scaramouche

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

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User: scaramouche
Irreverent, contrarian, delighted to be out of synch with the zeitgeist, I depend on my sense of humour (such as it is) to keep me sane in this wacky world.

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Sunday, 04 January 2009


Elmo in a dress: Hasta la vista, inventor of the Blackberry. And now, a few words from the Canadian Islamic Congress's incoming president, Elmo's former second-in-command, Dr. Wahida Valiante. From the sounds of it, she's planning to continue in the same grandiose tradition (i.e. boastfulness alternating with complaints about how Muslims are victims and Islam is "misunderstood"):

…Of my 48 years in Canada the last ten have seen Canada’s essence as a nation of quiet optimism challenged by the politics of fear.

The events following 9/11 tested Canada and they surely tested me.

It was shortly after 9/11 that I had an "us" versus "them" experience that was unknown to me in my previous 40 years in Canada. True, like any other new immigrant, I too experienced incidents of racism and bigotry, but never where I was clearly identified as an enemy - or one of "them." Appearing at an event on behalf of the CIC I was asked whether I would formally denounce the actions of the 9/11 terrorists.

This question struck me as if it were a bullet. Here I was being asked to denounce "them" in order to verify that I was really with "us". Yet, the "them" I was being asked to denounce were as alien to me as they were to any other Canadian. My initial reaction of shock turned to anger and then momentarily to fear: could it be that as a Canadian citizen of 40 years I could be denounced on the basis of actions of individuals as culturally and ethnically removed from me as are the Swedes? Was the ostensible sharing of a common religion between the terrorists and me enough to indict me in the eyes of my fellow Canadians? Was this not an inquisition of sorts?

The following years saw a steady torrent of experts who expounded upon the "Muslim threat", the inevitable transmogrification of Europe to Eurabia: "...not all Muslims are terrorists -- though enough are hot for jihad to provide an impressive support network of mosques from Vienna to Stockholm to Toronto to Seattle."

With the image of atrocity fresh in everyone’s minds and hot propaganda raising the specter of more, it was not surprising that Canada’s commitment to constitutional liberalism - freedoms borne by the Canadian constitution and system of laws - was severely challenged. The proposed and subsequently enacted anti-terrorism laws challenged Canadians with the question of what rights they were willing to relinquish and what intrusions they would allow the state in the name of "security."

Even less surprising was the sense of growing alienation within the Muslim community in Canada. For many Muslim Canadians, Canada had changed.

And it was in this growing political malaise that CIC responded and continues its work. Since then CIC has played a major role in advocating on behalf of Muslim Canadians by addressing the anti-Islam rhetoric and gross misrepresentation of Islam and Muslims in the media. Concurrently it has actively assisted Muslim Canadians in projecting themselves onto the Canadian political landscape in order to avoid the resentment and isolation that comes along with political disenfranchisement.

I believe there is no better way to build a strong Canada and a strong Muslim community in Canada than by engaging in Canada’s most cherished institution - participatory democracy.

To date the CIC has had a number of significant achievements in its efforts to engage Muslim Canadians in the national political dialogue. These range from groundbreaking studies of anti-Islam media bias, to encouraging Muslims to engage in the political arena by providing assessments of what their elected officials are saying and doing.

The CIC is helping young Canadians to be their best by setting up student scholarships in politics, social work, law and journalism. The CIC endeavours to inform and educate all Canadians on important national and international issues that the mainstream media regularly ignores through our Friday Magazine.

Perhaps the CIC’s greatest achievement to date is the establishment of Islamic History Month Canada, which has been well received by a broad range of Canadians.

There is much that Canadians do not know about Islam’s role in shaping Western civilization - that the most harmonious relations between cultures and religions occurred when there was a common objective of seeking scientific knowledge and improving the commonwealth of all humankind and that this confluence of interests occurred at a time when Muslim scientific scholarship was at its zenith.

Discussing this Islam’s history promotes mutual respect and understanding, and peaceful co-existence...
  Same old CIC blather.

Posted by: scaramouche at 15:10 | link | comments (8)


Comments:
#1  04 January 2009 - 17:15
 
Why should this woman be so taken aback by the question of whether she repudiates the actions of the 911 terrorists? After all, they carried out their murderous plot in the name of her religion. It should have been absolutely natural for her to want to shout from the rooftops "NOT IN MY NAME".

Unless.....
Anonymous
#2  04 January 2009 - 19:01
 
I suppose she might have felt as you would if you were Protestant or Catholic and asked to prove your bona fides by denouncing their terrorism even if you were in no way connected (other than by sharing the same religion) to the attitudes that motivate them.

It's really not all that hard for me to imagine her possible shock the first time it happened, if indeed there was more than one time. After that, if such questions became a running problem constantly to be faced, an emotionally mature person would shuck the shock and
treat it as a teaching-learning moment by developing wise and appropriate responses.

If, instead, she is as thin-skinned and categorical as she seems, her problems probably start as much from within her as from without, and the grievance industry of too proud narcissists gets augmented by yet another 'victim'.
Anonymous
#3  04 January 2009 - 19:05
 
My first paragraph referred to Protestants and Catholics with the Troubles in northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s in mind, by the way.
Anonymous
#4  04 January 2009 - 21:11
 
It manages to fascinate me again and again: Speakers - usually more or less self-appointed - claiming to represent Islam or Muslim community, talk about what they want, feel entitled to and demand. The matter-of-course expectation that it's completely up to the host community to do something to improve relationships, basically meaning accommodating Muslims ever more and better. Not a hint that it ever crossed their mind that there might be a thing or two that the Muslim community itself, too, could - not to mention should - do to make things better. -- When asked about 9/11, this woman is not offended by fanatic killers tarnishing the image of her faith, she is offended by the public having the audacity to ask questions. When making herself a public speaker on behalf of her faith, she doesn't rush to clarify her - and her religion's - stance on the killings, she feels offended by being even asked about it. She is not angry at the killers whose evil deeds cast suspicions on her community, she is angry with her fellow Canadian citizens for feeling justifiably threatened and for trying to make heads from tails of the situation.
Anonymous
#5  04 January 2009 - 22:30
 
"I could be denounced on the basis of actions of individuals as culturally and ethnically removed from me as are the Swedes?"

Cartoons in Copenhagen lead to progroms in Indonesia. The existence of Israel leads to Chamasniks beating up Jews on Bloor Street. The Islamaic Ummah is one big smouldering powder keg of hatred and anger that ignites internationally on a moment's notice. She's a classic bullshit artist.
Anonymous
#6  04 January 2009 - 23:55
 
From what I have seen of the CIC with there Legal war fare . Using the CHRC to install blasphemy laws & make sharia law legal in Canada. There no more different than the terrorists only they want jihad done legally. There the other side of the sword in my opinion.
Who organizes all the rallies with the illegal flags do you wonder?
We have to watch this as the craven Government allow this in abasement to savages. Frankly there should be no more Muslim immigration for folks who hate us. This is a good post I really enjoyed & very well done. This site has class.
Revnant Dream
JMO
Anonymous
#7  05 January 2009 - 02:17
 
I could not possibly care less about her feelings. Were rampaging gangs of Catholics blowing buildings up and so on I sure as shyte would be denouncing them loudly and trying my best to put a stop to it.

NOT IN MY NAME! Try those words out for a change and drop the mantle of victimhood. Unless.....
Anonymous
#8  06 January 2009 - 13:57
 
The questions this woman poses at the beginning of her keaning screed are actually quite valid ones. The problem is that she is asking the wrong people. Her questions should have been directed to the imams and government leaders of the Ummah and the throngs of Muslims who PARTIED IN THE STREETS CELEBRATING THE DEATHS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE ON 9/11.

The Islamic community has not to my knowledge been asked to explain their behaviours in the wake of 911.

I consider the the existence of a REASONABLE explanation for the Islamic world's reaction to the events of 911 to be an absolute impossibility.

This is not a clash of civilizations. Such a clash requires, by definition, TWO CIVILIZATIONS.

This is a confrontation between CIVILIZATION and BARBARIANS.

Neuron bombs don't waste real estate but do a great job of eliminating tiresome human barbarians components.

Just sayin'!
Anonymous
Comments: