Amira Elghawaby, a human rights advocate based in Ottawa, said she was saddened to learn that the girl's story was not true, adding it will likely only serve to embolden "those who do hold discriminatory views of Muslims."
She also stressed that, as an 11-year-old, "she probably doesn't really understand the full implications of what she's done" and deserves compassion from adults.
"Hindsight is 20/20 and I'm sure the police, and the school and everyone will be reviewing how this was addressed. And we, as community members, all we want to do is think about this young girl — give her support — we don't want her to be vilified," said Elghawaby.