Born in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Kassim Mohamed is a Canadian Muslim who was detained by Egyptian officials after Canadian authorities reported he had been filming national monuments.

Life

Mohamed moved to Canada with his wife and daughter in 1990, and obtained citizenship in 1995 - at which point he had five children. He worshipped at the Salaheddin Islamic Centre

Salaheddin Islamic Centre

Located in Scarborough, Ontario Salaheddin Islamic Centre is a Canadian mosque noted for its outspoken Imam Aly Hindy and a number of its other members...

 in Scarborough.

Questioned in Canada

After Mohamed used a camcorder

Camcorder

A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...

 to film the CN Tower

CN Tower

The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...

 and Toronto Transit Commission

Toronto Transit Commission

-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...

 subway for his children, he was questioned by two Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...

 (RCMP) officers the following day as he left the Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...

 across from his mosque. Constable Joseph Harris confirmed that the filming had been the impetus for their concern and investigation.

Detained in Egypt

In May 2004, he boarded a flight bound for Cairo, Egypt and was questioned by Canadian officials at the airport as he departed. After his flight reached Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, he was informed that he would have to deboard and return to Canada.

He was held for two weeks by Egyptian authorities, who questioned him.

Lawsuit

Represented by lawyer Lorne Waldman, Mohamed announced he was suing the Canadian authorities.

In 2004, Imam Aly Hindy

Aly Hindy

Aly Hindy is the current Imam of the Salaheddin Islamic Centre in Scarborough, Canada, notable for his alleged connections to militant and fundamentalist elements, as well as his defence of Canadians accused of terrorism....

 celebrated the 135th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...

 by organising a group of 100 local Muslims to videotape the CN Tower as part of a non-violent protest against the detention of Mohamed