Responding to Hateful Opinions

Please read refutations of such strategies in our articles section under the 'Hate' category section in the articles section. Such haters are exposed fully and their hateful views are torn apart and totally discredited.

Omar Khadr: Just a kid

I honestly have no opinion on whether Omar Khadr should be brought back or left to the integrity of the American justice system. But what's difficult to read is supposedly mature, educated adults, such as Susan Martinuk, writing profoundly flawed views. A 15-year-old cannot have yet developed the character and mindset to be committed to anything at all, let alone to something as grandiose as "fighting against western values and our very way of life." What a silly thing to say about a 15-year-old.

When it comes to matters of ideology imposed by adults, a young person is a prime candidate for rehabilitation. That's especially true when compared to those youths who commit random violence in our own cities every day, often indicating a predisposition to violence, making them harder to rehabilitate. And yet we try.

Every negative view Martinuk quoted against Khadr is nullified immediately by his age when he committed his alleged crime. It would be a different story had he been an adult. One would expect a little more thought from Martinuk.

© The Calgary Herald 2008

This article at:
http://secularmuslims.com/article.php?article_id=148&cat_id=23&subcat_id=50&cat=Racism

Free speech is unquestionably a pillar of a healthy democracy, making sure that wrongs are exposed and criticized. However, even the harshest criticism can be successfully expressed without including the element of hate.

So what exactly are the misguided champions of free speech inadvertently supporting then . . . "hate" per se? Muslims take criticism -- both justifiable and unjustifiable -- every single day, but "hate"is uncivilized and unacceptable.

People generally follow the unwritten laws of common decency that allow societies to function in a civilized, peaceful and harmonious manner. But because of the potential harm of hate and discrimination by those indifferent to the peace and harmony of the societies they live in, there arose a need for hate laws and specialized bodies such as the human rights commissions. Decent people don't deny the Holocaust, but there are laws against hate propaganda because some care more about their agendas than the well-being of society or groups within it.

The Holocaust didn't develop overnight. Six million Jews perished because Jews were relentlessly demonized over many years. The hate eventually dehumanized them and paved the path to the day it became acceptable to massacre them. The Nuremberg trials acknowledged the destructive power of hate by sentencing to death a magazine publisher who routinely promoted hate against Jews.

Likewise, the Rwandan genocide tribunals sent various media executives to jail for inciting ethnic hatred. European Union investigations found that television was regularly used to promote hate against Bosnian and Kosovan Muslims, leading to the atrocities there. So anxieties about hate are far from frivolous or contrived.

Today, we're flooded with news and films addressing the consequences of hatred: Rwanda, Kosovo, Bosnia, the Holocaust, the recent Kenyan and South African massacres. Yet some people turn around, as if it all meant nothing, and call for unfettered free speech!

If a publication in Iran was promoting hate against Jews (as is the case), would those Canadians opposing human rights commissions in Canada condemn Jews in Iran who complained to Iran's human rights commissions, if any existed? Would they say it's an issue of "free speech" and condemn those commissions?

Have they contemplated what might have been the outcome for millions of Jews had there been -- long before the Nazis -- German commissions with the full authority to confront hate speech, and shut down irresponsible media?

In fact, German hate laws of the time proved abysmally inadequate. That is no longer so. Now they jail anti-Semites, such as Holocaust deniers.

In the years between the two world wars there wasn't any notion of exterminating Jews. But while life seemed "normal," Jews were in fact living the time in which people were gradually being desensitized to hate against Jews. It was the stage when human rights commissions -- had they existed -- could have been most consequential.

No one could have imagined any connection between hate and what came many years later in that civilized nation, a nation no less civilized than Canada is today. But through a gradual, barely noticeable process fuelled by hate, some of those civilized people were unwittingly drawn into the atrocities committed later. Recent reports from Germany confirm how very ordinary people participated in the crimes.

What have 750,000 Muslim Canadians done other than work hard in their corner stores, cabs, or jobs to make a living, care for their families, raise their kids, and do what every other family in Canada does? So why the hate? Simply because there are criminals among them, as is the case with any other group?

Terrorists can never destroy a nation if it remains united against them.

But since hate corrodes the very fabric that holds a nation together, mainstream haters who exploit terrorism to polarize society do more harm than any terrorists will ever achieve.

The 9/11 tragedy and similar events resulted from hate by fringe groups. Yet, instead of being role models for something better, those in the mainstream have become supporters of hate speech, reinforcing that hate is the way to go. Canada didn't fight a horrific war against the Nazis' hatred only to nurture that same hatred here.

Today Canada is able to call itself "civilized" because enlightened Canadians repeatedly challenged wrongs that the rest of the population took for granted. Canada has moved forward and left hate against Chinese behind, left hate against blacks behind, against Jews, Ukrainians, Sikhs, Japanese, and others.

It's unimaginable to ever return to writing or speaking of them in the hateful manner of the past. But Muslims have been left behind. It's time that gratuitous hate against Muslims was replaced with objective debate, free of hate.

There is no place for 'hate speech' in Canada

++Responding to:

Peaceable citizens

I thought Rob Breakenridge was addressing the gratuitous intolerance repeatedly expressed against Muslims. Instead, I found the same old, same old. What have Muslim Canadians done other than work hard in their corner stores, offices, cabs and jobs to care for their families, raise their kids, and do what every other Canadian family does?

The examples Breakenridge gives are neither here nor there. Some imams' names, the Quebec report, a website out of millions, and the hijab, the head scarf for which innocent women are vilified. As for polygamy, look at the polygamist sects long thriving in the U.S. and Canada, challenged lately only on account of child abuse. That's a matter for the law, not for expressing intolerance towards 750,000 Muslims.

What's inexcusable is such intolerance against overwhelmingly law-abiding, decent people is taking place in Canada in the 21st century, by civilized people, not cave dwellers; in a nation founded on Christian love that Muslims themselves experience today; and in an age following the lessons of Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kenya and South Africa. But do we ever learn? With all due respect, the only intolerance that "has been thoroughly exposed" is the column. As for Tarek Fatah, it appears he detects "Islamists" behind every lamppost, yet one honest, objective look at reality would instantly dispel that paranoia.

© The Calgary Herald 2008

++Responding to: Michael Coren

I-Responding to a Canadian "Christian" broadcaster/writer/author called Michael Coren

Example one

Excerpts from Michael Coren's column of December 15, 2007, 'Denial is sickening' , in The Sun:

December 15, 2007

There's a worrying link between conservative Islam and anger

It's the episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie that I missed. The one where the father is so angry with his teenage daughter for not wearing the hijab that he strangles her to death. ...

... we do know that he has been charged with the crime and that friends told reporters there had been terrible arguments about Aqsa's refusal to wear Islamic head covering ....

Most Canadian Muslim leaders immediately condemned what had happened but it didn't take very long for the usual suspects to explain on radio and television that the tragedy had nothing to do with the Muslim faith ...Islam we were told, is a religion of peace.

Which is probably just what the owner of a Christian bookstore in Gaza thought three months ago as he was murdered .. Or Danny Pearl, shortly before the American journalist had his head cut off by Islamic terrorists --...

Or the wretched gang-rape victim in Saudi Arabia sentenced to 200 lashes .... Or the women stoned to death for adultery. Or the Iranian men hanged because they were homosexual.

Or the women who .. died under the Taliban. Or the Christians persecuted and killed in Pakistan, Egypt and Sudan.

Or the young women in France, Britain and all over Europe killed by fathers and brothers for leaving Islam, ..

MUHAMMAD

Or the teacher who allowed a student to name a teddy bear Muhammad, or Salman Rushdie's translator whose throat was cut from ear to ear, or movie director Theo Van Gogh who was slaughtered...

And on and on. On until the denial is sickening. It's ...Because of anything other than Islam.

Only a bigot would argue that every Muslim was violent or opposed to Western freedom. But only a coward or a liar would argue that there was not a profound and deeply worrying link between conservative Islam and myriad acts of terror, intolerance and hysterical anger.

It is not I who say this but ...Muslims who take to the streets at the drop of a cartoon ..; or the Muslims who preach jihad in ... open societies founded on Christian enlightenment.

They may represent a minority, but the harm they do is incalculable."

Michael Coren goes on to write:

"This dysfunctional venom does not come from Christian, Jew, Hindu, or Buddhist ....

It is time for free discussion in this free country, whether it offends or not."

HaSM's response to Michael Coren:

As published in The Toronto Sun:

Simplistic generalization

Michael Coren's "Denial is sickening" (Dec. 15) is misleading. He jumped to conclusions based on widely differing incidents. It's similar to lumping Robert Pickton's murders with Abu Ghraib sadism, Guantanamo torture, the long list of school massacres, etc., then writing "the white race is evil."

Or lumping the Rwandan genocide in which clergy participated, with The Holocaust -- where six million Jews were killed because they weren't Christian, then adding aboriginal kids abused in Christian residential schools, the scandal of pedophile priests, and concluding "Christianity is evil."

Coren mentions a Gazan Christian victim, but fails to mention hundreds of Muslims killed by fellow Muslims. If Christians were targeted, none would be alive today. Coren also says no violence comes from Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Tamils, Sikhs, etc.

He must live in a cocoon. Each group has violence and bloodshed on its hands, not to mention violence against women. The Muslim world has some 55 nations. Domestic abuse cases are rampant in Canada.

If Islam caused family violence, all non-Muslim domestic violence would be absent. Muslim communities do suffer some serious issues, but the way to address them is through rational debate, not wild generalizations and simplistic accusations.

The Bible and Koran contain war and violence, but their overriding message is love and kindness. Everyone, Coren included, ought follow that message, instead of trying to pin evil exclusively on some faith, race, or culture.

The SUN Editor's Comment on Sabry's above letter:

"Guess you missed the part where Michael wrote: "Only a bigot would argue that every Muslim was violent or opposed to Western freedom.""

Michael Coren's commentary - 'Denial is sickening' - is misleading.

Coren jumped to conclusions based on widely differing incidents. It's similar to lumping Robert Pickton's murders, with Abu Ghraib sadism, with Guantanamo torture, with the long list of school massacres, etc., then writing "the white race is evil". Or lumping the Rwandan genocide in which clergy, including a Bishop, participated, with 'The Holocaust' - six million Jews killed because they weren't Christian, with Dennis Rader - serial killer even while church leader, with aboriginal kids abused in Christian residential schools, with pedophile priests, then concluding "Christianity is evil".

Coren mentions a Gazan Christian victim, but fails to mention hundreds of Muslims killed by fellow Muslims due to the chaos there. If Christians were targeted, none would be alive today. That applies to the Muslim world, where Christians could have been exterminated centuries before NATO, America, or the United Nations ever existed.

Coren generalises from the tragic murder by terrorists of Daniel Pearl, but ignores the thousands of westerners who find kindness from the bulk of Muslim populations.

He also says no violence comes from Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Tamil, Sikhs etc.. Coren must live in a cocoon. Each group, bar none, has violence and bloodshed on its hands, not to mention violence against women. If one follows international news, it's all there. Japan's Buddhism didn't prevent it from committing horrific atrocities during the Second World War. And Canada is still investigating its largest terrorist attack by one of those groups. Most significantly, each of those groups, except Buddhism and partially Hinduism, represents only one nation, or region, etc., so how would it be if it were 40 or 50, all undergoing growing pains?

The Muslim world has some 55 nations. Domestic abuse cases in Calgary alone - where a man strangled his wife barely a week ago - rose to 12,137 cases last year. If Islam caused family violence, all non-Muslim domestic violence would be absent.

Muslim communities do suffer some serious issues, but the way to address them is through objective, rational debate, not wild generalizations and simplistic accusations.

The Bible and the Quran contain war and violence verses, but their overriding message is love and kindness. Everyone, Coren included, ought follow that message, instead of trying to pin evil exclusively on some faith, race, or culture.

Example 2:

In this example Michael Coren selectively uses the violence-inciting, hateful words of some fringe Muslim blogger to attack all Muslims collectively on account of that blogger, and then make generalized accusations against all fundamentalist/ conservative Muslims.

That is similar to making generalizations about all fundamentalist Christians - including Mr. Coren himself - from the wrongs of a few of them. Or generalising from his intolerant writings against Muslims to all good Christians who do not engage in that shameful unChristian conduct.
It goes entirely against the Christian preaching of love which he alleges to be a champion of!

But would we generalise from his intolerance against Muslims to all true, good Christians? NEVER.

That's how we, secular Muslims, and the bulk of decent Muslims, including fundamentalist and conservative ones who would never speak ill of Christians, distinguish ourselves from people like him.

People like him meaning people who not only make no distinctions, but actually go out of their way to try and pin the wrongs of some to whole segments of Muslims as witnessed in his columns.

He certainly neither speaks for true, loving Christians, nor for the religion of love, Christianity.

It’s a shame that someone who calls himself "Christian", neither practices nor knows anything of the true teachings of a benevolent, compassionate, loving Christ. May Jesus forgive him.

Excerpts from Michael Coren's column of February 2, 2008 "Episode Missed", in The Sun :

Late last year I wrote that, "It's the episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie that I missed. The one where the father is so angry with his teenage daughter for not wearing the hijab that he strangles her to death.

"Perhaps it will be in the special features section of the DVD version, released just in time for the holiday that used to be known as Christmas but not any longer because the word might hurt someone's feelings."

I was referring to the grotesque murder of a young woman in Ontario allegedly because she dressed in modern, western clothes and refused to conform to strict Islamic teaching. I was, inevitably, accused of racism and Islamophobia and threatened with murder.

Now I realize I'm missing all sorts of episodes of Little Mosque...., the University of Toronto student who, as exposed in a report last week by The National Post, repeatedly has posted on the Internet...

"Any and all Western soldiers getting prepared to enter Muslim nations should be legitimate targets by any and all Islamic militants....

WATCHING BLOOD FLOW

He went on to write that, "I enjoy watching the blood flow from the Western troops" and "when do I get to shoot a few Jews down. Why f...ing target the Americans when the Jews are better?"

... a Muslim extremist who was convicted last week in Britain for conducting an elaborate plot to kidnap a Muslim soldier serving in the British army and cut off his head....

That man and his gang will go to prison. Hossain likely will not even be prosecuted. Unlike journalists Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn, currently facing numerous Human Rights Commission hearings. Levant's crime was reprinting cartoons implying a link between terrorism and militant Islam. Steyn's was to discuss Islamic ambitions and to quote various Muslim leaders calling for Islam to conquer Europe.

If young Hossain were unique it would be bad enough. He certainly isn't. ... read the death-threat e-mail received by me and every other journalist who criticizes Islamic fundamentalism, ask Canadian author Irshad Manji, ask the families of those legions of people murdered in the name of Islam.

...the Canadian establishment and the deniers in the media. ..the sorts of people who make painfully patronizing shows about little mosques in Western Canada telling non-Muslims that everything is fine apart from our intolerance...

HaSM's response:

Michael Coren sadly continues to discredit himself by his shallow arguments.

In his latest tirade he rails against anything - such as "Little Mosque on the Prairie"- that dares show Muslims in a "normal" light, whether they are innocent and law-abiding - as the vast majority are, or not.

Not surprisingly, he fails to mention that we all missed the episode of 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' that addressed the intolerance exhibited and expressed toward Muslims by commentators like him who generalise their intolerance to all Muslims in their columns, commentaries, or TV or radio shows. And often doing so even while disingenuously telling us that they do not speak of all Muslims (see Response to disingenuous qualifications such as Mr. Coren's).

What's more, in decades of Muslim existence in Canada, in regions covering all of the Canadian provinces and territories, there has been only that alleged murder of a daughter by her father, and yet Mr. Coren wants a TV episode about it.

On the other hand, in that same period of time the amount of intolerance that was expressed and propagated by various commentators against Muslims throughout Canada was in the thousands, including a few times within the past few months courtesy of the said Mr. Coren himself.

So how many episodes should we devote to that? Not even a whole series would suffice exposing that much intolerance. And how about a series about the harmful and destructive effects of all that intolerance? Why is Mr. Coren silent about that aspect of matters? The answer is obvious.

The ill-effects - lethal in many cases - of intolerance fill the literature and the world's history books.

Indeed, given the above, "Little Mosque on the Prairie" writers have been very kind to intolerant commentators and very kind not to expose and tackle their ill-effect on Canadian society. It is a disgrace to any civilized nation, let alone one as advanced as Canada, to have such intolerance in anyone in its mainstream.

And what's even worse, is that they use the platform - radio, TV, Newspaper, magazine - that they are privileged to have access to, and which is not readily available to their victims, to produce a regular dose of intolerance, make excuses for their intolerant positions, and criticise others, while those others are denied the same privileges. How ethical is that? (Contemplate the issue through a few general questions posed to good, decent Canadians, in other words to the overwhelming majority of Canadians).

Worse yet - if there's anything left that can be worse than what we already covered above in their conduct - - instead of using that media platform they are privileged to have access to, to advance the causes of harmony, peace and stability in this wonderful nation, they are using it exactly in the opposite manner, to destroy, divide, destabilise, and polarise, all in fulfilment of their own agendas.

In his column, Mr. Coren can find no more profound thoughts than to write that some man on the Web wrote this or that, then make embarrassing - intellectually speaking, that is - generalizations and conclusions based on what some wacko or other wrote on a web site, or some criminals did somewhere in the world.

One, or even one thousand wackos, do not 750,000 Canadian Muslims - going about their lives peacefully - make. And even then, none of the hypothetical "one thousand wackos" attacked Ezra Levant or anyone at the 'Western Standard', or vandalized its property, etc., which speaks volumes against Coren's generalised accusations. But that's why he never draws attention to such realities.

The amount of fundamentalist Christian hate on the Web beats any other, but only particular people would use such vile material to attack Christianity and Christians. As for murder and violence in the mainstream, it is horrifyingly abundant day and night, and that's in Canada alone. Coren ignores it all just to pin wrongdoing uniquely on Muslims.

It’s truly sad to watch a once brilliant mind deteriorate so badly as to write such unsophisticated, imbalanced, and disingenuous analyses.