January 5, 2026 | “Canada and Islamism: A Warning” with Joe Adam George

Canada has in recent years become an increasingly permissive environment for Islamist activism. A number of political and demographic factors have enabled this trend. In this talk, Ottawa based journalist and analyst Joe Adam George will detail how flawed immigration policy, identity-based politics, and the growing influence of Muslim Brotherhood–aligned organizations influence and shape this environment. George will share how in the post–October 7 period, pro-Palestinian activism has been used to advance Islamist narratives within education and government, why public funding continues to flow to controversial organizations, and what Canada’s experience could mean for U.S. security and policy interests.

Joe Adam George is the research lead for Islamist threats in Canada at the Middle East Forum. Based in Ottawa, he is also a foreign policy and national security analyst with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, covering Islamist extremism in the West, terror financing, and geopolitical developments in the Middle East and South Asia and their impact on Canada and the United States. Joe previously worked in the Parliament of Canada as press secretary and advisor to two opposition party leaders, and as a research intern at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Political-Military Analysis in Washington, DC. He has a Master’s degree in Communications and Marketing from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.