Excerpt:
Justin Trudeau is brushing off criticism about his upcoming keynote speech at an Islamic convention, saying he's proud to be participating in the event.
His planned Dec. 22 appearance at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit event has been attacked by an anti-Islamism website and those complaints have been picked up by some mainstream media outlets.
The critics have raised concerns about radical views and the alleged affiliation of other speakers at the event later this month; they have also pointed to alleged ties between major conference sponsors and the Islamic militant group Hamas.