President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s mother, Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali, has filed a defamation lawsuit in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Meta Platforms Inc. and related Facebook entities, along with US-based social media commentator Melissa Ann Atwell-Holder, popularly known online as “Melly Mel.”
The claim centres on a series of Facebook posts and videos that referred to her as “Gangster Granny” and alleged she was involved in corruption and criminal activity.
In the Statement of Claim filed on November 3, 2025, Ali, an educator and Canadian resident, alleges that the defendants published and amplified content suggesting she was collecting kickbacks on behalf of her son, including a claim tied to a purported interview posted on August 12, 2025.
The lawsuit asserts the publications portrayed her as corrupt, involved in organised crime, and coercing contractors to pay bribes. The court document also points to a Facebook post on August 12, 2025, in which Atwell-Holder allegedly published a photograph of Mrs. Ali with the President and captioned it in a way that branded her “Gangster Granny.”
She said the post went viral and triggered a wave of comments and shares, including remarks referencing a “5% kickback” and “hijab gangster granny,” and that the posts damaged her reputation locally and internationally.
Mrs. Ali further alleges the image was later turned into a dubbed “music video” posted to Facebook and YouTube on August 13, 2025, titled “Mrs Ali gangster granny,” which, according to her, repeated the kickback accusation and referenced her Muslim faith and wearing of a hijab.
The lawsuit also references later posts, including content in August 2025 suggesting illegal activity such as gold smuggling and money laundering, and a September 7, 2025, post that allegedly described the President and his mother as an “original gangster family.”
The Statement of Claim argues that Meta is liable because Facebook’s tools and algorithms allegedly promoted and amplified the defamatory content for engagement, and because the company reportedly failed to remove the posts after being notified.
According to the filing, Mrs. Ali’s attorneys reported the content through Facebook’s defamation reporting channels in August 2025 and also wrote to senior Meta officials, but received a response indicating it was “not clear” whether the content was unlawful as defamation.
Mrs. Ali is seeking damages totalling US$15 million, along with special damages, interest, legal costs, and court orders, including declarations of defamation, takedowns, and injunctions to prevent further publication.
