FROM: CTV News
Ontario's attorney general says he's looking into a complaint that a religious scholar told a Toronto gathering that homosexuals caught in the act should be executed under Islamic law.
Attorney General Chris Bentley says there is no place for hate speech against any group in Ontario -- including the LGBTQ community.
Bentley says he has referred the issue to the province's chief prosecutor and Toronto police, and they will decide if any charges should be laid.
Egale Canada, a human rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified people, sent an open letter to Bentley after reports that Jamaican-Canadian Imam Bilal Philips made homophobic comments at a weekend convention in Toronto.
The group cited reports that during his lecture, Philips reiterated his views that "homosexuals should be executed if they are caught in the act."
Egale executive director Helen Kennedy says such language is "extremely disturbing" and may contravene Canadian hate speech laws.
"Homophobic and transphobic bullying is rampant in Canada schools, and we continue to see disturbingly high suicide rates among LGBT youth," Kennedy wrote.
"As such, it is crucial that the promotion and legitimizing of hatred against the LGBT community not be permitted to continue."
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