At least two things could be raised in connection with the Globe and Mail piece by Globe columnist Sheema Khan, below, out minutes ago:
1. The unusual wording of the explanation, following the article, for the newspaper website’s closing of comments on Khan’s column:
We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions.
Might the “legal reasons” have to do with the possibility that some readers would expose Dr Khan’s history as founding Chair of the Canadian chapter of CAIR? Its name was changed a few years ago, to National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). Might there have been some truth-teller among the readership, who’d have been tempted to steer a bit too near defamation?
2. Dr Khan appears not to have been shy about using hyperlinks in her text when it suited her to buttress certain significant statements. Why, then, would she have failed to do so, in this case?:
… Muslim institutions must continue to thoroughly vet new imams, activists and guest speakers for all forms of hate speech and jihad recruitment. It seems to be working here: In many instances, Canadian Muslims have been the first to alert authorities of suspicious behaviour. …
Could the absence of links hint that there is a dearth of evidence for this proposition?
I’ll not take your time commenting on the article’s propagating of the Islamophobia theme, or on the possible, implicit invitation to have citizens remain asleep, Brit-style. However, in an act of crass self-indulgence, I’ll permit myself to include, below, a 2005 Globe and Mail editorial in which the newspaper was driven to condemn its own columnist, Dr Khan. In my opinion, it illustrates Khan’s role as a rather charming but ultimately divisive and undesirable purveyor of the Muslim victimhood narrative — among other things.
By way of disclosure-cum-reminder, I must mention that Dr Khan and CAIR.CAN sued me unsuccessfully for libel, in 2004.
“After Edmonton attack, vigilance and defiance,” by Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, October 1, 2017:
We thought we were immune. So did the residents of Nice, London, Barcelona and Berlin. As of Saturday, Edmonton now joins the dubious list of cities in which vehicles have been used as instruments of terror against civilians and officers.
Yet as security expert Phil Gurski has observed, recent court decisions point to a growing presence of Islamic State ideology on Canadian soil. In the past week alone, a Quebec man was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to join Islamic State. And a former University of Manitoba student was convicted of providing material support to al-Qaeda; his two Canadian accomplices have disappeared and are presumed dead. In addition, within the past year, police killed would-be suicide bomber Aaron Driver in Ontario, while IS-devotee Rehab Dughmosh awaits trial for attacking Canadian Tire patrons with a knife and a golf club in June. And let’s not forget that there have been about 100 Canadians who have left to join IS, with a subset seeking to return.
It is clear that Islamic State advocates pure hatred against anyone who does not ascribe to its ideology. This includes most Muslims worldwide. The group has even put out a “hit list” of Muslim leaders in Canada and the U.S., whom the group deems as traitors. Their goal is clear: maim or kill as many as possible, thereby spreading division and hatred within societies.
We must not let them succeed.
In the coming days, political leadership will be key for uniting citizens, while setting a tone of defiant resilience. Grassroots initiatives will be important for strengthening our social fabric, based on our bonds of common humanity. Let us join vigils, pray together and offer compassionate solidarity with the victims. We are stronger together. And let us remain vigilant against those who exploit this attack to spread hatred against Muslims. This is the vicious cycle that Islamic State aims to put into motion.
We can also learn from the response of other countries where such attacks have occurred. Across the pond, “keep calm and carry on” is exemplary, for it teaches us not to give in to our fears, nor to the goals of those who seek to divide us. In Barcelona, half a million people marched in a peace rally under the banner “I am not afraid,” echoing the London message. Muslims were prominent in the rally, with condemnation while reclaiming their faith, emphasizing “Not in my name.” There was also important messaging against xenophobia in the forms of signs reading “No to Islamophobia.”
A recent study by West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center on radicalization in Spain between 2013-2016, indicates that in 87 per cent of arrests, a radicalizing agent was key. In 69 per cent of arrests, strong social bonds were present amongst detainees. Taken together, the study advises the use of law enforcement to focus programs on where both sets of conditions exist. It also suggests that this model is applicable in other jurisdictions beset with radicalization and violent extremism. Muslim institutions must continue to thoroughly vet new imams, activists and guest speakers for all forms of hate speech and jihad recruitment. It seems to be working here: In many instances, Canadian Muslims have been the first to alert authorities of suspicious behaviour….
Here is the Globe and Mail’s 2005 condemnation of Khan: “First, remember who the real victims were,” Globe and Mail, July 14, 2005:
The victims of last week’s London bombings have not all been identified, or even located, yet some Muslim intellectuals in Canada have already begun jostling for a spot on victimhood’s centre stage. This is not only bad form; it’s plain wrong on the facts, and a shamefully equivocal reply to terrorism.
“If there is one segment of Canadian society that has lived with the constant fear of terrorist attacks,” wrote Sheema Khan, who is head of the Council on American Islamic Relations (Canada) and has a regular op-ed column in The Globe and Mail, “it is Canadian Muslims and Arabs. They know they will bear the brunt of the fallout.” She went on to wonder what would happen if Islamist terrorists were to strike at Canada. “Is internment in the works? Mass deportation of non-citizens? Limits placed on individual rights and freedom of movement?” The Canadian government, she says, has been “conspicuously silent on its contingency plans.”
Separately, Mohamed Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress issued a news release on the day of the bombings denouncing terrorism and saying in the next breath that Canadian Muslims pray they will not be found guilty by association.
These exemplify the “yes, but” responses to terrorism. Yes, but we are victims, too. Yes, we abhor terror, but what about Israeli settlements, what about the U.S. invasion of Iraq, what about all those bad things the West does to Muslims? This is a tilling of the very soil from which terrorism springs — not poverty or disaffected youth in and of themselves (they are nearly universal), but victimology, a sense of grievance so profound it justifies virtually anything done in its name.
Compare the “yes, but” response to what Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, said this week after a suicidebomber killed two Israelis in Netanya, near Tel Aviv, at the very time Israel is withdrawing from Gaza. “This is a crime against the Palestinian people.” That is an unequivocal message. It says the terrorists are harming the very people whose interests they claim to defend. It is much more than a pro forma denunciation of terrorism. It’s an attempt to expose the terrorists in their own communities, and change the culture that sustains them.
Or compare the “yes, but” approach to the clear public statements yesterday by the four Muslim MPs in Britain’s Parliament. They said the Muslim community must do more than condemn terror; it must confront it. “The message is that we cannot tolerate these people in our midst and, if we have in the past, we have to be stronger,” said Mohammed Sarwar, a Labour MP.
Much is made by Ms. Khan and Dr. Elmasry of the potential backlash in Canada, but this country’s record suggests little reason for worry. After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, prime minister Jean Chrétien went to religious services at a Muslim mosque to promote tolerance. Conspicuous? Yes. Silent? No….
David B. Harris is director of the International Intelligence Program for INSIGNIS Strategic Research Inc. in Ottawa.
Georg says
Can we ever worry about Muslims who spread hatred against the other 5.5 billion of us, please? Tail wagging the dog. Enough.
mortimer says
ISLAM HAS A DOCTRINE OF HATE: ‘AL BARAA’ = Islamic Apartheid, Shunning, Hatred towards Kafirs
Al Bughoud = Hatred directed towards Kafirs ‘for the sake of Allah’ or Al Mu’adaat (hatred) is the opposite of Al Muwalaat (love of Muslims), it is:
– To Hate
– To keep distance from
– To be enemy to
– To desert
– To decline to help
– To disrespect
– To put down
– Not to ally with
– Not to support
Allah ordered Muslims to have Baraa (to be cleansed) from the kufaar and from kufr and shirk.
-Imam Abdul-Latif ibn Abdur-Rahman Rahimullah said, “It is not possible for someone to realize Tawheed and act upon it, and yet not be HOSTILE against the mushrikeen. So anyone who isn’t HOSTILE against the mushrikeen, then it cannot be said that he acts upon Tawheed nor that he realizes it.” [ad-Durar as-Saniyyah 8/167]
-“The doctrine of al Walaa wal Baraa is the REAL IMAGE for the actual practice of this faith.” – source “Al Walaa wal Baraa According to the Aqeedah of the Salaf”, by Sheikh Muhammad Saeed al Qatani, authoritative Saudi Sharia lawyer and imam at the Abu Bakr and Al Furqan Mosques in Mecca.
– “The honour of Islam lies in INSULTING kufr and kafirs. One who respects the kafirs dishonours the Muslims… The real purpose of levying jiziya on them is to HUMILIATE them to such an extent that they may not be able to dress well and to live in grandeur. They should constantly remain TERRIFIED and TREMBLING. It is intended to hold them under CONTEMPT and to uphold the honour and might of Islam.” – Sufi scholar Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi
Georg says
Tx, mortimer for the explanation of baraa — had never heard of it though its practice and effects are obvious.
PaulM says
The bottom line being, that islam and muslims are dangerous, diseased fascists that have to be stopped. PERIOD. No one gives a shit to debate this edict or that edict or get into hyperbole. islam is a fascist, cancerous entity that MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO PROSPER. Start with getting rid of the ass wipe trudeau.
Terry Gain says
A Muslim motivated by a vile ideology attacks innocents but the main concern of this Muslima is that we not think poorly of Muslims. Islam is one sick ideology.
C T says
Yes, again and again. Wwe can deplore the ideology and its evil fruit without hating Muslims. The poor souls were born into it, after all, and those who can read Arabic know what fellow Muslims will do to them if they opt out.
Howard Thomas says
“We can deplore the ideology and its evil fruit without hating Muslims. The poor souls were born into it.”
> There is no Muslim gene, there is no gene that compells one to follow any ideology.
Let’s speak plainly. If a Muslim is one who promotes the Quran and treats Mohamed as an exemplar – and that is surely the case – there is *nothing wrong* with being anti-Muslim; no more wrong than in being anti-Marxist or anti-Capitalist.
There are a number of people who have cancelled their Muslim membership, they can do so because it’s a *choice*. These are apostates; generally despised, alienated, intimidated and threatened by Muslim communities. Some are sadly murdered, particularly under Muslim jurisdictions – see the sorry tale of Salman Taseer in Pakistan (who wasn’t even an apostate, but considered one for helping a Christian).
Apostasy must be promoted by the Canadian government with the same zeal and fervour as Quranism and Mohamedism is being promoted by the Muslim community. Show Muslims the road out from the dark tunnel of Islam. Quranism/Mohamedism (Islam) does not enrich Canada in any way, it is not a benign doctrine.
Suggest viewing some of the videos of ‘IntrovertedSmiles’ on YouTube.
Carolyne says
Despite the bible and despite those do-gooders who say to “Hate the sin, but not the sinner,” that is impossible. The sin and the sinner are one entity. One cannot love the moon but hate nighttime. Muslims are part and parcel of terror whether or not the practice it. They love it. It is written into their religion and it is engraved upon their hearts. To think anything else is naïve.
mortimer says
Agree with Terry. The NAME of the ‘vile ideology’ is AL WALAA WAL BARAA.
Look it up.
Georg says
“They know they [Muslims] will bear the brunt of the fallout.” Obscene. Those who “bear the brunt” of terror are the dead and maimed, as well as their family members. I went to school in NY and know numerous people who have either died in the years after 9/11, or who suffer torturous afflictions such as acute vertigo or even cancer due to inhaling the particulates in the days, weeks and months after the attack.
A teacher of Muslim descent in my university, when discussing 9/11 upon our reading of *The Reluctant Fundamentalist* (an apologist’s tome regarding terror and hatred for the victims of 9/11), spoke at length of Sikhs and innocent Muslims being targeted in the streets in the hour or two after the attacks. Were those actions wrong? Of course. Vile and stupid. Did she mention even one word about the atrocious suffering of those burning alive in the hundred stories above? No. Why? She does not care for them — quite evidently. They were not worthy of mention, for her. The takeaway regarding 9/11 was that cab drivers were spat upon and Sikhs (highlighting Western [white] racism/stupidity) wrongly targeted. To have adherents with such views, especially in positions of instruction, authorship and governance in our lands is nothing less than dangerous.
Carolyne says
I know of no “Sikhs or Muslims being targeted in the streets in the hour or two after the attacks.” Could you perhaps enumerate them?
gravenimage says
Georg, many of these “hate crimes” against Muslims turn out to have been faked–thais has been covered extensively here at Jihad Watch–and others are no more than someone giving a Muslim in a headscarf a suspicious look or draping bacon over a Mosque door handle.
The idea that there is an epidemic of “hate crimes” against Muslims by Westerners is just false–but all too many believe it.
jewdog says
Notice the prevalence of the term Islamophobia in the West, but nothing equivalent to define Muslim bigotry, as though all these Islamic jihadis are victims of racism. People who believe in defending our Judeo-Christian values need to grab the bullhorn from the self-haters.
mortimer says
ALLAH WANTS KAFIRS TO BE AFRAID
KAFIR-O-PHOBIA is the OFFICIAL and ESSENTIAL doctrine of Islam better known as AL WALAA WAL BARAA… the hatred directed by Muslims towards the DIRTY KUFAAR ‘for the sake of Allah’.
There are over 300 references in the Koran to Allah and FEAR. There are 25 statements that Allah does not love the KUFAAR.
There are over 400 teachings of HATE towards all disbelievers: Jews, Christians, Idolaters and Kafirs.
So much for love. FEAR and HATE are what Allah demands in the Koran.
Allah commands that Muslims STRIKE FEAR into the hearts of the KUFAAR… so FEAR … Islamophobia is what ALLAH WANTS.
jewdog says
Exactly. Let’s not give in to that.
By the way, I notice that some of the Asian cultures are far more honest, and ruthless, in dealing with Islam: China, Myanmar and Japan, for example. They don’t have the hangups about loving everybody. Sometimes, all these nice Westerners make me nervous.
WPM says
That is because Eastern countries have not lost their pride in themselves their culture, families, religions and way of life.. The west is drowning in a sea of progressive self doubt and hate. I was born and raised in New York City and still live for over 57 years, I think the a lot of people around me have lost the will to think logically .They want so hard to believe in the silly magic that all cultures are equal. That the Western world and values should be ground under the heel of the boot of P.C. thinking. They have made the MSM ,actors, political leaders their new religion ,they have lost any way of looking at things in a critical way. They want to be corralled into their electronic playpens, entertained and lead like children ,to the magic play land of new and exotic things. Islam is a violent pet that will not be cage or keep at bay by feeding it and whispering sweet nothings into its ear. It will eat the children who play with it and will always be hunger for more.
mohamonator says
To paraphrase Herbert Morrison, “Oh the Islamophobia, it’s the worst catastrophe in the world, Oh the humanity!”
Let the orgy of hand-wringing begin….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Morrison_(announcer)
Wellington says
Proving yet again that the real problem is not evil (e.g., Islam) but those who allow for excuses for evil (e.g., the editors of the Globe and Mail).
mortimer says
The Globe & Mail are dhimmis.
MFritz says
Female accomplice.
Dum Spiro says
This video shows how all Muslims benefit from a jihad attack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObIThAi07Tg
That should be informative…
— Spero
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
“Nothing poses a greater threat to Islam than an informed population of free people. Be one of those people.” – David Wood.
Jen L. Jones says
It would appear that Dr. Khan didn’t learn from that 2005 Globe and Mail editorial: she is still : “tilling the soil from which terrorism springs.” She is once again, even before the victims have been identified or the extent of their injuries known, warning Canadians that Muslims stand to be the true victims here. She warns that we need to be vigilant against those “who would exploit this incident to spread hatred against Muslims.” Does she classify analysis of the Islamic motivation for jihad attacks as part of this “exploitation”? I would expect that she does.
The 2005 editorial warned that this victimhood as espoused by Dr. Khan feeds terrorism; Dr. Khan however warns that those who “spread hatred against Muslims” are the ones who are feeding the “vicious cycle” of terrorism. It would serve the Muslims of Canada better if she refused to play along with the Muslim-as-victim and victims-become-terrorists paradigm and clearly remind all Muslims that there is no excuse, ever, for terrorist actions.
Can Dr. Khan also explain to Canadians why “Muslim institutions must continue to thoroughly vet new imams, activists and guest speakers for all forms of hate speech and jihad recruitment”? Why is it that this “religion of peace” has such a problem with hate and violence? Or is it all the fault of those who “exploit” the Islamic connection in such incidents as this latest attack and thereby feed that “vicious cycle” again?
Lydia says
After Edmonton jihad attack, Globe and Mail warns against those who “spread hatred against Muslims”
How about instead… warning against those who ARE SPREADING HATRED BY BEING MUSLIMS, AGAINST NON MUSLIMS!?
Who would not dislike muslims after they attack and kill innocent human victims?
But of course, as usual for these idiots… that would make TOO MUCH SENSE!
It is enough to make you vomit!
tedh754@gmail.com says
Cancer has killed my dad, mom, and a sister, but I refuse to condemn cancer!
Sarah says
You know, being told by a Muslim to not blame Muslims for attacking innocent people in the name of their religion, Islam is rich and all rather pointless.
This Khan creature, by her own words and actions is no more trustworthy than any of her ‘brothers and sisters’ of Islam who run around trying to kill us all. Why on earth would any of us listen to her outright lies? I see that hijab, tightly wrapped over her ears – I know the difference and what it means. She is as dangerous to us as the idiot running around Edmonton.
She can bray about whatever the hell she wants, I’m not listening. Its all falling on deaf ears now, you stupid wench. Go away and occupy yourself with your 5 times a day panicked prayer ritual to your pathetic God.
Ren says
Hatred is already being spread against muslims and that is because muslims are spreading hatred with islam.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
Tamaskan Tatamakan – “Show a victim’s face [and] take over”.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
Has anyone heard if the feds are giving the Globe and Mail some bailout money? I hope not; I’d like to see them insolvent soon.
don vito says
When we (westerners, western values, western culture, western civilisation) hear of these attacks, we naturally thing that our “elites” are committing suicide for all of Western civilisation. By allowing moslems to come to the west and set up parallel enclaves, the seeds of our future destruction are being planted. Why, that is suicide, no? Why would our elites want us to commit suicide? The elites are already in the process of replacing people that hold western values from from free speech, rule of law, free market economies, representative forms of government, peaceful assembly, freedom to worship, or not to worship, etc. These values and others time tested and debated, over many centuries, are accepted by the general populous. The “elites”, want to murder those values, those ideas. So that the “elites” veil that murder with suicide. Not just to murder the western ideals, but to also murder the people that hold those ideals. What is in it for them (“elites”), hey, they can’t be blamed if we (kufrs) wanted to commit suicide. “Elites”, can still claim the moral authority to rule whats left. Will the “elites” be able to rule, not if my understanding of allah, mo, koran, islam, jihad, sharia, and history are true. It is murder, of civilisation and its people. Only the left/socialist/progressive/communist/moslem etc. can be so committed to their ideology to support the massive suffering and savagery this going to cause. The lefts’ ideology is that cruel, that humanity means so little and life so devalued that their ideology is triumphant over all.
John Forbes says
They rape HUNDREDS of thousands of CHILDREN in the UK, Sweden & Germany & Kill many & Blow up busses & trains but we need to protect this IDEOLOGY from VERBAL HATRED & Parrot the GREAT LIES : ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE & VIOLENCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH islam,
OUR governments ACCEPT THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD TERM ; ISLAMOPHOBIA & INTRODUCE BLASPHEMY LAWS TO STOP ANY CRITICISM AS THIS IDEOLOGY SCREAMS HATRED AT OUT PEOPLE, SOCIETY & FAITH !
They hate us our way of life & OUR GOVERNMENT INSISTS they these HATERS BE TOTALLY Protected from any form of criticism or abuse ????????
We NO LONGER MATTER ???????????????????????????????????????
Expat88 says
The perpetrators always turn themselves into victims so quickly it makes my head spin. But it is not surprising. We see this after every single attack by jihadis. All the hand-wringing about supposed retributions which never come to pass.
carol says
Sounds like “REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY” doesn’t it? Criticize the urge to throttle before it actually happens and the kuffar will unconsciously “prove you wrong”.
Infidel says
Feel so so so sorry for Canada and patriotic Canadians… Such a beautiful country, a paradise in the snow, and even the envy of the USA in certain aspects.. now being destroyed by its own leaders.. After Sweden and Germany… now this!! How the once mighty fall… thru their own fallacies…!! It should be a very painful exp for Patriotic Canadians.. a stake driven right thru their collective hearts by their own leaders…
Janice Disher says
Basically muslims are worried we are going to treat them like they treat us. Here’s a thought muslims STOP trying to wipe Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddists, etc. off the face of the earth!
Politicianaphobia says
“Those who believed and migrated, and strove with their wealth and their persons in the cause of Allah, and those who gave them refuge and helped them, are the protectors of each other.” They are spreading the word of Allah and the government, and news organizations are helping them. Deport them.
carol says
The mental image that surfaces is that of a herd of skunks preceded by a waft of innocuous incense.
Tom says
The strategy of professed victimhood and fearful innocence is wearing pretty thin.
Canadians are not falling for the straw man of muslim victimhood after one of their own kills innocents in the name of their religion.
Where is the concern for the victims, their family and friends in all of this muslim handwringing and moaning.
gravenimage says
After Edmonton jihad attack, Globe and Mail warns against those who “spread hatred against Muslims”
……………………..
No concern over Muslims showing their hatred of Infidels by mass murdering them–instead, the focus is always on the phantom “backlash”.
Here’s more ugliness from Sheema Khan, claiming that Infidels are responsible for violent Jihad, and claims that there is a “backlash” against Muslims, all while lying, and saying that “Islam forbids terrorism, murder and mayhem”. This crap was from two years ago, in the wake of the Paris Jihad terror attacks, but it could have been from almost any time since 9/11:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/in-the-fight-against-terrorism-muslims-must-own-their-message/article27307352/?arc404=true
She also claims that she feels like a “second class citizen” in Canada, because some convicted Jihadists had their dual citizenship revoked. Due to this, she felt “too broken to write”–if only this were true…
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/fifty-years-in-canada-and-now-i-feel-like-a-second-class-citizen/article26691065/
Notice in this article she says nothing against Jihad terror at all.