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

Playing the victim canard—on the taxpayers’ dime: The Canadian Arab Federation is well versed in playing the victim game—and in getting the provincial government to underwrite it. In two days, victims and non-victims alike will be able to participate in a government-funded workshop in order to hear some gripes and come up with ways to counter the “stereotyping” (which, we’re assured, is at the root of Canadians’ groundless fears about Arabs.) Here’s what's on tap:

Hate Crime Victims Provincial Support Network Workshop

An initiative of the Canadian Arab Federation, with funding from the Ministry of the Attorney General, the HateCrime Victims Provincial Support Network is hosting a forum to continue building awareness of the challenges facing Canadian Arabs in Ontario, stemming from negative stereotypes, racism and hate crimes. Working together to understand these issues, we will explore methods for countering and addressing the impact of such challenges.

When: August 14, 2008 at 7:00 PM

Where: University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), Council Chambers-Room 3130, South Building. 3359 Mississauga Road North...

Come out to share your experiences and learn from others. This forum is free and open to the public. The event includes refreshments and a Question and Answer period.

Guest Speakers:

Raja Khouri

Raja Khouri is managing consultant at The Knowledge Centre, a Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and a member of the Toronto Committee of Human RightsWatch and the Ontario Hate Crimes CommunityWorking Group.

Nouman Ashraf

Nouman is Director of the Anti-racism and Cultural Diversity office at the University of Toronto and was

appointed by the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario to serve on the Community Hate Crimes Response Grants Selection Committee in September 2007.

Mohammed Ashour

Mohammed Ashour is the current President of the Muslim Students' Association (MSA) at the University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus. Having served on the executive level for three consecutive years, he has witnessed a pattern-less fluctuation of Islamophobia on campus. Convinced that most Islamophobic sentiments are the progeny of misinformation and lack of awareness, he and the MSA are committed to dispelling such ignorance with wisdom and intellectual fortitude.

Hate Crimes Investigative Unit Representative

Speakers will discuss:

· What you can do when faced with an incident of hate, racism or a hate crime

· How the Arab and Muslim communities have been affected by hate post 9/11

· Incidents of hate crimes and racial tensions at university campuses

· The legal context of hate crimes and what your rights are

· Freedom of expression of the press vs. hateful speech

Sounds like a blast. The Muslim Student’s Association, by the way, is the progeny (to borrow a word) of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization of Islamic supremacists dedicated to putting Islam on top, as per Allah’s promise to the faith’s founder. For obvious reasons, that didn't make it into the MSA prez's bio. (Query for the prez during Question and Answer Period: What is a "pattern-less fluctuation of Islamophobia," and how does it differ from a patterened fluctuation of the same?)

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:26 | link | comments

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