Anas al-Tikriti, British-Iraqi founder of Cordoba, denied entry to Canada

Anas al-Tikriti, British-Iraqi founder of Cordoba, denied entry to Canada Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 05/14/2026 - 16:05 Tikriti had planned to speak at a Muslim Association of Canada convention in Toronto Anas al-Tikriti was denied entry to Canada this week (Screengrab/X) Off The British-Iraqi founder of the Cordoba Foundation,  Anas al-Tikriti , was refused entry to Canada and held for hours at Montreal airport earlier this week. Tikriti had planned to speak at a Muslim Association of Canada convention in Toronto from 16 to 18 May, but was sent back to London after being interrogated for 11 hours on arrival. "For hours, officers asked me the very same questions I had already answered on my ETA [Electronic Travel Authorisation] form, including the absurd and insulting 'Have you ever been associated with narcotics, terrorist, or criminal groups?' There was no substance to any of it," Tikriti said in a statement. "No one asked about my views, my ideas, what I intended to say at the convention. Nothing. In fact, when at one point I offered to explain or clarify something, the officer made clear that he preferred if I didn’t. "It was clear to me within the first three hours that they had no intention of allowing me into Canada, and that the hours that followed were a search for a pretext. "By 4pm, the officer had found one. I could see it in his face the moment he decided to say it." Tikriti said the officer claimed he had incorrectly stated on his ETA application that he had never been denied a visa by another country, even though he had been refused a US visa in 2023. Op-Ed video: As a Muslim who's been debanked, why can't I get the same treatment a...

Original source: Middle East Eye