Sunday, November 4, 2012

How Free Speech Works in Canada--Poorly and Lopsidedly

An American Christian pastor who's no fan of Islam (to put it mildly), and who's been known to torch a Koran or two (an action I deplore--as I deplore all book burning), is barred from entering the country. But an extremist American imam who has
  • said he still hoped that one day the United States would be a Muslim country ruled by Islamic law,” and that he supports accomplishing this non-violently. He says that Islam justifies the hijacking of “an airplane filled with the 82nd Airborne” and that the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon by Hezbollah was not an act of terrorism;
  • published a poem depicting the U.S. as a racist, imperialist country whose soldiers rape young girls and kill Muslim civilians without remors[e];
  • objected to President Bush’s use of the term “Islamic fascists” by arguing that the Bush Administration and “neoconservatives” are the true fascists. He says it is a “big lie” that “so-called Islamic Fascism threatens Western Civilization.” He gives support to 9/11 conspiracy theories, writing that the attacks “occurred under dubious circumstances that have yet to be thoroughly examined.” He criticizes the “process of vilification” against Iranian President Ahmadinejad and characterizes Al-Qaeda, Hamas and jihadists in Iraq, Kashmir and Chechnya as fighters against unjust policies. He has condemned some of their violent tactics but supports their cause;
  • preached that the U.S. was waging a war on Islam and that the government was systematically persecuting innocent Muslims, saying “they just want a pretext to get another Muslim off the street” and Muslim-Americans should wage non-violent jihad through institution-building in the U.S.;
  • urged that a Muslim political agenda include “the enforcement of anti-defamation statutes” to protect minorities from bigotry. The impact this would have is that if any citizen uses a phrase like “radical Islam” and a group like CAIR says he or she is spreading hate, charges could be brought against the person;
can come into Canada for the Reviving The Islamic Spirit event, no problemo.

BTW, I notice that two notable non-Muslim apologists for Islam--Karen Armstrong and John Raulston Saul (Mr. former-Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson)--will be speaking at the shindig, as will Tariq Ramadan, whose granddad founded the Muslim Brotherhood. Should be quite the impassioned affair!

1 comment:

cousinarlo said...

If we don't start educating ourselves about Islam's history of expansionism and violence, we will eventually lose the will to believe in ourselves. That and the right to even publicly support our own history and culture.