Peaceful protesters again demonstrate against the Iranian regime at a Thornhill mosque – and this time they were not attacked by an 'SUV of Peace'…

• By Raheel Raza

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The Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre in Thornhill, Ont., allegedly has ties to the Iranian regime, and has long been targeted by anti-Iranian regime protesters.

On Oct. 23, demonstrators returned to denounce this mosque, which they claim, engages in money laundering (we reached out to the mosque but never received a response.)

But shockingly, as the Oct. 23 demonstration was wrapping up, a pro-Iranian individual allegedly attempted to drive his SUV into the crowd!

This was truly shocking, given that several members of the York Regional Police Service were at the mosque observing the demonstration. In the aftermath, police charged Firas al Najim, 38, of Toronto with Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Flight from Police, and Weapons Dangerous.

According to York Regional Police, al Najim drove a white Kia SUV at a high rate of speed in the direction of the demonstrators. The accused stopped the vehicle abruptly, squealing the tires while yelling at the protestors.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but the suspect fled from police. He was located a short time later and was arrested. When officers searched the vehicle, they located items including an airsoft gun, a baton and bear spray (surely this paraphernalia was for a camping trip up north…)

While there was almost zero Canadian media coverage about this incident, incredible details about al Najim were reported by the Jerusalem Post.

The Post notes that al Najim spent a night in jail before being released (how odd Tamara Lich spent 48 nights in jail before her release…)

In a video he shared on social media, al Najim called his criminal charges “unjust” and hoped they would be dismissed in court. He further claimed that the police were working in the interest of “Islamophobic” anti-Iran protesters to make it appear that he had committed a hate crime. (In another post, he implied that Jewish MP Melissa Lantsman and the "Zionist community" were also involved. It should be noted that we did not observe Ms. Lantsman at the protest.)

The Jerusalem Post further notes that al Najim has a chequered history. For example, he is affiliated with Canadian Defenders for Human Rights, also known as CD4HR. CD4HR is a registered non-profit organization. CD4HR has in the past mostly focused on anti-Israel activism and content, but with the unfolding of anti-regime protests rallying around the death of Mahsa Amini, CD4HR has increasingly focused on pro-regime advocacy.

The Post further notes that according to Noah Shack of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, “Firas al Najim and other activists at CD4HR have a long record of aggressive behavior toward the Jewish community in the Greater Toronto Area. For example, on Canada Day, this group protested at a kosher supermarket before Shabbat, harassing and intimidating community members.”

Then, on September 11, al Najim caused controversy when he dressed as an orthodox Jew to enter unhindered into a Jewish community event. He then harassed a Holocaust survivor with queries about her support of Israel. (We reached out to al Najim but he has yet to return our call.)

But if al Najim’s intention was to intimidate the anti-regime demonstrators with his “SUV of Peace,” he totally miscalculated. The demonstrators – and the police – returned on Oct. 30 to again denounce the Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre. Not that anyone from the mainstream media was there to cover this story. Apparently, that would be an act of “Islamophobia.” Your tax dollars hard at work yet again.