A slander trial is set to begin next month pitting a fiercely secular, feminist author against a private, Muslim school in Montreal.
Djemila Benhabib, an award-winning author and twice-failed Parti Quebecois candidate, has likened the school to militant Islamic training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Benhabib is claiming freedom of expression, while the school wants $95,000 from her for "greatly tarnishing its reputation."
Julius Grey, a well-known human-rights lawyer, is defending the school and says he will argue Benhabib caused real harm to the institution.
In an interview, Benhabib says she doesn't regret the comments made in a 2012 radio interview that landed her in court.
Benhabib told the host she was concerned by the selection of Qur'anic verses published on the website of the Muslims Schools of Montreal, a private institution that teaches elementary and high school and is also accredited by the provincial government.
In the interview, Benhabib said the verses, since removed from the website, inappropriately referred to the need for young girls to stay pure.
She also told the host the school resembles the kind of indoctrination similar to what goes on in a military camp in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
The court case begins September 26th.
