TORONTO — The Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford has approved accreditation for the Canadian Islamic College, a private institution run by the Muslim Association of Canada that bills itself as “the first fully accredited postsecondary Islamic institution” in North America.
The college’s program description says its curriculum is “epistemologically based in the Islamic Primary Sources (the Quran and Sunnah),” and it offers an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies with multiple specializations. The school opened courses this fall in Mississauga.
The approval has drawn immediate attention because the college is a project of the Muslim Association of Canada, commonly referred to as MAC. Federal auditors have examined MAC’s finances and activities for years. A Canada Revenue Agency audit raised concerns that some MAC activities and relationships merited further scrutiny. The CRA auditors wrote of “troubling” findings, including alleged links to IRFAN-Canada and other activities the auditors said warranted investigation. MAC has denied wrongdoing and said the audit’s preliminary findings do not reflect final decisions.
Independent researchers and watchdog groups have also flagged MAC in broader studies of Muslim Brotherhood networks in Canada. A George Washington University Program on Extremism report summarized evidence from the CRA audit and concluded the audit suggested MAC had “connections to individuals or groups associated with extremism” and that the association has long-standing institutional ties to Brotherhood-affiliated figures.
Advocacy groups focused on antisemitism and national security have amplified those concerns in recent months. A report published by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy identified several Canadian organizations it described as part of a Muslim Brotherhood network and called for increased government scrutiny of public funding and registrations.
Supporters of the Canadian Islamic College and MAC say the institution fills a gap in faith-based higher education for Muslim students and will provide a route into pastoral, academic, and community leadership roles. The college’s own materials emphasize integration of classical Islamic texts with contemporary study.
The provincial government did not release a public rationale tying the accreditation to any single factor. Media reporting indicates the approval proceeded despite the existence of the sealed CRA audit and related court proceedings. Critics say the timing raises questions about due diligence on institutions tied to organizations under federal review.
MAC responded in earlier reporting to the CRA’s preliminary findings by rejecting allegations of terrorist financing and saying it had addressed the auditor’s questions. The group has said its operations remain in good standing and that the CRA’s preliminary views were not a final determination.
For Jewish and pro-Israel communities watching developments, the accreditation renews longstanding anxieties about transparency and influence around organizations that have been subject to past allegations. Community leaders and security analysts say clarity from federal and provincial authorities on vetting standards for degree-granting approvals is needed to ensure taxpayer-funded recognition does not inadvertently endorse groups under legitimate regulatory review.
The Canadian Islamic College says it seeks to operate as an academic institution grounded in Islamic sources while training graduates for careers in chaplaincy, Islamic finance, social justice, education, and media. The provincial ministry responsible for postsecondary education has not publicly commented beyond confirming the institution’s accredited status.
This article is based on verified information from the Canadian Islamic College website, reporting by Global News, an analysis by the George Washington University Program on Extremism, an ISGAP report, and recent reporting on provincial accreditation.