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In today's feature article at Human Events, I discuss the Canadian Human Rights Commission's action against Mark Steyn, and its implications:
The Canadian Human Rights Commission and the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal have begun proceedings against Mark Steyn, author of America Alone. They are responding to complaints from the Canadian Islamic Congress about an excerpt from the book that was published in the Canadian journal Maclean’s. “The article,” the CIC claims, “subjects Canadian Muslims to hatred and contempt,” and was “flagrantly Islamophobic.”To be sure, the article was pretty strong stuff. Here’s a bit of it: “There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe -- without swords, without guns, without conquests. The fifty million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.” Even worse, it goes on to say: “Just look at the development within Europe, where the number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes. Every Western woman in the EU is producing an average of 1.4 children. Every Muslim woman in the same countries is producing 3.5 children.”
“A Muslim continent”! “The number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes”! No wonder the CIC was upset. And not just the CIC: writer Jim Henley, whose articles have appeared in The New Republic and The American Spectator Online, quoted the “mosquitoes” line and called Steyn a “racist.” There were just two problems: The “Muslim continent” statement is not only factual, it’s stated in words no one can characterize as inflammatory. (Also, it’s been said by Libya’s strongman Muammar Qaddafi). Second, “The number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes” was not Steyn’s phrase. He was quoting Mullah Krekar, a jihadist who currently resides in Norway, although officials have been trying for years to get him out of the country..And that sums up the problem with the Canadian human rights commissions’ action against Steyn: he was simply reporting on contemporary European reality. It was not Mark Steyn, but Algerian leader Houari Boumédienne who said at the United Nations in 1974: “One day, millions of men will leave the Southern Hemisphere to go to the Northern Hemisphere. And they will not go there as friends. Because they will go there to conquer it. And they will conquer it with their sons. The wombs of our women will give us victory.” Those who want to silence Steyn want to suppress facts and limit free speech.
It was not Steyn who said that “Islam will return to Europe as a conqueror and victor,” and that “the conquest this time will not be by the sword but by preaching and ideology.” That was Al-Jazeera’s Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi, who is widely hailed as a moderate reformer in the West. Did Steyn say that Muslims “will control the land of the Vatican; we will control Rome and introduce Islam in it”? Nope. That one comes from a Saudi Sheikh, Muhammad bin Abd Al-Rahman Al-‘Arifi, imam of the mosque of King Fahd Defense Academy.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission is putting itself in the peculiar position of penalizing those non-Muslims who report on such statements, as if it is somehow an act encouraging “hatred and contempt” to reveal the unpleasant reality that comprises mainstream Islamic rhetoric today. There is no indication that the CHRC has done a thing to investigate the possibility that some Muslims in Canada might hold the views of Mullah Krekar, Qaddafi, Boumédienne, Qaradhawi and Sheikh Muhammad. When the CIC’s President Mohamed Elmasry said in 2004 that all Israelis over age eighteen were legitimate targets, the CHRC took no action. But Elmasry, you see, is part of a protected victim class.
Actions like the one against Steyn threaten the foundation of free society. Once you declare one group off-limits for critical examination, once you declare that these people -- whoever they may be -- must at all costs not be offended, then you have destroyed one of the essential elements of free speech and political debate. In a free society, people with differing opinions live together in harmony, agreeing not to force their neighbor to be silent if his opinions offend them. If offensive speech had been prohibited in the 1770s, there would be no United States of America, and that is one of the reasons for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Of course, Canada is a different case -- but wherever offensive speech is prohibited, the tyrant’s power is solidified. That is no less so in this case, although the tyrant in question is of a different kind.
Posted by Robert at December 19, 2007 9:09 AM
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Yes stand by Steyn. Stand against the 'thought police'.
Anyone interested can sign a petition against these thought smothering Human Rights Commissions.
Sign the Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/a-free-dominion-against-the-hrcs/signatures.html
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at December 19, 2007 9:29 AM
Poor Canada! Remember the regular skit on SCTV featuring Bobby and Dougie, the MacKenzie brothers? Whatever happened to that Canada? The Canadian "hosers" seem determined to hand over their country to a bunch of Moslem losers.
Posted by: ebonystone at December 19, 2007 9:30 AM
I read an interview of Mark Steyn, or might have been an article that just quoted Mr. Steyn. But Mr Steyn said that the real tragedy isn't so much the complaint but rather the HRC and the BCHRT even agreed to hear the complaint. He also stated that this set a dangerous precedent. In short, even if he wins, free speech has lost. I will try and find the link and post it later.
Posted by: Kevin at December 19, 2007 9:32 AM
Great post Robert.
The challenge to free speech is by a few islamics, almost on a lark.
The fact that Canada has been pulled to the left by successive 'liberal' regimes in the last 35 years and created the two edged sword of provincial and federal human rights commissions allows for this travesty.
Here we have the true marriage of the islamists and their socialist enablers.
Hoist on their own petard are these socialists.
And Canada has soldiers fighting (and also dying) in Afghanistan, fighting followers of a fundamental islamic ideology.
Go figure.
Posted by: dgene at December 19, 2007 9:32 AM
I sent this e-mail to www.steynonline.com:
This e-mail is encouragement for you in your battle with The Canadian Human Rights Commission attempt to silence voices like yours about the reality of Islam. Canadians like myself will be watching this closely. We do not need thought police in a suposedly free country. One should not be punished for pointing out facts, however unpleasant those facts might be to islamists and their apologists. DJV
Posted by: j_not_a at December 19, 2007 9:32 AM
“the number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes” – Mark Steyn
I also rather enjoyed a jihad watcher, Seymour Paine's, recent apt analogy of this prolific group’s being ‘like wasps laying eggs in a host’ [Europe]. With the more than double birth rate I don’t think either estimation is far of the mark, though I think that there are many that would seek to either ignore or worse: seek to disguise this ugly truth.
at December 19, 2007 9:37 AM
And signed the petition.
Posted by: j_not_a at December 19, 2007 9:40 AM
....not that there's anything wrong with mosquitoes. Don't want to offend the animal rights activists.
Posted by: poetcomic1 at December 19, 2007 9:46 AM
If either of these officious bodies (the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the British Columbia more-or-less ditto) officiously proceeds, it is their members who will look ridiculous. It is they who will suffer.
And they will have picked a fight that, from the Infidel point of view, is welcome. For as limned by Robert above, and previously noted by Steyn himself, attacking someone for quoting others accurately, is an absurdity. And it will be seen as an absurdity by the as-yet-insufficiently-brainwashed Canadian public, and lead that public, from sea to shining northern sea, to be made grimly aware of those quotations -- dont on parlera even in those quelques arpents de neige that constitute Quebec, in those mind-your-P.Q. circles -- that were not fabricated, but merely quoted, and most aptly, by Steyn.
Let the proceedings proceed. Let them be hoist by their own prosecutorial petard.
at December 19, 2007 9:51 AM
Here is an interesting excerpt from Teddy Roosevelt's book. (I put Canada in the class of America since they piggy backed off of us for so long and comprise of mostly European and Americans.)
On pages 70-71 of the book, “Fear God and Take Your Own Part”,, Theodore Roosevelt wrote of his address to the American Sociological Congress:
The civilization of Europe, America and Australia exists today at all only because of the victories of civilized man over the enemies of civilization, because of victories stretching through the centuries from Charles Martel in the 8th century and those of John Sobieski in the 7th century.
During the 1000 years that included the careers of the Frankish soldier and the Polish King, the Christians of Asia and Africa proved unable to wage successful war with the Moslem conquerers; and in consequence Christianity practically vanished from the two continents; and today nobody can find in them any ‘social values’ whatever in the sense of which we use the words, so far as the sphere of Mohammedan influences are concerned.
There are such ‘social values’ today in Europe, America, and Australia only because during those 1000 years the Christians of Europe possessed the warlike power to do what the Christians of Asia and Africa had failed to do – that is, to beat back the Moslem invader.
If European militarism had not been able to defend itself against and to overcome the militarism of Asia and Africa, there would be no ‘social values’ of any kind in our world today, and no sociologists to discuss them.
at December 19, 2007 9:56 AM
Notice all our friends on the Left stepping forward in a principled defense of free speech?
/sound of pin dropping on shag carpet
Posted by: Beagle at December 19, 2007 10:22 AM
The muslim students say they asked Macleans for a rebuttal. Here's what they wanted:
A 5 page page rebuttal. Unedited except for spelling/grammer. Artwork of their design.
Macleans replied by saying they will go bankrupt before allowing this.
If Steyn has no assets in Canada he should take the R Ehrenfeld approach and ignore. Wait for a judgment to be enforced in the U.S. and challenge it here in the U.S.
Macleans is a canadian co. so they will have to answer and can't do same. But...if they are willing to fight this all the way to bankruptcy ( unlikely, but good they see the merits of fighting this and are willing to devote large resources ), it ought to be a good show for the infidels to watch.
Also, the Complaint cites passages from the article- not one mention of muslims in Canada. Lots of references to muslims in the "west" and in Europe and North America but nothing about Canada. Macleans answer ought to be "So what" ( a demurrer in legalspeak).
The HRC takes these cases on a mere complaint, uses its own staff of lawyers and the defendents have to hire private attorneys.
The whole system needs to be exposed and shut down.
at December 19, 2007 10:23 AM
Roosevelt's text, again:
"It is utterly impossible to appreciate social values at all or to discriminate between what is socially good and socially bad unless we appreciate the utterly different social values of different wars. The Greeks who triumphed at Marathon and Salamis did a work without which the world would have been deprived of the social value of Plato and Aristotle, of Aeschylus, Herodotus, and Thucydides. The civilization of Europe, America, and Australia exists today at all only because of the victories of civilized man over the enemies of civilization, because the victories stretching through the centuries from the days of Miltiades and Themistocles to those of Charles Martel in the eighth century and those of John Sobieski in the seventeenth century. During the thousand years that included the careers of the Frankish soldier and the Polish king, the Christians of Asia and Africa proved unable to wage successful war with the Moslem conquerors; and in consequence Christianity practically vanished from the two continents; and today nobody can find in them any "social values" whatever, in the sense in which we use the words, so far as the sphere of Mohammedan influence. There are such "social values" today in Europe, America, and Australia only because during those thousand years the Christians of Europe possessed the warlike power to do what the Christians of Asia and Africa had failed to do - that is, to beat back the Moslem invader."
Posted by: Hugh at December 19, 2007 10:25 AM
Poor Canada! Remember the regular skit on SCTV featuring Bobby and Dougie, the MacKenzie brothers? Whatever happened to that Canada? The Canadian "hosers" seem determined to hand over their country to a bunch of Moslem losers.
Posted by: ebonystone
Immigration kicked in...the multicultural experiment took over
Posted by: Sneakyzionistcrusader at December 19, 2007 10:37 AM
“the number of Muslims is expanding like mosquitoes” is a quote from the parasitic Mullah Krekar who refuses to leave Norway despite a ruling for him to be deported. This 'human rights' circus has nothing on Steyn, nothing will stick.This Canuckish inquisition is dead in the water before it even gets off the ground.
Steyn is eloquent and knowledgeable enough to extricate himself out of this idiotic case.
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/12/17/mullah-krekar-islam-opposes-killing-civilians/
at December 19, 2007 10:39 AM
How odd that the same Islamic Org.'s used the Census information to boast about Islam and Muslims being the fastest growing minority in canada , plus the CIC boastfully entices Muslims to join a Voter-Pool to elect Muslim friend Politicians and avoid electing a Pro-Israel Candidate.
A liberal MP that is a Muslim was recently the head of the Canadian Arab Federation who was the same group just last year that Publicly stated that about 90% of Muslims and Lebanese in canada support Hezballah, plus they defended the peace march in Montreal and Toronto where Hezballah Flags were flown while Police did nothing for fear of a riot by the youth in masks .
Posted by: ala-sux at December 19, 2007 10:58 AM
How odd that the same Islamic Org.'s used the Census information to boast about Islam and Muslims being the fastest growing minority in canada , plus the CIC boastfully entices Muslims to join a Voter-Pool to elect Muslim friend Politicians and avoid electing a Pro-Israel Candidate.
A liberal MP that is a Muslim was recently the head of the Canadian Arab Federation who was the same group just last year that Publicly stated that about 90% of Muslims and Lebanese in canada support Hezballah, plus they defended the peace march in Montreal and Toronto where Hezballah Flags were flown while Police did nothing for fear of a riot by the youth in masks .
Posted by: ala-sux at December 19, 2007 10:59 AM
Thanks Hugh, I thought what I had was the complete words. I got it from a book that summarized his words, I guess. The book I got it from is called, 'What Every American Needs to Know about the Koran'. I bought the book because it had so many different points of view by so many different peoples, and just interesting easy reading while riding Bart. I keep it in my backpack whenever I don't have anything else to read.
Usually people will put '...' or some sort of mark to denote some words being left out - this book did not.
Posted by: R_not at December 19, 2007 11:01 AM
Mark is one of the few willing to state the threat in language that is unequivocal. This is how they plan to take over here in North America. Small insignificant pockets using the softness of our governments against us. The "tyranny of the minority" (i.e. atheists in the US).
Posted by: AngryVet at December 19, 2007 11:19 AM
Let's face it, the mosquitoes image is very negative, quoted or not. That still doesn't mean that Steyn can't have free speech to express negative opinions.
Isn't there a famous quote to the effect that you can shut me up, but you can't persuade me?
at December 19, 2007 11:24 AM
For all Canadians reading this article, remember the comments of those imprisoned during the Holocaust:
First They Came for the Jews
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller
And while I don't share all of the late M. Niemoller's other views, the point of the poem is well taken.
It is time for the quasi-legal Human Rights Commissions to be abolished, or they will soon be coming for you and I, no matter how innocent we may be. It is impossible to write an article for a magazine and have everyone agree with you - can't be done. Trying to confront people with the facts, as unpleasant as it may be, is a noble endeavour, and drawing conclusions from those facts is brave, albeit risky. Letting some stuffed shirt bureaucrats stifle this action is dangerous because we give people with no authority implied control of our lives.
Sign the petition and let's tell our elected officials that free speech is very important, or truth will be smothered.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/a-free-dominion-against-the-hrcs/signatures.html
And take time to read Mark Steyn's book for yourself and see if it doesn't strike very close to the truth. I bought a copy two days ago, and it is an excellent read.
Posted by: OolongChung at December 19, 2007 12:16 PM
A group of Canadian Christians and Jews needs to take the Quran and use it as a basis for a complaint to these same kangaroo courts. The Quran is far more insulting and degrading than Steyn has ever written. The best defense is a good offense. When will dhimmi Canadians take the battle to the enemy? Laws are supposed to work both ways.
Posted by: Pelayo at December 19, 2007 12:37 PM
I should have added this:
The complaint would have to be filed against the publisher, printer, distributor, and retailer of the Book of Hate. It can be done.
Posted by: Pelayo at December 19, 2007 12:43 PM
Greetings:
As these predicted Orwellian scenarios (All animals are equal. Some animals are more equal.) continue to percolate throughout the West, please let's not forget that censorship is just the tactic; self-censorship is the goal.
"Land of Song!" said the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"
at December 19, 2007 1:27 PM
Thias inquisition by the Canadian HRC is absurd, buty I agree with Hugh here. Bring it on. It will ultimately be beneficial to the anti-Islamist movement.
Posted by: awake at December 19, 2007 1:31 PM
Speaking of which, has Steyn won the anti-Dhimmi award already? When will that be posted?
Posted by: Infidel Pride at December 19, 2007 1:47 PM
Canadians and Americans (and Europeans for that matter): The green slimes (aka Muslims) will use your own laws to destroy you and your way of life. In India, where they are still a minority, they cry for secularism. But, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, with their slimey majority, they have carried out ethnic cleansing of Hindus and Buddhists. So, secularism goes out the window when they are in majority. Don't trust these guys, ever. Taqiya (deception) is something they learn very early on. They are very adept at using HR laws but don't have any use for them when in majority. VS Naipaul has correctly observed that "Islam is the biggest calamity inflicted on the mankind".
Posted by: IndianTiger at December 19, 2007 2:33 PM
Sounder:
Thanks for the link to the Free Dominion petition. I've just signed it and I would encourage all JihadWatch readers and lurkers - especially Canadians - to do the same.
Posted by: templar at December 19, 2007 2:59 PM
templar, thanks for signing the petition. Concerned folks from all around the world are signing that petition. Perhaps all JW readers would be so kind to do the same.
Posted by: sounder at December 19, 2007 3:45 PM
A group of Canadian Christians and Jews needs to take the Quran and use it as a basis for a complaint to these same kangaroo courts. The Quran is far more insulting and degrading than Steyn has ever written. The best defense is a good offense. When will dhimmi Canadians take the battle to the enemy? Laws are supposed to work both ways.
Posted by: Pelayo
Great idea!!
ANY Canadian can file one of these complaints. You don't need an attorney to file one. It's a form.
ANY Canadian can locate hate literature in a Mosque. It's not just the Koran. Make the Complaint against the mosque imam. Let the imam defend that propaganda and have the imam prove it is NOT hate speech.
Posted by: USorThem
at December 19, 2007 7:13 PM
Canada is gone already. They just do not realize it yet. What other outcome could there be when the Truth gets you charged with a hate crime. Try discussing Islam with there people. All one can do is shake your head and say good by. They are too hell bent on Multi-Cultural Ideology to recognize the road to ruin they have been traveling on.
The reference to Mosquitoes is really rich.Do you have any idea how hard it is to spray the real ones?
Posted by: flowerknife_us at December 19, 2007 8:26 PM
Is there any particuliar reason as to why my posting won't be accepted?
Posted by: crazycanuck at December 19, 2007 11:51 PM
11B40,
Love that song--can hear the tune in the back of my mind.
Hugh,
Here's another request:
I wanted a spirited, sentimental march--why not offer Brian Boru's March?
Posted by: John C at December 20, 2007 3:03 AM
Liberal Censorship is a Violation of Human Rights.
Stop the Canadian Inhuman Wrongs Commissions!
Stop the spread of tyranny in North America!
at December 21, 2007 4:45 AM
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