (Muslims) to fight against them (the infidels) after inviting them (to join Islam), even if they do not fight against us”.
In another text (To what Do We Invite Humanity?), Hassan al-Banna refers to Adolf Hitler as a role model for Muslims looking for “success and fortune”.
From 2011 to 2013, the Canada Revenue Agency revoked the charitable status of four MAC-linked Islamist organizations (WAMY, IRFAN, WICS and ISNA Development Foundation) because they financed al-Qaeda, Hamas or other terrorist organizations.
On March 22, 2004, MAC endorsed Hamas in a press release. That was more than a year after the organization was added to a list of terrorist organizations kept by the government of Canada.
On July 16, 2013, Hamas threatened to launch terrorist attacks in countries where Israeli embassies are located. Of course, Canada is on this list.
On August 19, 2013, Point de Bascule revealed that, sixteen days after having resigned his position as MAC president “for personal reasons” in December 2012, Wael Mahmoud Haddara was listed as a member of the Egyptian delegation at the UN and an advisor to Muslim Brotherhood-backed Egyptian President Morsi on an official United Nations document. This shows, once more, the integration of the Muslim Association of Canada to the Muslim Brotherhood international network.
In its final report (p. 236), the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on reasonable accommodations recommended that the Quebec government subsidizes MAC and 22 other Islamist organizations. The 23 organizations referred to in note 91, on page 236 of the report, signed a common letter in 2007.
Further reading
Point de Bascule: File Chiheb Battikh
Point de Bascule: File Muslim Association of Canada
Point de Bascule (February 22, 2013): Chiheb Battikh – An overview of the Muslim Association of Canada and the other Islamist organizations run by the alleged Montreal kidnapper