Toronto Convention to Feature Figure Described as Leader of Muslim Brotherhood’s “Intelligence Arm” in Europe
The speaker list for MAC’s 2026 convention in Toronto includes figures linked to Hamas-tied networks, Muslim Brotherhood branches, and terrorism-designated organizations
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On May 16–18, the Muslim Association of Canada is scheduled to host its fifth annual convention at Toronto’s Enercare Centre, a City-owned facility at Exhibition Place governed by Exhibition Place’s Board of Governors.
Jewish Onliner reviewed the speaker lineup and found multiple speakers with publicly documented associations, past positions, or institutional links involving Hamas-linked figures, Muslim Brotherhood branches, or organizations designated under terrorism-related authorities by the United States, Israel, the UAE, or other governments.
Several of the speakers appear to have had ties with Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the now-deceased spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who advocated for suicide bombings against Israelis and was banned from entering the United States and several European countries before his death in 2022.
The convention's three-day agenda includes sessions titled "The Art of Dawah—How did Gaza Call Humanity to Islam," "Lessons from Gaza," and "From Rubble to Revival: Gaza, the Ummah, & Our Shared Responsibility."
Anas Altikriti - Prominent Muslim Brotherhood Figure in U.K.
The convention features Anas Altikriti, CEO and founder of the London-based Cordoba Foundation. According to Islamist Portal, an Arabic-language site that tracks Islamist movements and figures, some Arab and foreign media outlets have described Anas Altikriti as the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s “intelligence service” and as leader of its alleged “intelligence arm” in Europe.
In 2014, the United Arab Emirates designated the Cordoba Foundation as a terrorist organization. Altikriti has been described as "a key spokesman and lobbyist for the Brotherhood in Britain" and has personally acknowledged his Muslim Brotherhood connections, stating in a 2005 interview: "My family is Muslim Brotherhood."
His father, Osama Tawfiq Altikriti, headed the Iraqi Islamic Party—the Iraqi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood—before serving in Iraq’s Council of Representatives. Altikriti co-founded the British Muslim Initiative in 2007 alongside Mohammed Sawalha, whom the BBC identified as a senior Hamas figure and “one of the architects of Hamas’s political and military strategy,” and Azzam Tamimi, who has been characterized as a Hamas “special envoy.” Altikriti has also been photographed alongside former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
In December 2023, Altikriti made statements rejecting the British government's classification of Hamas as a terrorist group, stating: "Allegations of rape made by Israel are false. It's a lie. Just like every other allegation made by Israel turns out to be a lie, including the mass slaughter of Israeli citizens on the 7th of October. That too was a lie."
Scheduled Speaker Expelled from the United States in March 2025
Among the scheduled speakers is Ebrahim Rasool, a former South African ambassador to the United States. In March 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool “persona non grata” and expelled him from the U.S.
According to the Middle East Forum, Rasool has maintained longstanding contacts with Hamas-linked figures and has publicly praised Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
His office served as a regular meeting point for visiting Hamas dignitaries, including Mohammed Nazzal, a senior Hamas political bureau member whom the U.S. government designated in 2024 as a key official involved in representing Hamas’s interests to international audiences.
Speakers Linked to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
Multiple speakers have held positions in, or have been publicly linked to, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s political ecosystem. In January 2026, OFAC designated the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, citing its alleged material support for Hamas.
Hussein Elkazzaz, listed as "Former advisor to Egyptian presidency" on the event's website, served as an economic advisor to the Freedom and Justice Party—the political wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
A 2014 article in Almasry Al-Youm, one of Egypt's largest newspapers, described Elkazzaz as "the most dangerous member of the Qazzaz family inside the presidential palace" and noted he "was head of the International Brotherhood Organization in the United States of America, and liaison officer between the American administration and the Muslim Brotherhood organization."
Khaled Al-Qazzaz, another speaker, served as foreign relations secretary under Mohammed Morsi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and president of Egypt. During the Egyptian military coup on July 3, 2013, Al-Qazzaz was detained alongside Morsi and spent approximately nine months in solitary confinement in Tora Prison's Scorpion wing before his release.
Khaled Al-Hanafy, an event speaker, was described in 2015 as a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party by the Atlantic Council. A report by Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Antisemitism identifies him as Assistant Secretary General of the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), classified by German authorities as part of the Muslim Brotherhood network.
Reporting at the time quoted Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution describing Euro Fatwa, an app launched by the ECFR, as “a building block in the process of radicalisation.” Critics said the app promoted antisemitic content and encouraged users to prioritize Islamic rulings over European law. The app was eventually removed from Google’s online store.
Speakers Named in the Holy Land Foundation Case and the 1991 Muslim Brotherhood Memorandum
Mohamad Masfaka (Abu Ratib), listed as a speaker, is identified in FBI records and court documents as Mohamed Mustapha Ali Masfaka, who was sentenced in 2010 to 12 months and one day in federal prison for making false statements under oath in naturalization proceedings. According to federal indictments, Masfaka “was employed by HLF [Holy Land Foundation] in 1997 and 1998 and ran the HLF operations in the Detroit area to include organizing and participating in fundraising events for the HLF.”
The Holy Land Foundation (HLF) case became one of the most significant U.S. terrorism-financing prosecutions, ending in 2008 convictions of the foundation and five leaders for providing material support to Hamas.
The scheduled speaker, Hamed Ghazali, appears to match the Hamed al-Ghazali named in the 1991 Explanatory Memorandum, entered as evidence in U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation. The memorandum identifies “Hamed al-Ghazali” as allegedly operating a center forming part of the Muslim Brotherhood's North American da'wa infrastructure.
Speaker Was Listed by Prosecutors in 1993 WTC Bombing Case
Siraj Wahhaj, who is a scheduled speaker at the convention, appeared on a federal prosecution list of individuals who “may be alleged as co-conspirators” in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people and injured more than 1,000. Multiple individuals connected to the attack had ties to Wahhaj’s Brooklyn mosque, Masjid At-Taqwa, according to reporting at the time.
Though never charged, the imam publicly defended the convicted bombers after the attack, characterizing U.S. intelligence agencies as “the real terrorists.” He also provided character testimony for Omar Abdel-Rahman, the “blind sheikh” later convicted of seditious conspiracy for orchestrating a broader terrorism plot targeting New York City landmarks.
Members of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Among Speakers
Some of the scheduled speakers are members of the Qatar-based International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a global network founded mainly by Muslim Brotherhood clerics. Former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani sponsored the IUMS's creation in 2004, with Yusuf al-Qaradawi serving as founding chairman. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt jointly placed the IUMS on a terrorism blacklist in 2017, accusing it of promoting extremism under religious cover. The organization has provided public support for Hamas since the October 7 massacre, even featuring the former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at IUMS events.
Scheduled speaker Fadel Soliman of the Bridges Foundation is an IUMS member and a former member of Egypt's Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, according to his LinkedIn page. A 2012 article in Lebanon's Al-Balad daily described him as "from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt."
Soliman previously directed the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) office for North and Central America from 2000-2004. According to a 2002 brief published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, WAMY had "documented links to international terrorism," and Romanian intelligence identified WAMY as a Hamas front. The FBI assessed WAMY was "closely associated with the funding and financing of international terrorist activities."
On February 23, 2025, Soliman reshared a Hamas propaganda video on X, showing the group's military wing parading Israeli hostages, writing: "I've watched this creative masterpiece twice so far. This video should be taught in Psychological Warfare courses at every military academy."
Jasser Auda, a founding member of the IUMS, also appears on the speakers roster. An article on the IUMS official website from 2022 describes him as a member of the "Board of Trustees" of the IUMS. In 2022, Auda hosted an event connected with the Muslim Association of Canada titled "Legacy of Sh. Yusuf Qaradawi," and was described in the promotional flyer for the event as a "student" of al-Qaradawi.
Speaker Named in French Intelligence Report
Marwan Muhammad, founder and former spokesperson of the CCIF (Collective Against Islamophobia in France), is listed as a speaker at the convention. He is named in a French parliamentary report filed on December 10, 2025 on the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in France. The report notes Muhammad speaking in a video where he explains that Muslims cannot be forbidden from dreaming that France will one day become an Islamic society. The report further states that "Muhammad's discourse perfectly corresponds to the statements made in Brotherhood circles since the 90s."
French Parliament Exposes Muslim Brotherhood's Political Infiltration in Landmark Report
The French National Assembly registered investigative Report No. 2235 on December 10, 2025, documenting how Muslim Brotherhood ideology and affiliated networks have systematically infiltrated French political institutions, local governments, and civil society—posing what lawmakers describe as an existential threat to the country's secular order and its …
Additional Speaker with Alleged Brotherhood and Terror-Links
Another event speaker, Franck Amin Hensch, is a former president of the Ligue des Musulmans de Belgique. According to the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, the organization was previously known as the Ligue Islamique Interculturelle de Belgique, identified by a 2001 Belgian parliamentary intelligence committee report as one of multiple Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations.
In 2005, Hensch was appointed secretary for Al Aqsa Humanitaire, the Belgian branch of the Al Aqsa International Foundation, but was later removed. The U.S. Treasury later designated the Al-Aqsa Foundation in 2008 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity for funneling charity money to Hamas.
Convention Sponsor Tied to Scrutinized Islamic Relief Network
The convention’s sponsor list features Islamic Relief Canada as a “gold sponsor.” Islamic Relief Worldwide-affiliated organizations have faced scrutiny over alleged terror-financing concerns. Israel banned IRW from operating in the West Bank in June 2014, with then-Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon calling it “one of the sources of Hamas’s funding.” The UAE designated IRW and its UK branch as terrorist organizations in 2014.
Islamic Relief USA, the American-based nonprofit affiliate, has been under investigation by the House Ways and Means Committee for its affiliation with Islamic Relief Worldwide. In 2026, IRUSA filed a lawsuit against IRW in the Southern District of New York regarding attempts to sever their relationship. The lawsuit cites the Committee’s multiple referrals to the Internal Revenue Service for investigation of IRUSA’s tax-exempt status.
Institutional Context
The George Washington University Program on Extremism’s January 2025 report highlighted how the Canada Revenue Agency investigation into MAC revealed “a greater level of coordination, with constant communication and requests for action coming from the East towards their counterparts in the West.”
The report noted that MAC’s relationship to Middle Eastern Brotherhood branches “resembles that of a student transferring from one campus to another within the same university system,” with ease of membership transfer between the organization and international Brotherhood entities. The CRA’s investigation identified that MAC leadership simultaneously held senior positions in the Egyptian Brotherhood during the Morsi government while directing MAC’s activities.
The May 2026 convention proceeds as MAC continues to operate with its charitable status intact in Canada, despite the CRA’s preliminary recommendation for revocation. Canadian courts rejected MAC’s attempts to suppress the CRA audit in 2023 on grounds of prematurity. The speaker lineup adds new scrutiny to MAC’s public-facing activities as the organization remains under unresolved regulatory scrutiny.
Jewish Onliner reached out to Enercare Centre for comment but did not receive an immediate response.