Many well-intentioned Western politicians, human rights advocates, church leaders and journalists have turned Islam into the one and only ideology that must never be criticized, and have called anyone who so much as comments on some of the precepts of Islam as “racist.”
Conservative MP Maxime Bernier posted that Trudeau’s diversity is a form of “radical multiculturalism” and that too much diversity could have the effect of dividing Canada into “little tribes” that cause division, erode Canada’s identity and destroy what makes this country great. “Having people live among us who reject basic Western values such as freedom, equality, tolerance and openness does not make us strong. People who refuse to integrate into our society and want to live apart in their ghetto don’t make our society strong.”
Let’s take a look at that observation. Is it possible there is a grain of truth in there, if not a silo?
I am going to take you to a school board meeting in Peel, Ontario, a large and diverse neighbourhood, just outside Toronto, that illustrates Bernier’s concerns.
While you read this, ask yourself: Why is it wrong to question the values/beliefs of some in our diverse country, but not others?
Parents from different backgrounds, including Hindu, Christian and Muslim,came together to discuss the right of Muslim students to say their prayers in secular schools.South Asians make up half the population in this area.
The media painted non-Muslims as right wing.
The meeting was rambunctious to say the least.
Someone at the meeting asked “Have you read this book?” holding up a copy of the Quran. “You would be shocked. Read it, so you know what’s happening.”
Here is a link to the Quran that was held up and ripped.
So what are these Canadian Muslim students reading during their prayer time in our secular schools?
Prayers that include verses condemning the Jews, and the Christians and other disbelievers
In some prayers the imams ask Allah to “give us victory over the disbelieving people.” Who are those disbelieving people? Are they non-Muslims?
What about these prayers?
“You are our Protector and give us victory over the disbelieving people. [congregation:] Ameen [declaration of affirmation]…
O Allah! Give victory to Islam and raise the standing of the Muslims. [congregation:] Ameen.
And humiliate the polytheism and polytheists. [congregation:] Ameen.
Muslim organizations say that these are “mainstream” prayers in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. “It is our principals that define us, and not the desire to appease others while dwelling in comfort.”
Why is a parent from a minority group, Hindu, attacked for being against Muslim prayers being said in a secular school? Why is it anti-Muslim? To ask a question about prayers from a religious group is now verboten? Evil? Anti-something?
And what about the concerns of the Christian families regarding the prayers that are said in the secular schools?
Peel Board chair Janet MacDougald said the board was “appalled as a Board by the anti-Muslim rhetoric and prejudice we have seen on social media, read in emails, and heard first-hand at our board meetings.”
“It has caused some of our students to feel unsafe, to feel targeted. We must not allow hatred toward any faith group to flourish,” she said. “We will not stand for that.”
Police were forced to clear this particular meeting after some attendees shouted comments about Shariah law and the Islamic indoctrination of children.
Is it possible that the Hindu parents have reason to be concerned? That their children do not feel safe? Muslims and Hindus are “tribes” which do not get along. Perhaps some Hindu parents have memories of the Muslim-Hindi conflict in India. Are their feelings not as worthy as the feelings of Muslims in the community? Is it not possible that Hindu students do not feel safe because of the content of the prayers?
Why are Hindu parents in our diverse, accommodating, tolerant and inclusive country vilified for sharing their fears, their concerns? Where is the respect for them?
Then Liberal Ministers Mitzie Hunter and Michael Coteau reaffirmed the importance of religious accommodation, decrying the fact that “hate continues to spread even in the most diverse regions of our province.” Have they read the prayers? Do they believe these prayers promote inclusion, accommodation, tolerance for others in our diverse society?
Think about this. When Muslim students say prayers in our secular schools the boys and girls sit separately; the girls in the back. And menstruating girls are to sit even farther back. Wonder how 10, 11, 12 and 13 year old girls feel about this? And how does anyone know if a menstruating girl is not sitting with the other girls?
More importantly, why is this allowed in our SECULAR schools where we promote equality between, or amongst the sexes? After al,l the Liberal government has given Status of Women Canada a major role to play in its feminist agenda. The Status of Women Minister is Maryam Monsef .
When Ms. Monsef delivered her maiden speech she spoke about being born in “a place at war, where human rights were not respected, where educating women was not allowed.” She had been under the impression that she had been born in Afghanistan when in fact she was born in Iran. Both countries are misogynistic. Is she in favour of impressionable girls being sent to the back and menstruating girls even farther back? Is this what we should expect from the Minister of the Status of Women in Canada?
When these children return from their prayers including the Al-Fatiha-do they return feeling part of the Canadian mosaic; equal to all others? After all, they just said prayers that demean and dehumanize Jews and Christians in particular and may have said prayers that dehumanize everyone else. Is it possible these prayers may give these Muslim students a sense of superiority over other non-Muslim students?
From the Australian branch of the international Islamic pro-Caliphate organization Hizb ut-Tahrir which posted a policy paper on July 25, 2018 titled “Muslims in Australia – Considerations when Setting an Agenda.”
It is thus our divine responsibility to ensure Islam and the Muslims are in an eternal state of superiority,
I leave you with the words of Denis MacEoin , a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He first graduated with a B.A. and an M.A. in English Language and Literature from Trinity College, Dublin, followed by a second 4-year M.A. in Persian, Arabic, and Islamic Studies from Edinburgh and a PhD in Persian/Islamic Studies from Cambridge (King’s College)
“… many well-intentioned Western politicians, human rights advocates, church leaders and journalists have turned Islam into the one and only ideology that must never be criticized, and have called anyone who so much as comments on some of the precepts of Islam as “racist.” Individuals who ask questions are accused of distorting Islamic doctrine, law, and history. Many advocates for Islam often insist that Islam, a religion with a long history of violence towards unbelievers and dissidents, must always be termed “a religion of peace”, something it has never been. This view, that Islam should not be questioned, seems to have led to a lack of reciprocity: radical Islamic individuals and bodies are often permitted to preach hatred for the West in mosques, centres, and university campuses, but non-Muslims commenting on genuine concerns are frequently the objects of public abuse and even criminal prosecution.”
Are all of us in Canada supposed to just accept that teaching as accommodating? Is it not an attack on all other Canadians, of all backgrounds?
From the Ethics of the Fathers: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it.”
