Syed SoharwardyCalgary Islamic leader Syed Soharwardy (at right) has objected to “disparaging” comments posted at Ezra Levant’s blog.

On the site, Levant refers to Syed Soharwardy as a "radical, Saudi-trained imam," a charge Soharwardy flatly denied.

So, what exactly did Mr Soharwardy object to?  Being called "radical"?  Nope.

"If he has proof … show me about my training," said Sohawardy, founder of the group Muslims Against Terrorism. "Mr. Levant … is spreading lies in the community."

Calling him “radical”?  No problem.  Saying he was trained in Saudi Arabia?  Hold it right there: that’s defamatory.

That’s as if someone wrote about me, “StatGuy is a misanthropic Ottawa-born Stalinist”, and I were to respond, “That’s a damn lie. I was born in Toronto”.

Anyway, when asked about the claim that Soharwardy was trained in Saudi Arabia, Mr Levant admitted that the imam studied in Pakistan and only lectured at a Saudi university.

Hang on to your hats.  Look what Ezra wrote yesterday:

The first [human right complaint] was filed by radical imam in Calgary, Syed Soharwardy, a tin-pot fascist who has publicly called for Canada to be ruled by sharia law. Soharwardy boasts of his studies in Pakistani madrassahs and his religious lectures in Saudi universities, and he's bringing those Saudi and Pakistani values to Canada.

It would appear that the “radical” part, at least, is not controversial.

h/t: Dust My Broom

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