Muslim anti-discrimination group condemns article racist against Jews

Canadian Press ^ | 01-09-04

[veronica]

VANCOUVER (CP) - Muslims with an anti-discrimination group on Friday condemned an article in a B.C. newspaper that accused Jews of faking the Holocaust and staging the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"I think the article is just atrocious, it's certainly hateful. I would certainly call it vile and malicious and serves only to scapegoat the Jewish community," said Riad Saloojee, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada.

"I think it's particularly disheartening that it's in a Muslim newspaper. This sort of hateful diatribe is really at odds with Islam."

The B.C. government's hate crimes team is investigating a complaint from the Canadian Jewish Congress about the article by American writer Edgar Steele.

It blames the Jews for causing both World Wars, the Great Depression, the Holocaust, pedophilia, organized crime, "race-mixing," militant feminism, and "forcing us to allow homosexuals to lead Boy Scout troops."

The B.C. Muslim Association joined the council in condemning the article and said it will no longer circulate the weekly paper, published in suburban Delta, B.C., at its mosques.

"Islam is very categorical about fact that the everybody is to be treated equally, no one should be discriminated against," Saloojee explained.

The newspaper, he said, represents an extreme view in the community.

However he said many Muslims see it as intolerant and that it isn't widely read.

"That is at least of some solace," he said.

Saloojee called on all institutions to stop circulating the publication.

The paper's editorial page says it is dedicated to Islamic brotherhood and bringing "harmony amongst all Muslim and other communities."

It also includes a disclaimer that "articles do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Miracle."

Chief editor Nusrat Hussain said earlier this week that he had no regrets about publishing Steele's article.

"We try to keep freedom of speech and not necessarily that we agree with the article and that is what Canada is about," he said.

Hussain said the newspaper published the article because the editors found it interesting.

[Zeppo]

Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada

Makes me wonder - when they show movies such as "American Pie" up north, do they rename them a la "American Pie Canada"? Or, in the US do they call the group "Council on American-Islamic Relations United States"?

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[rickmichaels]

"This sort of hateful diatribe is really at odds with Islam."

And pigs really do fly, and cows really do jump over the moon, and...

[thoughtomator]

Actually, he's got his Islamic theology wrong, but if he wants to promote a Reform Islam then I'm all for it.

[Sacks]

Actually, it's you who's got his theology wrong.

To get the theology straight: ostensibly Islam is a religion that promotes peace. What we're seeing today throughout the Middle East as well as in places like Indonesia and formerly Afghanistan is more of a "Reform Islam." Recall that prior to the arrival of the Taliban (or the Soviets), Afghanistan was a fairly tolerant place where, although its population was religious, there was little evidence of totalitarianism nor extremism. There are hundreds of millions of Muslims in the world, yet the vast majority of them is not actively involved in religiously motivated violence. That, coupled with the fact that the Qu'ran does not advocate violence, strongly suggests that, in fact violence is not consistent with Islam.

Those points aside, who are you to tell a Muslim he's got his Islamic theology wrong?

[miltonim]

I think it's particularly disheartening that it's in a Muslim newspaper.

LOL

[thoughtomator]

"Peace" in Islamic terms is not the same thing as "peace" to everyone else. Peace in Islam is when Islamists are in charge and everyone else is either dead or enslaved. Islam divides the world into the "world of Islam" and the "world of war". Peace is what they define to exist within the "world of Islam", by definition. So when they say they want peace, what they are actually saying is that they want to extend Islamic dominion over the entire earth, as that is the only thing that fits their definition of peace.

I've done quite a bit of research on the matter so I can claim some knowledge of Islam. The Koran not only promotes violence as a method of spreading the faith, but is in fact a handbook for how to do so.

Your comments are of an idealized Western perspective of Islam that is simply not true. Such a view is irreconcilable with the fact that there are more wars to spread Islam happening in the world right now than all other conflicts combined.

When you say the vast majority of Muslims aren't involved in the violence, that is true. But a vast majority don't need to be directly involved - even 10% means a hundred and twenty million radicals who would gladly die if they could kill you in the effort. Where's the 10% of Christians or Hindus or Bhuddists who want to kill all others? Where are the Christian schools churning out holy warriors for the cause? Why do these things only exist in Islam in the 21st century?

The vast majority of the people who lived in Europe and the USA did not fight as soldiers in WW2. Maybe 10% total did so, if even that many. Still that works out to many millions under arms, and the most devastating war the world has ever seen.

Hate to burst your fantasy bubble, but we are in a war against unreformed Islam, by their choice not ours, and denial of the problem can only result in more casualties on both sides. God forbid that the day comes when we are forced to annihilate the entirety of Islam to win this war - but if we are in denial about the reality of what we face, it may take for things to get so bad that that is necessary.

There's two options here: #1 nip this in the bud, be realistic, and win this war before the other side manages to rally and strike even harder; or #2 deny that it is happening, and wait until there is no other choice but mass annihilation. Let's face this problem squarely so that we can avoid being forced into choice #2.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Is this one of those moderate Muslims that we keep hearing exist?

[Coroner]

You have been indoctrinated!!!

[ThanhPhero]

Some of them are inally learning how to do it.

[nothingnew]

Welcome to FR Sacks. Stick around and learn.

FMCDH

[joesnuffy]

Islam stems from a faulty premise..Allah = God the Father and Mohammed = God the Son (Jesus Christ)

So its root form... its 'purest' state... promotes murder, torture, rape, theft,mutilation and harsh external locus of control

Moderate Islam is actually apostate...the nicer, gentler, kinder Islam gets... the further away from its roots it wanders...

Thats why the imams demand that the only valid koran study must be done in Arabic and preferably in Mecca...

imo

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Valin]

How so?

[Valin]

Islam stems from a faulty premise..Allah = God the Father and Mohammed = God the Son (Jesus Christ)

Chapter and verse please.
(what they believe)There is no God but Allah,(the Arabic word for God) and Mohammed is his Prophet(a man)

[BayouCoyote]

"Islam is very categorical about fact that the everybody is to be treated equally, no one should be discriminated against," Saloojee explained.

What a load of crap! Seems to me this man is in denial about the history of the murder cult running amuck through the centuries. What a scum bag.

[Optimist]

Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada

Makes me wonder - when they show movies such as "American Pie" up north, do they rename them a la "American Pie Canada"? Or, in the US do they call the group "Council on American-Islamic Relations United States"?

Can you blaim them for wanting to distinguish themselves from CAIR in the US?
(hasn't CAIR-US been criticized for channeling funds to terrorists?)

This is the absolutely first time I have heard any Muslim (let alone the director of what is essentially the Muslim anti defamation league) say ANYTHING nice about the Jews ..... and it's rather refreshing - hope he survives that bounty about to be put upon his head.

[Optimist]

a pleasant article to read -- even if it appears to be an anomaly as evidenced by refusal of other muslims to pull the offensive article/literature (on the basis of free speech yet-yeah, give me a break)

I just wish some of the other responses on this thread would accept the possibility that not ALL muslims are terrorists (as few as that may appear to be), and when you find one WILLING TO PUBLICALLY STAND UP AGAINST those portraying the traditional negative image we all-to-often get, that it might be a good thing and worth embracing.

[xm177e2]

Is this one of those moderate Muslims that we keep hearing exist?

No, it's CAIR, a Saudi-funded fundamentalist group. They are only condemning this because a) it's completely indefensible and b) it was written by a white non-Muslim. They have no problem accusing white infidels of racism.