By now I hope Canadians are aware of charges of multiple sexual assaults on six teenage girls under the age of 16 while they were swimming at the West Edmonton Mall World Waterpark public swimming pool that had been booked for a private event.  Soleiman Hajj Soleiman, a Syrian refugee  who arrived in Canada in January 2016,and father of six, has  been charged with six counts of sexual assault and six counts of sexual interference.

 

There has been discussion regarding the naming of the alleged attacker, something that is commonplace, and/or the fact that the information that he is a Syrian refugee was mentioned.

 

 

The CBC asked about the propriety of mentioning that this man was a Syrian refugee in a tweet. 

 

Then “Mohamed Huque, executive director of the Islamic Family and Social Services Association, said reports about Soleiman's refugee status unfairly vilified an entire community.”

 

“Huque said the suspect's immigration status is not relevant to the crime, and journalists had a duty to keep those details out of their coverage. He said news outlets, including CBC, are often inconsistent in their reporting on the racial backgrounds of suspects.”

 

David Tait, a professor at Ottawa's Carleton University who has taught ethics courses at the journalism school wrote: "Journalists have to sort of go and look at a situation not from the standpoint of, 'Is there public appetite for this information? Do people want to know it?' But, 'Is that detail relevant at this stage to this story?'”

 

Is that the responsibility of the media to decide what we should be told?

 

Should the media have included in the article the teachings of Islam regarding women and girls and modesty, too?

 

Let’s take a look at the “The Quran – Saheeh International” which contains a  modern day interpretation of Holy Scripture. It is available for freeat the Islamic booth in Toronto’s Dundas Square, along with many other books on  Islam.

Here are some excerpts about how Muslim men should treat women in modern times.

 

That sodomy is an evil deed and the teachings condone “light” wife beating for discipline purposes, punishing unmarried adulterers with 100 lashes, executing married adulterers by stoning, For more information click HERE.

 

Islam – Balancing life and beyond

 

The book states among other things: (click HERE):

 

Relationship out of wedlock is known as ‘fornication’, punishable by Islamic Law in an Islamic state

Whereas when a woman chooses to show her body in one form or another, the message is only one: she wants attention and possibly much more.

 

Islam puts an upper limit of four wives and gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women.

 

I have not seen any protests about these teachings, IN CANADA, from our esteemed feminists across the land. I can’t understand the lack of attention on these remarks. Feminists used to fight to change the law of the land from one that blamed the victim: “Well, what do you expect-she was wearing proactive clothing? She must have been asking for it.” To laws that protect women from such misogynistic attitudes.

 

Recently a Canadian judge suggested that a young woman keep her knees together to avoid being sexually assaulted!  Do you remember the media firestorm over that?

 

“The Calgary trial made headlines around the world after it emerged that Camp had repeatedly asked the 19-year-old complainant why she hadn’t done more to prevent the alleged rape. “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” Camp asked her. Later he told her that “sex and pain sometimes go together”.”

 

And then these comments from the same book “The Quran – Saheeh International” about western behaviour, today, compared to the teachings of Islam, today. (click HERE):

 

People nowadays, especially Westerners, are opposed to the Islamic punishment for fornication and adultery because they see it as too harsh or disproportionate to the offense…

 

Islam views sexual relationships outside of marriage as a very serious matter… Islam emphasizes protection of the family by imposing severe punishments for activities that threaten the family foundation. These punishments are the same for men and women, and only a legitimate Islamic government has the right to implement them…

 

In reality the punishment is seldom carried out and serves primarily as a deterrent… Any government under which Shari’ah legislation is applied must establish justice as its core value in all affairs so that the social and cultural environment is suitable for all its people to live an upright and moral life. It is only after these conditions have been fulfilled that a government is entitled to implement penalties on its land.

 

Whys are these behaviours allowed to be shared in Canada? Do they not go against our laws? Our values? Our freedoms?

If we do not condemn this behaviour, now, behaviour that is coming into our country by people who have not been raised in our western values, who continue to hold on to their Islamic teachings, teachings that are promoted in Canada, how will we stop it?