Coderre says he won't apologize to imam

Real Menard, mayor of the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, says he won't grant controversial imam Hamza Chaoui, pictured, an operating licence because places of worship are not permitted in the area where he was planning to open his community centre. (YouTube)

Mayor Denis Coderre is not backing down in the face of a demand to apologize for comments he made about a Muslim leader.

"I don't have the slightest intention of of apologizing in any way for comments I made about Mr. Hamza Chaoui, considering the statements he's made and which have been reported by the media. If he persists and launches a lawsuit against me, I will defend myself before the courts," Coderre wrote in a statement issued late Monday afternoon.

A Montreal imam who has been prohibited from opening an Islamic centre says he could sue Coderre if the mayor doesn't apologize by Friday for calling him an agent of radicalization.

Hamza Chaoui's lawyer sent Coderre a legal letter today demanding an apology and a retraction of the comments.

The mayor told a news conference in late January that Chaoui was a "threat to public security."

The comments came shortly after a published report said Chaoui was going to preach radical Islam to young Montrealers.

City officials denied Chaoui a licence to operate an Islamic centre in an east-end neighbourhood.

Chaoui's lawyer, Habib Rachidi, says his client's comments were taken out of context by the mayor and that Coderre violated Chaoui's dignity, honour and reputation.

Coderre's office declined to comment further on the issue when contacted by CTV Montreal Monday.

The mayor's office has confirmed reception of the legal letter.

-With a file from The Canadian Press