In that case, time for Letters to the Editor, to help with the correction. One can be sure islamics in the Toronto area will be writing their letters.

Posted by: Gary at January 2, 2005 2:46 PM

Mr. Spencer,
I would like to thank you for all your efforts and I wholeheartedly support you and OUR cause.

This was not the first time you have been short changed or mis-quoted by the media frenzy and I do not suppose it to be the last.

Biased reporting is repulsive and soon the people will change this by demanding "you report,we decide".

Lincoln describes it best when he posed this question?"If you call a dog's tail a leg,how many legs does it have?","five", his audience would usually respond."The correct answer","is four".
Calling a tail a leg does not a leg make.
Calling lies the truth does not make them so.

God Bless all
VERITAS VOSLIBERABIT

Posted by: Chuck at January 2, 2005 2:56 PM

Mr. Spencer:

I certainly agree with your view of how you have been quoted.

However, look on the bright side. I searched the Star databanks and this is the very first time that you have ever been quoted in the Toronto Star. The very fact that your name and Jihad Watch were even mentioned is a cause for celebration. Most people are totally unaware of you and your site so, as they say, "Even bad publicity is better than no publicity." Don't worry. When people go to your site, they will see your correction and explanation.

Posted by: Admiral Don Juan at January 2, 2005 3:00 PM

See Karen Armstrong is QUOTED AS AN EXPERT IN THIS
ARTICLE! Have written to Editor complaining about this. Know Robert is more than capable of CUTTING THE EDITOR AND OFFENDING ARTICLE DOWN TO SIZE...

Posted by: Morgane at January 2, 2005 3:34 PM

Furthermore, Armstrong says, Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian fundamentalists are prepared to fight and kill in the name of religion, and "strive to bring the sacred into the realm of politics and national struggle."

Yep, there go those Buddhist monks again, strapping on semtex vests and blowing up school buses in Beijing. Karen Armstrong is a complete imbecile.

Posted by: Charles Martel at January 2, 2005 3:40 PM

While I regret that they took Mr. Spencer's comment out of context, I liked the article. It had some flaws, but overall, its premise that the resurgence of militant Islam is a reaction to modernity is sound. It is of a piece with the rise in other fundamentalist belief systems, though, as Mr. Spencer points out, the result is more harmful with Islam, because the traditions they are reverting to are so violent.

Posted by: Hugh Bristic at January 2, 2005 9:06 PM

I live in Toronto and can assure you that the Star newspaper has a history of the "Cut and paste" method of journalism,it also demonizes Israel while portraying the Palestinian suicide bombers as victims driven to life of oppression and hopeless that caused the "Terrorism" method of defense against "The Jews" or the other new code-word "Israelis".

What makes thing even worse in Canada is that ever since the Theo van Gogh murder by Islamists
in broad daylight,there's and form of "Psychological" terrorism being inflicted by Muslims that not only stay mute about Islamists
murdering and beheading Christians and Jews,they are now demanding Shariah-Law in Canada as a Right since the Quran orders them to live by Allahs laws and not the Country they live in.
Irshad Manji is a female Muslim in Toronto that
writes about the blood on the hands of modern day Muslims that deny any connection to terrorism,as expected, she has had death threats from those Peaceful,tolerant Muslim men that are behind the push for Shariah-law for Muslim females in Canada.

They live among us and lay in waiting for the day to slay us for Allah and Islam,I no longer trust any Muslim and I've noticed that many media outlets supporting the donations to the Tsunami victims have avoided listing Islamic Charities.
No doubt the present funding of terorism by Canadian Islamic Charities hasn't gone un-noticed
even though CAIR and their ilk have proclaimed
they're victims of Islamophobia and Racism by the media. The Saudis are suspected of financing Mosques that teach the Wahabbism version of Islam and also back the demand for Shariah-law in Canada.

NO ISLAM - KNOW PEACE

Posted by: ala-sux at January 2, 2005 9:27 PM

While I appreciate you feel your entire point was not captured by the reporter, your comments were one of about a dozen others. If I read your own comments correctly, you are concerned about a possible spin and slant that might be attributed to your remarks. To that end, a note to the Letters Editor seems reasonable. On the other hand, the article did nothing to suggest you meant anything more than you said -- an important distinction.

I read the article straight through and it seems to me one of the more thoughtful, detailed, pieces of its sort. The Toronto Star makes no pretensions to be an academic journal; but it's hardly a sensationalist pandering rag, either. It certainly has an historic left-wing slant; but that is more reflective of its urban Canadian audience. And the Star does have three other English language papers to compete with -- not to mention other dailies in languages such as Chinese and Italian. (Toronto is a very diverse place culturally.)

It seems to me that the publicity you gain from the article is far more valuable than a potential misunderstanding over what you said.

Alexander
In Toronto

Posted by: SensualPoet at January 2, 2005 11:34 PM

While I appreciate you feel your entire point was not captured by the reporter, your comments were one of about a dozen others. If I read your own comments correctly, you are concerned about a possible spin and slant that might be attributed to your remarks. To that end, a note to the Letters Editor seems reasonable. On the other hand, the article did nothing to suggest you meant anything more than you said -- an important distinction.

I read the article straight through and it seems to me one of the more thoughtful, detailed, pieces of its sort. The Toronto Star makes no pretensions to be an academic journal; but it's hardly a sensationalist pandering rag, either. It certainly has an historic left-wing slant; but that is more reflective of its urban Canadian audience. And the Star does have three other English language papers to compete with -- not to mention other dailies in languages such as Chinese and Italian. (Toronto is a very diverse place culturally.)

It seems to me that the publicity you gain from the article is far more valuable than a potential misunderstanding over what you said.

Alexander
In Toronto

Posted by: SensualPoet at January 2, 2005 11:35 PM

I don’t believe it is accidental that they gloss over your distinctions between the beliefs, practices, and founding history of the different religions. However, we must patiently continue as trying as it seems at times. Thank you.

Posted by: JasonP at January 3, 2005 4:22 PM

Mr. Spencer,

You shouldn't be surprised. Just about every Canadian I read or see on TV is an idiot.

I can say that, I'm Canadian.

Posted by: CornHolio at January 3, 2005 7:01 PM

Here's a follow up to my claim made above about people avoiding "Islamic-Charities" because of the past links to terorism.

Below is an example of the usual backhanded compliments by Muslim leaders that can't say anything nice about non-Muslims or Israelis without using the qualified "But" or "However"
that drags in "Racism" or "Islamophobic"
claims. The Canadian Government has listed a few Aid-groups that are neutral in their selection of
help during disasters around the globe,the funds raised will be matched with Federal money and
Tax-Receipts for 2004 will be extended to 01-11-2005 for listed Aid organizations.
Since Islamic groups can't assure that some charities in Canada won't follow the money to the end users that might be "Fronts" for Muslim terrorists like the Afghan-Orphanage a Canadian Al-Qeada member set up to funnel money to middle east Jihadism.

**************************************************

"Canadians are a caring
people," she said. "And we are pleased that our own community has
reflected the rest of this great country in responding at a time of
desperate international need."

However, there is not the same confidence being expressed in the federal
government's recent promises to match charitable contributions from the
public. "Our government is matching some donations," said Zafar Bangash,
president of the Islamic Society of York Region, "but we need this offer
to be clearly extended to Islamic charities as well."

*for the full story click this link: http://www.canadianislamiccongress.org/mc/media_communique.php?mcdate=2005-01-02 *

Maybe if CAIR and their ilk denounced the actual Terrorists insted of the un-Islamic act,Muslim charities would have a much better image as really caring for all victims and not just Islamic causesthat also teach hatred to children.

Posted by: ala-sux at January 3, 2005 7:57 PM

Along with its blatant biases, quite a number of years ago Frank Magazine (once the Cdn equivalent of Britain's Spy, now on the brink of ceasing publication) carried allegations that a Muslim staff reporter at the Star wore a wire during a visit to a mosque in order to break news of the bile and spleen being preached, but the story was spiked.

Posted by: waterdragon52 at January 4, 2005 10:57 AM

Just a note to you Mr. Spencer, regarding the Toronto Star - I am not surprised your comments were lifted cut and paste style, so that the context could be blurred -

The Toronto Star is the Canadian equivalent of PRAVDA - they are essentially an appendage of our Liberal government and are completely leftist, politically correct, and extremely anti American, anti West etc.

I think you can guess what other types of biases they put forth. I wouldn't bother speaking with them, it's simply a left wing rag of a newspaper that exists only to further the Liberal Party of Canada's agenda - multi culti, socialist, self hating brainwashing.

Posted by: Maple_Leaf_Forever at January 4, 2005 12:16 PM

Karen Armstrong = false moral relativist

Posted by: Maple_Leaf_Forever at January 4, 2005 12:18 PM

Oh, and Mr. Spencer, I would also like to add about Canada and it's media:

We are so brainwashed that the mode of thought up here is:

"Balanced, un-biased" reporting is usually a description attributed to the CBC, BBC, The Toronto Star, and any other pro left-wing outlet, whereas any media that is more conservative in it's writings is usually branded biased or worse, racist - I.e. Leftist Libers = Good, Conservative = bad. Many Canadians have bought into this philosophy. We are truly a nation brainwashed, and it starts up here from a very early age, our education system is infested with commies.

A good many grown up Canadians have honestly been raised to believe that communism, socialism and left wing thought is good. We smug Canucks like to think that we are world wise as opposed to our so called insular American counterparts, but the truth is, as a nation, we are truly badly educated because we are not allowed to express alternate viewpoints, lest we be labled a racist or some such.

Our education system, and multi culte, militant politically correct groupthink propaganda has destroyed the average Canadian's ability to think in unbiased terms, because, as I've said, leftist thought is considered to be balanced, whereas conservatism has come to be regarded as subversive in Canada. Ironic. Ironic that Canadians, who constantly harp on about American shortcomings, are the actual stupid ones. We are a nation of morons.

This is how the brainwashing has occured in Canada for many years.

Posted by: Maple_Leaf_Forever at January 4, 2005 12:36 PM