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

Walk on the mild side: The Ceeb has a report about Syed Soharwardy—formerly, Ezra Levant’s nemesis; currently, the Islamic Terry Fox—and his perambulation across the nation:

"Walking is a very good exercise, and that is exactly what I am doing for my physical and spiritual well-being."

With those words, Syed Soharwardy began his Multi-Faith Walk Against Violence in April 2008. What makes this walk different is that it is 6,800 kilometres long and stretches five time zones across Canada — from Halifax, N.S., to Victoria, B.C.

It also appears to be a deeply personal journey. An active member of Calgary's interfaith community, Soharwardy is not soliciting support or donations for any particular cause as he makes his way across the country.

A married father of two teenagers, he has remortgaged his Calgary home to help pay for this adventure, and all he seems to be seeking out along the way are like-minded people with whom to share his views and talk about their commonalities.

"My grandfather was a mufti (high priest) in Kashmir, and my father was a religious leader in Pakistan," Soharwardy says. "Though I have never faced persecution, I have personally witnessed so much violence in these two regions, and I have made it my mission to stop violence everywhere, be it in school, bullying, gangs, child abuse, elder abuse, domestic violence or terrorism.

"This walk is my physical and spiritual journey in an attempt at uniting Canadians against all forms of violence."

As of July 27, he had crossed the Ontario-Manitoba border and was closing in on Winnipeg.

Walking for change

The seeds of this journey began about 14 years ago. Having settled in Calgary, Soharwardy says, he gradually grew "upset at the way the Islamic world was publicized by the media, just as one monolithic mass. The diversity in Islam was not recognized simply because people did not know enough about us to form an opinion.

"So, I realized the best way to go about it is to start a group and talk about the similarities that all religions have instead of the differences."

A volunteer imam at Al-Madinah Calgary Islamic Centre, where he often helps organize celebrations of Jewish holidays, Soharwardy was the driving force behind the group Muslims Against Terrorism, which was conceived in 1998 and now has 13 chapters all over the world.

A key factor in Soharwardy's decision to organize the walk, according to long-time friend Linda Zachri, was the December 2007 slaying of a 16-year-old Mississauga girl, allegedly by her father and brother, following what was said to be a dispute over wearing traditional Muslim headdress.

"Syed went on a long fast as a protest not only against what had happened but how the entire Muslim community was being painted with the same brush," said Zachri, who helps Soharwardy with his website.

"He wanted to highlight the fact that people within his community do not seek outside help. It was an intergenerational problem gone awfully wrong, and it was then that he decided to bring an end to all violence front and centre, and what better way than to walk against it."…

An end to violence, sure, but what about an end to doctrinally-decreed supremacism? Oddly enough, Syed has yet to renouce that particular aspect of his faith. And lest we forget amid all the heart-warming blather about interfaith outreach, there’s still a “supreme” in his organization’s name, and its website continues to tout Muhammad's farewell address as "The World's First Ever Charter of Rights & Freedoms" (as if Mo were some proto-Trudeau, and the 7th Century Arabian subcontinent some proto-Trudeaupia).

Someone named Jeff Wilson left this droll comment about Syed’s sea-to-sea stroll. It pretty much sums up my view as well:

Too easy!

He should take his walk to muslim countries, especialy to his birth place; Kashmir, where people are being slaughtered in the name of his religion; Islam, as opposed to walking around Canada; the place he ran away to, rather than take a stand to make his birth-place a place of hope and opportunity... like Canada.

Do you get my meaning?

Maybe he could take a stroll through Saudi Arabia... with a dog.

Posted by: scaramouche at 09:29 | link | comments

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