Home
World
Canada
- BC
- Calgary
- Edmonton
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
- Thunder Bay
- Sudbury
- Windsor
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- NB
- PEI
- NS
- NL
- North
Politics
Health
Arts & Entertainment
- Music
- Film
- Television
- Books
- Media
- Art & Design
- Theatre
Technology & Science
Money
Consumer Life
Diversions
Weather
Your Voice

Former publisher to sue Muslim leader who filed human rights complaint

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 | 8:30 PM ET

CBC News

The former publisher of the Western Standard said he is going to sue a Calgary Muslim leader who filed a human rights complaint against him for publishing controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

Ezra Levant's threat of legal action comes after Syed Soharwardy, president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, said he withdrew the complaint he launched against Levant in 2006 with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Levant said despite the withdrawn complaint from Soharwardy, he's still facing a complaint launched by the Edmonton Muslim Council. He is also vowing to sue the cleric to recover tens of thousands of dollars he claims he spent battling the complaint.

"Not only am I going to finish this human rights complaint and win it, but I'm going to launch a lawsuit against Soharwardy for abuse of process," Levant said. "That's basically when you use a government agency — a lawsuit — for frivolous and vexatious purposes to punish someone."

Soharwardy told journalists on Wednesday that he dropped the complaint because he has a better appreciation of how valuable free speech is in Canada.

But Levant rejected Soharwardy's reasoning, insisting that he just wants the bad publicity to go away.

The cartoons sparked protests worldwide when they were published two years ago in a range of Western newspapers. One of the cartoons showed Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse.

This story is now closed to commenting.

Internal Links

Danish newspapers reprint controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoon

Video

Carolyn Dunn reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 2:57): Play: Real Media »; Play: QuickTime »

Canada Headlines

Health costs push Alberta budget deficit to $4.75B: Alberta's Progressive Conservative government is projecting a record $4.75-billion budget deficit and planning cuts in many departments while increasing health-care spending.
Trenton colonel's charges spur cold case review: The 2001 slaying of a Nova Scotia woman at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario is among the cases being re-examined after murder charges were laid against Col. Russell Williams.
Neighbours stunned by arrest of Col. Williams: Ottawa resident Michael Gennis was stunned when he found out his new neighbour, Col. Russell Williams, had been charged with killing two women in eastern Ontario.
Olympic spirit will launch B.C. reforms: throne speech: The B.C. government says it will use the province's post-Olympics momentum to drive changes that include offering tax breaks to families with children, reforming education and lobbying Ottawa to amend "Byzantine bureaucratic practices."
Vancouver tap water vies with Olympic sponsor: Vancouver has started a campaign to encourage Olympic tourists to drink the region's tap water instead of buying bottled water, creating a potential conflict with one of the Games' biggest sponsors.

Top CBCNews.ca Headlines

Headlines

Trenton colonel's charges spur cold case review: The 2001 slaying of a Nova Scotia woman at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario is among the cases being re-examined after murder charges were laid against Col. Russell Williams.
Health costs push Alberta budget deficit to $4.75B: Alberta's Progressive Conservative government is projecting a record $4.75-billion budget deficit and planning cuts in many departments while increasing health-care spending.
Ottawa to appeal injection site ruling: The federal government is asking the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal a lower court ruling that sanctioned Vancouver's supervised drug injection site.
Haitian man pulled from rubble: A 28-year-old man has been pulled from rubble in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, claiming to have been trapped there since the massive earthquake on Jan. 12.
Tories need plan for isotope shortage: Ignatieff: Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff accused the Conservative government of having no plan of action to deal with a medical isotope shortage expected to worsen later this month.