...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

Identity crisis: In his review of Ceeb shill-com, Little Mosque on the Prairies, Mark Steyn cheekily commented that Muslims on TV are “the new gays.’  He meant, of course, that, a la Will and Grace, they now get all the best lines. But since in our glorious Trudeaupia criticising LMOP is like farting in public, i.e., something that’s simply not done, the Steyn review was included in the Canadian Islamic Congress’s package of examples showing Maclean’s’ rampant “Islamophobia”.

On the tube, Muslims may be the “new gays”. In real life, they seem to have assumed the identity of another victim group. From the Globe and Mail (my bolds, and yes, this is the entire report):

VANCOUVER — Columnist Mark Steyn denounced the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal's scrutiny of his work this week as part of a "ludicrous" system run by "pretend judges."

The tribunal is meeting because of a complaint filed by the Canadian Islamic Congress over a piece by Mr. Steyn published by Maclean's magazine in October, 2006. Muslim critics have said the article, titled, "The Future Belongs to Islam," spreads Islamophobia by alleging the religion will soon take over the Western world.

Mr. Steyn, making his first appearance yesterday at the tribunal's hearings, won't testify in the case but had plenty to say outside the courtroom.

"I think we are almost certain to be convicted and then we will appeal," he said.

If that happens, he added, "We are going to have a privately owned magazine under state regulation. There are countries where that happens. And there's a word for that: totalitarian."

Mr. Steyn expressed frustration that the tribunal does not allow him to confront his accusers and does not provide him due process.

He was absent the first two days of the hearings because of an important prior commitment: He had dinner with media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

While Mr. Steyn couldn't confirm whether he'll stay until the hearing concludes, he suggested that once he leaves Vancouver, he won't be back.

Inside the courtroom yesterday, claimant lawyer Faisal Joseph called two expert witnesses to point out inaccuracies in Mr. Steyn's article.

The first, Faiza Hirji, a professor at Carleton University and an expert at analyzing stereotypes in the media, suggested Mr. Steyn's work brought up recurring negative images of Muslims.

The second, Mahmoud Ayoub, a professor of Islamic studies at Temple University, said he was concerned that the article could lead to Muslims being subjected to the same treatment once endured by the Jewish community.

The hearings continue today.

I can see his point. After all, Muslims are so powerless. And there are so few of them. And they never know when their persecutors, who throughout history have scapegoated them for a variety of political and religious reasons, are going to let off some steam in a pogrom, or round them up for extermination, or nuke their one and only state.

I know how they feel.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:22 | link | comments

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