Syed Soharwardy, (who originally filed, then dropped, a complaint against Ezra Levant over the republication of the Danish Mohammed cartoons) has issued statement on recent decisions by Canada’s human rights tribunals;
When I initiated my complaint against Mr. Levant, I saw human rights commissions as a non-violent means of resolving differences among Canadians. I was not aware of the controversies between the commissions and Canada’s faith communities. I am thinking specifically of my friend Fred Henry, the Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary. Upon learning about the difficulties he and other faith communities have encountered with the commissions, I withdrew my complaint against Mr. Levant.
One of the reasons I chose Canada as my adopted homeland is because of our country’s great respect for religious freedom. In Canada, I am free to be good Canadian and a good Muslim. There is no contradiction between the two.
In listening to the experiences of Bishop Henry and Pastor Boissoin, I realized how precious religious freedom is to our country and how easily freedom is lost.
Yes, I have often expressed concerns over Islamophobia. Some of the portrayals of Muslims in the media have been painful – so much so, that I worried when I set out across Canada on the multifaith walk against violence.
However, the reaction from ordinary Canadians could not have been more hospitable. Canadians of all races, colours, religions, and ages have welcomed me, a Muslim man with brown skin, into their homes, their neighbourhoods and their communities. They have walked with me, eaten with me and prayed with me. They have expressed strong concern for preserving our civil liberties – which includes freedom of speech and religion. They have also expressed a strong desire to end violence in Canada and around the world.
This experience has taught me that we can only end violence when we respect the freedom all Canadians.
There will always be pockets of Islamophobia in Canada, just like there are still pockets of anti-Semitism, racism and sexism. However, I have learned that the best way to dispel misconceptions between our various cultures and communities is for us to meet face to face and learn from each other similarities and difference.
This can only be accomplished in a society that respects freedom of expression, freedom of religion and all of our other democratic freedoms.
And good for him.
Since prevarication is not only allowed but required by the “special religion” this matter boils down to onus. Either we put the onus on members of the special religion to prove they actually want to be, and can be, peaceful citizens of a proudly democratic nation that accepts the rights of all people even if they were cursed through birth or circumstance to be women or atheists or Bahias or Christians or homosexuals or (shudder) Jews, or, they will eventually “own us”. Pick one. Pick one now while you still have two hands to mark a ballot.
He’s paraphrasing the Merchant of Venice. Shylock says: “I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.” Compare:
“They have walked with me, eaten with me, and prayed with me.”
It’s that “walk” that gives it away. Who walks anywhere these days?
Why? I dunno why. Maybe he’s into Shakespeare.
I really not belive cost of legal in Canada court should stop people for file complain
I understeand legal fees is high and court try do not let anybody simply file sue against other party by punishment of cost of lawyer fees
I personaly disagree with it.
why? most company has used legal fees deduct from their tax which is tax deductable and at the end of year nothing came out ot from their pocket
in case of Ezra or Mark Styne they got million donation andhelp nd got more fame and money to their pocker using this law sue at the end of day they are not finacialy are looser too
then there is not reason while they made money bother that Muslim guy of why you file agaisnt us and we nonMusim has right to bother Muslim and why you stop us by pay our some part of legal fees and in most case you may get 40% of cost of your lawyer not all of them in court any way.
the matter is justice means fear Am I right ? I think I am because when there is war two parties used all treat to scare each other look at all bombs shows of Isreal and Iran while both only civilan are scared not the goverment for bot are only play of game . Is both governmetn has right to treat each otehr by killing your people if you come near my border or not may in some extend
or when we see USA army go and drop bomb look at reallity that bom if drop kill peopl and made them to pieced not able to recognize them as well mostly are civilan in so many cases is this for fear and treat too
then if Arab use all tools or verbal treat ans show discusing picture do you think the picture of Arab killing other side with USA killing civilna in real if you take both picutre of tha both are humanh body got to pieces then both is toold and tactis to scare each other
now look at court criminal court put people for 25 years in jail to scare otehr criminal is not true and criminal say if I rub the bank come bohter me I kill police too
in conclusion both good verses bad are used tactic to scare each otehr and I do not like war becaue it is not recongze who is kill by drop bomb and I also i se this as goverment of both coutnry proud and power and game using religion and blood and pictuer to gain more other thing not worth it to loose any body die for it for money and power and land
the only thing is important who is say the truth who is say the wrong and how we can punish people in differnet way to change them not keep them for ever in jail I do not trust jail in any country can stop the crime or fix them I think if they send soem people and made them community center like metnal hostital or group counsling is better to let a human stay in jail I never see any body go to jail and come back and jail fix them and scare them never back gain in 70% of case
then treat for legal fees to not bring yoru complan is abusive I do not like it unless damage is too much and the person keep bring person in so many courts then we can stop them by fine or legal fees not for find direction and also treat method to show bad people to change or fix or stop them doing wrong need to review I do not liek jail sysmte and I do nto war or capital punishment we need to have prevention program and we need to have legal has direction before it get file before judge may a committer review it and then go to court or find better solution to resolve conflict old method not work well stop the war both killing so many innocnets and find new method instead to help community in faster way we need to hae ore education in society or pschcology or study of relgion or study of crime to do more research about this to let peopel say what they want in step if their complain was correct go to befoe judge if not the commite can drop them earlier to reduce defamation of people as well we have to see people who are innocent not like to go to court as well need to protect them as well as if really peole has complain has way not stop them by legal fees cost to they can talk too
If he believed everything he wrote, he wouldn’t be a practicing Muslim.
I think this is probably a sincere statement from Soharwardy. I don’t say this because I vouch for his character, but because the conspiracy theories don’t make sense.
To me this is an example of how HRCs in Canada instigate bigotry and in the true spirit of multiculturalism hinder new immigrants from adopting essential Canadian values and civic responsibility.
Mr. Soharwardy’s first response to criticism of Islam was to go to the police and try to have Ezra arrested. This hardly seems like the actions of a coordinated Islamic plot, and instead reveals how green he is about how problems can be resolved in a free country. Obviously, his dialog with the HRC did nothing to change his irrational fear that Canadians would turn to violence as a result of cartoons. On the contrary HRCs in Alberta are fishing around for cases with their advertising campaign that tries to convince new immigrants that Canadians are bigots so that they can justify their salaries. Mr. Soharwardy’s letter is just another devastating blow to the credibility of HRCs and their section 13 mandate.
I definitely think that Mr. Soharwardy was frightened into advocating for freedom for fear that censorship would eventually be turned against Islam. Perhaps the example of other religious persecution has enlightened him. It is sad, but in a democratic country where people are not taught civic responsibility, Mr Soharwardy’s change of heart over free speech is not atypical. Unless you are disciplined in your defense of free speech you don’t act to defend it until censorship hits close to home.
Mr. Soharwardy will have to abandon some of his religious principles if he is going to embrace freedom in Canada. He is also going to have to abandon the word Islamophobia that he learned from the HRC. But Mr. Soharwardy’s example is one that more Canadian Muslims need to take. We don’t always agree and we don’t resolve our problems in Canada through censorship.
Wait a minute, Mike Blackadder: Mr. Soharwardy has apparently been in Canada since 1980. When has ANY incident caused “Canadians [to]…turn to violence as a result of”…anything, let alone cartoons, in particular, the kind of violence we see in the Muslim world over cartoons?
‘You think he learned the word “Islamophobia” from the HRCs…or that it is likely he “will …abandon some of his religious principles if he is going to embrace freedom in Canada?
I find it highly improbable that after BEING IN CANADA FOR 26 YEARS before making the complaint against Ezra Levant Mr. Soharwardy was frightened about possible violence on the part of Canadians–and that’s what made him a) go to the police and b) take Mr. Levant to the AHRC.
Given the broader context of Mr. Soharwardy’s and the CIC’s anti-Israel views and the movement of extremist Muslims in Europe and their assault on the U.S. on 9/11, it seems highly unlikely that Mr. Soharwardy was unaware of what he was doing in taking Mr. Levant to the AHRC.
As I said in an earlier post, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I will be watching very carefully what he says and does. He seems to have turned on a dime, and I’ll be watching to see what that dime is.
http://www.m-a-t.org/syed.htm