A man claiming to be the stepfather of a convicted terrorist sparked conflict at a Victoria mosque over the weekend at an event hosted in light of the deadly Paris attacks.
John Nuttall converted to Islam before he was found guilty of plotting to detonate pressure-cooker bombs at the B.C. Legislature in 2013, according to David Taggart.
Taggart said he attended the Masjid Al-Iman mosque on Quadra Street Sunday to ask about the Quran as part of a two-year search for answers, but things quickly became heated.
“Because my son was personally involved in that, I had a responsibility as a father to understand why, and then to show him the error of his ways,” he said outside the mosque Sunday.
But Taggart’s frustration boiled over outside the event, which drew hundreds of people looking to learn about the mosque and its beliefs in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks earlier this month.
“You taught him from the Quran that violence is allowed! And it is written!” he yelled at a mosque member.
Taggart was asked to leave the property and was spoken to by police, but not charged with anything.
He later said he did not intend to cause a scene.
“I think a lot of other people came here today to be peaceful, and to try to understand and be welcomed,” a woman who witnessed the confrontation said. “And I think it’s really inspiring that a lot of people are taking it well.”
Meanwhile inside, members of the mosque tried to bridge the gap on a religion they say has been misunderstood.
“I really want to stress that Islam is truly a religion of peace and the acts of a few individuals should not destroy the image of a religion as a whole,” said Imam Ismail Nur to a packed room.
The Imam has since said he’d welcome a proper visit from Taggart to discuss Islam.
Meanwhile, a B.C. Supreme Court judge is still deciding whether the RCMP entrapped Nuttall and his partner Amanda Korody into plotting to blow up the B.C. Legislature in 2013, and the pair’s lawyers are asking for a stay in proceedings for reasons of entrapment.
