A controversial decision by a prestigious Canadian university to hire a convicted terrorist as a lecturer on social justice has sparked outrage.
Hassan Diab, a Lebanese-Canadian, was convicted in 2023 by a French court for his role in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that took four lives.
Diab fled to Canada and has since faced a protracted legal battle over his extradition and subsequent conviction, which has led to a life sentence in absentia, a criminal proceeding meaning the person is not present.
Now, in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Diab is set to lead a course on "social justice in action," Ynet reported.
The news has naturally led to widespread controversy, with organizations like B'nai Brith Canada and the Israeli consul general criticizing the university's decision.
"Despite being handed a life sentence by a French court, Hassan Diab continues to live freely in Canada, while Carleton University, unconscionably, continues to allow him the privilege of teaching at a Canadian Institution. As Canadians, we cannot stand by while a convicted terrorist, affiliated with a listed terrorist group, teaches on our campuses," B'nai Brith Canada wrote on X.
The group has launched a petition calling for Diab's dismissal, arguing that keeping Diab employed is not only a threat to student safety but is also deeply disrespectful toward his victims.
"Carleton's silence is deeply disturbing. Its decision to continue to employ Diab not only presents a danger to the well-being of its students, but it is an insult to the memory of the innocent victims of his heinous crime and an affront to all Canadians who value law and order," the group wrote.
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