After the Toronto Hearings: Taking Giant Steps Toward Justice

Nearly two weeks after the close of the Toronto Hearings on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, a small group gathered for a lunch meeting at Al Madina Egyptian restaurant across the street from the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is the favorite meeting place of our 9/11 activist host, Egyptian-born Dr. Mohamed Elmasry , as well as a favorite among students and employees at local high-technology companies, which include nearby Blackberry-maker Research In Motion, whose co-CEO Mike Lazaridis once worked as Elmasry’s research assistant. Dr. Elmasry is a Professor Emeritus of Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and founder of the Canadian Islamic Congress. He is also a member of the editorial board for online magazine The Canadian Charger , along with Michael Keefer, who was a moderator of the Toronto Hearings held on September 8-11, at which Dr. Elmasry was present in the audience. No stranger to issues of social justice, Elmasry’s recently published book “A New Egypt” includes a DVD of his eyewitness account of the January 25 revolution from Tahrir Square in Cairo.