The theme for this year, “The Holocaust and Human Dignity,” links Holocaust remembrance with the founding principles of the United Nations, and reaffirms faith in the dignity and worth of every person. Indeed, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the right to live free from discrimination and with equal protection under the law for people across the world, including here in Ontario.
Ontario’s Human Rights Code echoes the UN’s aspirations. There is no room in Ontario for discrimination or harassment based on a person’s creed, ethnic origin, or other personal characteristics such as race or sex.
But stamping out such discrimination is a long struggle and we are not there yet. For example, a B’nai Brith Canada report stated that 2014 saw the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada they had ever recorded in the past 30 years. The 1,627 reported incidents included slurs, name-calling, graffiti, assaults, arson and bomb threats.
We also see mistrust, exclusion and sometimes outright hatred for Syrian newcomers, often because they follow – or are perceived to follow – the Muslim faith. And we see Hindu and Sikh Ontarians being harassed in the mistaken belief that they too are Muslim...I, for one, welcome every Syrian "newcomer" who is willing to embrace Canadian values and shun sharia law and the jihad imperative. If Canadians like me "mistrust" these refugees it is not because they follow the Muslim faith. It is because we know that ISIS has boasted about using our own goodwill against us by shipping up some of their blood-thirsty supporters. It is also because we know that the Trudeau government appears to be blind and/or indifferent to the genuine threat.
Such "mistrust," then, is not the same as "none is too many." And to claim that it is--especially in the context of Holucaust remembrance--is as idiotic as it is nausea-inducing.
No comments:
Post a Comment