PFLP originality
PFLP originalityReuters

A former Palestinian Arab terrorist who was ordered to be deported by Canada's federal government is a guest speaker at an upcoming University of Toronto student event.

In response, Hasbara Fellowships Canada, which empowers student leaders to become advocates for Israel, is urging the university to intervene and prevent his participation in the event.

Issam Al-Yamani is a self-admitted former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is a recognized terror group in Canada.

Despite the Immigration and Refugee Board ordering his deportation in 2005 for his terror associations, he remains in Canada. A 2007 federal court decision confirms that he admitted to being a member of the PFLP.

In 2014, Mr. Al-Yamani gave a speech in downtown Toronto that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) interpreted as inciting violence. The CBSA then issued a report stating that he is a "danger to the security of Canada.” A CBSA report also claims that two PFLP members tasked with bombing an airplane “confessed to placing the bomb on instructions from Al-Yamani.”

According to a Global News investigation on Mr. Al-Yamani published in March of 2018, the Government of Canada has been "trying to deport him" for the past 26 years.

"While criticism of Israel (that doesn’t delegitimize or demonize it) is certainly welcomed and encouraged by invited guests and speakers, members of recognized terror groups should not be lauded and legitimized by groups on campus, particularly under the banner of human rights," said Daniel Koren, Executive Director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada.

"Given the CBSA’s classification of Mr. Al-Yamani as 'dangerous,' not to mention his terrorist affiliations, he must not be given a platform to speak on any university campus in this country," Koren said. "His presence would contribute to creating an environment that is hostile, not to mention potentially unsafe, for Jewish and Israeli students."

Mr. Al-Yamani is being hosted by the “Students Against Israeli Apartheid” (SAIA) club at U of T, in conjunction with the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local (CUPE) 3902’s Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Committee and the Racialized Workers’ Caucus. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.