Canadian Islamic School Says It Doesn’t Know If Its Students Joined the Islamic State

A Canadian Islamic school says it has no idea whether new allegations that four of its students joined the Islamic State (IS) are true.

The CBC reported Tuesday that four unnamed young women aged 16 and older who studied at the Al-Huda Islamic Institute's Canadian school had travelled to Syria to join IS in the last two years. CBC reported RCMP officers had recently visited the school to ask about the four students.

Responding to the CBC story, the Mississauga school's operations manager Imran Haq said in a statement that law enforcement never told them of any such allegations.

"Al-Huda Institute Canada would like to be clear that law enforcement authorities have never brought forward any allegations that four girls associated with the institute traveled to join terrorist organizations, as alleged in a CBC story," the statement read. "In addition, the institute has no knowledge as to the identity of these individuals and as such, cannot confirm whether or not they were enrolled in the Institution, for how long, or any other related information."

Haq said the school remains committed to working with authorities.

Characterized by mirrored windows, the two-storey school building stands in an industrial park in Mississauga, surrounded by brick commercial buildings holding a real estate agency, a family medical clinic, and an Islamic center down the street.

During the day, the school is open to female students from kindergarten to grade six, and in the evenings and weekends there are classes for adults. The CBC reported the four students attended the adult classes.

Potted flowers normally welcome the school girls and signs in the entrance usually direct them to remove their shoes, but Tuesday morning the school property was empty.

An sign posted on the front and back doors read: "Al Huda Institute and Al Huda Elementary are closed today, December 8, due to concerns of backlash stemming from recent reports."

"Safety and security is of paramount concern. We have reached out to Peel Regional Police about increased patrol in our area and will be evaluating other means of increased security over the coming days."

There was no visible police presence at the school when VICE News visited.

According to the school's website, it closed Tuesday "due to the media coverage which has put the Institute, its staff and students at risk of backlash."

Al-Huda's response to the CBC allegations comes on the heels of allegations reported by the Associated Press that one of the attackers who shot up a Christmas party in San Bernardino, California, attended the madrasa's sister school, the Al-Huda International Seminary in Pakistan. The school has strongly rejected any notion that it radicalized the attacker, Tashfeen Malik, saying it "strongly condemns such acts of violence."

In a statement Monday, Haq said, "Insinuating any connection to Al-Huda Canada to any form of extremism is irresponsible journalism, and further puts Muslim women in Canada at risk.

"Al Huda Canada is currently looking at increasing security around the campus in light of the recent attacks on Muslims," the December 7 statement read.

A household name in Pakistan, Al Huda's founder Farhat Hashmi started the female-only school to cater to wealthy and middle-class women, NPR reported in 2010. Reports have suggested the scholar is living in Canada, but CBC cited sources who said she hasn't been in the country for three years.

Follow Hilary Beaumont on Twitter: @hilarybeaumont