Toronto Sun columnist Tarek Fatah was waiting for the bus at St. Michael’s Hospital when a taxi pulled up to him not to offer a ride but to deliver a threat.

“The guy spoke to me in my native language of Urdu,” Fatah said Friday. “He said he recognized my face and then said ‘I have a gun for you.’”

He drove off.

But when stopped at a nearby red light at Church and Queen Sts., even with his limited mobility after major surgery, the former leader of the Muslim Canadian Congress wandered over with the help of his cane and took a picture of the taxi and driver.

“I have turned all of that over to Toronto Police.”

Fatah admits he was stunned.

“It was a death threat no question. I have had them before but it still shakes you,” said the 67-year-old author, who “has been fighting Islamism since 1966.”

Most of Fatah’s recent threats have emanated out of India, where he worked on a TV show last year and talked openly about his quarrel with the “Muslim Brotherhood approach” to Islam.

The allegation of such a threat, or religious hate of any kind, is so sad because we have free speech in Canada and such acceptance of all faiths and races. We have seen despicable, fatal hate crimes on Muslims, Jews and Christians and it is unacceptable every time it happens.

Fatah’s voice is important because it’s unleashed.

With photographer Craig Robertson, we noticed in his house he had 18 Qurans and many other books in Islam. Fatah is a proud Muslim who does not feel those who use his religion for evil are genuine followers of the faith. He has drawn a lot of criticism from some who feel differently.

For example, as my Toronto Sun colleague Brad Hunter reported in April, police in Mumbai stopped an ISIS hit on Fatah that was ordered because of “contentious issues related to Islam” as reported in the Times of India. Two men were arrested.

But he didn’t expect that animus to travel all the way over here in Canada.

Fatah has been vocal on his views about sections of the Quran that talk of “Jews and Christians” going estray, which were not in the original book “but added 200 years later.”

He says he would like to see all such mentions “taken out” since “they were not in the Quran in the first place.”

Doing that, he feels, could prevent those who favour a radicalized form of Islam from citing passages “that are merely hearsay added into the Quran” and could help dissuade hardcore followers of the religion to not part take in Jihads and holy wars.

“They want to silence me for exposing the true nature of Islamism and preventing Sharia law coming to Canada,” said Fatah. “I won’t be silenced about that.”

Toronto Police confirm they are investigating this incident and have told Fatah they have identified the taxi driver and will interview him.

As for the cabbie and his “I have a gun for you” comment, Fatah says if he is “apologetic” and “acknowledges that threatening a Canadian person for having his own opinion is not okay” he would be prepared to let it go with a hope threats on his life will not end up becoming a reality.

But for now Fatah says his complaint to Toronto Police 51 Division stands.