Basema Al-Alami
Education
Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) Candidate, University of Toronto Faculty of Law (Present)
Master of Laws (LL.M.), University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2022)
Juris Doctor (J.D.), Osgoode Hall Law School (2020)
Honours Bachelor of Arts (HBA), University of Toronto (2017)
Overview
Basema Al-Alami is a critical legal scholar whose research examines counterterrorism, entrapment law, and anti-Muslim bias in Canada’s legal system. Her scholarship explores how doctrines of motive, suspicion, and intelligence-driven policing within Canadian terrorism law contribute to the over-policing and imagined criminality of Muslim communities in the post-9/11 era. Drawing on extensive archival research and courtroom materials, Basema critically analyzes the motive clause in section 83.01 of the Criminal Code, the reasonable suspicion prong of the entrapment defence, and the discretionary tactics used in national security sting operations.
Her work combines doctrinal analysis, archival inquiry, and critical legal methods to interrogate how law can perpetuate systemic inequities, particularly in ways that challenge protections under sections 7, 8, and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She has presented her research at national and international conferences.
At Windsor Law, Basema teaches Constitutional Law and Arabs, Muslims and the Law. She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School with a specialization in International, Comparative, and Transnational Law, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto, where she graduated with the highest distinction
Areas of Interest
- Constitutional Law & Theory
- Criminal Justice
- Law & Religion
- Legal History
Conferences, Workshops, and Presentations (Selected)
CrimSL Research Cluster for the Study of Racism and Inequality, hosted by the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto (February 2025).
Today’s Totalitarianism: Mobilizing Knowledge against Totalitarian Trends (SSHRC grant), hosted by the University of British Columbia (July 2024).
Legal Contradictions: Identifying Iterations of Us versus Them, hosted by the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto (September 2023).
Interrogating Islamophobia in the ‘war on terror’ after two decades, hosted by the 12th National Conference of Critical Perspectives / Criminology & Social Justice in Ottawa (May 2023).
United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee delegation visit to Canada, hosted by the Committee (February 2023).
9/11 and the Canadian Settler Colony Conference, hosted by Windsor Law (October 2022).
University of Toronto - Humboldt University Workshop, hosted by the Institute of Islamic Studies (September 2022).
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Taskforce, hosted by Humber College (July 2022).
Selected Publications
Basema Al-Alami, “Echoes of the Inquisition: Terrorism, Entrapment, and Constructing the ‘Other’” in Yasmeen Abu-Laban, Faisal Ahmad, Reem Bahdi & Jeff Monaghan, eds, Legacies of the Global War on Terror: Security and Racial Justice (Athabasca: Athabasca University Press, accepted and forthcoming, 2026)
Basema Al-Alami, "Calls to designate the Bishnoi gang a terrorist group shine a spotlight on Canada’s security laws" (July 2025), online: The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/calls-to-designate-the-bishnoi-gang-a-terror...
Basema Al-Alami, “Entrapped: John Nuttall, Amanda Korody, and Canada’s Counterterrorism Crisis“ (October 2024) Today’s Totalitarianism, online: <https://www.todaystotalitarianism.com/entrapped-canadas-counterterrorism-crisis>.
Basema Al-Alami, "Is Canada finally taking far-right extremism seriously? Latest arrests are a positive sign" (6 June 2024), online: The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/is-canada-finally-taking-far-right-extremism....
Basema Al-Alami, "Israel isn’t complying with the International Court of Justice ruling — what happens next?" (6 February 2024), online: The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/israel-isnt-complying-with-the-international....
Basema Al-Alami, "The global call for accountability in Germany, Namibia, and Canada" (25 January 2024), online: The Hill Times <https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2024/01/25/the-global-call-for-accountab....
Basema Al-Alami, "The humanitarian crisis in Gaza: a cry for humanity" (18 October 2023), online: Toronto Star <https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/the-humanitarian-crisis-in-....
Basema Al-Alami. “Canadian law enforcement agencies continue to target Muslims” (12 July 2023), online: The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/canadian-law-enforcement-agencies-continue-t....
Lisa Forman, Basema Al-Alami & Kaitlin Fajber, “An Inquiry into State Agreement and Practice on the International Law Status of the Human Right to Medicines” (2022) 24:2 Health Hum. Rights 125.
Obiora Chinedu Okafor, Titilayo Adebola & Basema Al-Alami, “Viewing the International Labour Organization’s Social Justice Praxis through a Third World Approaches to International Law Lens: Some Preliminary Insights”, in George Politakis, et al. eds, ILO 100: Law for Social Justice (Geneva: International Labour Organization, 2019), online: <https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---jur/documents/p....
Nathan Innocente, Basema Al-Alami, Amanda Borthwick, Alfred Pepushaj, & Harmehr Sekhon. 2018. “The Teaching Opportunity Program: Integrating Undergraduate Students in Course Design, Assessment, and Teaching.” Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education annual conference, Sherbrooke, QC, June 19-22.
Awards and Distinctions
University Of Toronto Fellowship - LawNathan Strauss Q.C. Graduate Fellowship in International Law
Research Cluster for the Study of Racism and Inequality (Centre for Criminology and Socio-legal Studies))
Benjamin Laufer Prize in International Law
The Honourable N.W. Rowell Prize
Dean's Graduation Award, University of Toronto
Joseph Alfred Whealy In-Course Scholarship
University Of Toronto Scholar - Beatty
The Erindale Admission Scholarships
University Of Toronto Scholar
Professional Affiliations
Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of TorontoCanadian Association for Forced Migration and Refugee Studies