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The federal government has announced its intention to revoke the charitable status of the Ahlul-Bayt Centre, a non-profit organization that operates one of Ottawa’s top-rated elementary schools.

The decision, revealed in a recent Federal Court of Appeal ruling that rejected the centre’s attempt to delay the revocation, leaves the Ahlul-Bayt Islamic School facing an uncertain future.

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The Vanier school has 160 students registered in junior kindergarten through Grade 8.

In an interview Tuesday, Ahlul-Bayt Centre president Kamal Fahs vowed that the school will keep its doors open even if its tuition fees are declared non-tax deductible. The centre, he said, is exploring other possibilities — including transferring ownership of the school to another charity — while still trying to work out a compromise with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

“We do have options, we do have alternatives that we’re looking into right now,” Fahs said.