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| Last updated at 9:39 AM on 02/10/08 |
NDP candidate says overall criminal court environment has anti-Muslim bias 
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — A Toronto NDP candidate says any Muslim facing a terror-related charge before a Canadian judge is likely to be presumed guilty until proven innocent.
El-Farouk Khaki, an immigration lawyer and candidate in Toronto Centre, says he draws his view from the guilty verdict last week at the first "Toronto 18" trial.
Khaki told the Toronto Star that while not every judge is prejudiced, the overall environment in courts has an anti-Muslim bias.
The Liberal incumbent in Toronto Centre, Bob Rae, said Khaki’s comments "show an astounding lack of judgment and they are entirely inappropriate."
NDP Leader Jack Layton said he had no comment.
Last week, a young man was convicted of belonging to an al-Qaida-inspired terror cell, an involvement that included attending Islamist training camps in rural Ontario and stealing equipment for them.
The man, who can’t be named due to his age, was the first of 18 accused of plotting terror attacks in Canada to come to trial. Charges against three youths and four adults have been dropped. Ten men still face trial.
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02/10/08
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