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 82^nd 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!