In a recent episode of the Project Olive Branch podcast produced by the Toronto Police Service (TPS), two Muslim officers seemingly credited the October 7th Massacre for having a positive effect on Islam.
In the since-deleted episode, Constable Farhan Ali, Muslim Liaison Officer for the TPS, tells fellow Liason Officer Constable Haroon Siddiqui, who continuously nodded: "Through social media, a lot of people, after October 7th, started learning about Islam. They said: 'What's with it with the religion, why is it so hated? Why are they being attacked all the time?' So people say, 'Let me learn about Islam.' So there have been a lot of reverts through this whole process."
He noted that "the amount of people who are reverting to Islam is unbelievable. They are actually educating themselves about why Muslims are being targeted."
The police service later deleted the episode of the podcast and issued an apology: "We acknowledge that a recent episode of our podcast, Project Olive Branch, has caused significant upset and concern in the Jewish community and beyond. That was not our intention and we apologize. The podcast has been removed.
Chief Myron Demkiw added: “We recognize the Jewish community’s profound pain and anguish as a result of October 7th and the ensuing rise of anti-Semitism. I have personally heard from the community about the impact of this podcast, and I’m truly sorry. Our commitment to protecting our Jewish communities remains unwavering,” said
According to TPS, Chief Demkiw has ordered a review of our procedures and content to ensure it aligns with its commitment to respectful and inclusive engagement while maintaining impartiality.