by Sheharyar Shaikh
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On Saturday, June 16th, 2012, I met National Post columnist, Jonathan Kay at the "Message of Peace: Countering Islamophobia" conference hosted by University of Toronto’s Muslim Students Association and ICNA Canada. Jonathan Kay and I, along with guest speakers from the US, shared a stage panel that responded to various questions posed by the moderator and the audience on the topic of Islamophobia.
Jonathan Kay is comment pages editor of the National Post. In addition, he is a columnist for the National Post op-ed page, and a regular contributor to Commentary magazine and the New York Post. His freelance articles have appeared in Harper's, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and various other publications.
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As a follow-up to the conference, Jonathan Kay wrote a piece entitled: "
As a follow-up to the conference, Jonathan Kay wrote a piece entitled: "
Assessing the state of Islamophobia in Canada" which can be viewed by the readers.
Jonathan Hillel Kay, who is otherwise civil, courteous and appears intelligent on personal terms, wrote a disappointing article for its skewed and at times ridiculous assertions.
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Jonathan Hillel Kay, who is otherwise civil, courteous and appears intelligent on personal terms, wrote a disappointing article for its skewed and at times ridiculous assertions.
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Right on the onset, Kay sours the pot by alleging that the fear of Islamic terrorism in Canada is "very real, legitimate and widely shared". Presenting such fear as "rational" reminded me of the ludicrous measure taken by one Canadian town, Herouxville (pop:1338), that actually enforces a municipal charter banning the stoning of women.
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Is Islamic Terrorism in Canada Real?
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If Islamic terrorism (or terrorism in general) had a "reality" in Canada as Kay claims, as it does in some countries, we would see innocent Canadians victimized by terrorist attacks across our major cities. Not a single Islamic terrorist attack on our soil thankfully has ever occurred. Strange indeed, since it is we who warred against, invaded and currently occupy a Muslim country half-way around the world. In comparison, the US has bigger problem of Islamic terrorism than us.
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On the subject, three academics from Duke University and University of South Carolina co-authored a 2-year study which revealed that since 9/11, out of the 136,000 murders committed in the US, terrorism has taken a total of 34 US lives. That’s 34 out of 136,000 (or 0.03%). How "legitimate" "real" or "rational" then is the Canadian fear of Islamic terrorism which has had none? We have lost more Canadians to peanut butter allergies than acts of Islamic terrorism. If public security is a concern then shouldn’t we be more worried about drunk drivers who have caused around 28,000 fatalities on our roads since 9/11?
On the subject, three academics from Duke University and University of South Carolina co-authored a 2-year study which revealed that since 9/11, out of the 136,000 murders committed in the US, terrorism has taken a total of 34 US lives. That’s 34 out of 136,000 (or 0.03%). How "legitimate" "real" or "rational" then is the Canadian fear of Islamic terrorism which has had none? We have lost more Canadians to peanut butter allergies than acts of Islamic terrorism. If public security is a concern then shouldn’t we be more worried about drunk drivers who have caused around 28,000 fatalities on our roads since 9/11?
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There is no denying that there was an amateurish attempt by the CSIS-infiltrated "Toronto-18" in 2006. Our law enforcement agencies were closely following them at every step. Who were the ‘Toronto-18’? The president of the McKenzie Institute, a Toronto think tank, summed up the involved in the following words:.These are kids at a transition, between Islamic society and Western society. A lot of people will get militarized if they're unsure of their own identity. They're just young and stupid. If you're 17, bored, restless, you want to meet girls – hey, be a radical.
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Seven of the eighteen had their charges dropped (or stayed). Before their arrests, I had met Steven Chand a couple of times – a Hindu convert to Islam who ended up receiving one of the harsher penalties. At the time my impression of him was that of a kid caught up in the hip hop scene, trying to find a life path. Mubin Sheikh, the police-informant who knew Chand long before the arrest, has allegedly said: "The guy is not what they're making him out to be, not at all".
Seven of the eighteen had their charges dropped (or stayed). Before their arrests, I had met Steven Chand a couple of times – a Hindu convert to Islam who ended up receiving one of the harsher penalties. At the time my impression of him was that of a kid caught up in the hip hop scene, trying to find a life path. Mubin Sheikh, the police-informant who knew Chand long before the arrest, has allegedly said: "The guy is not what they're making him out to be, not at all".
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The Toronto-18 case is often cited to affirm an "imminent threat of a Muslim takeover" of Canada. I’d like to know how a recently established community that’s hardly 3% of the total population could possibly take over any country. Any "widely shared" fear or hate projected upon Muslim Canadians is misplaced, yet foments undue suspicion and a blanket ill-will toward the Muslim citizenry. This hurts Canada as one nation.
The Toronto-18 case is often cited to affirm an "imminent threat of a Muslim takeover" of Canada. I’d like to know how a recently established community that’s hardly 3% of the total population could possibly take over any country. Any "widely shared" fear or hate projected upon Muslim Canadians is misplaced, yet foments undue suspicion and a blanket ill-will toward the Muslim citizenry. This hurts Canada as one nation.
Do Muslims run Radical Mosques?
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In his article Jonathan Kay talks of "a few radical mosques with some bad apples" operating in Canada. This is a much popularized view in the media. I have always wished to know where those mosques are. The last person who rang the "radical mosques" alarm to me was the pet-media Muslim and a community-reject, Tarek Fatah, some years ago. While admitting that he rarely visited any mosques himself he assured me that he would provide me with evidence of at least one radical mosque in Canada. He never did. Now I call on Jonathan Kay to disclose these "radical mosques" by name and deed so we as community can take collective action against them.
In his article Jonathan Kay talks of "a few radical mosques with some bad apples" operating in Canada. This is a much popularized view in the media. I have always wished to know where those mosques are. The last person who rang the "radical mosques" alarm to me was the pet-media Muslim and a community-reject, Tarek Fatah, some years ago. While admitting that he rarely visited any mosques himself he assured me that he would provide me with evidence of at least one radical mosque in Canada. He never did. Now I call on Jonathan Kay to disclose these "radical mosques" by name and deed so we as community can take collective action against them.
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It turns out that mosques and terrorism are interlinked: the two-year study on American Muslims titled "Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans" by academics David Schanzer and Charles Kurzman, with Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and the University of North Carolina respectively, shows that the contemporary mosques are a deterrent to the spread of militant Islam and terrorism.
It turns out that mosques and terrorism are interlinked: the two-year study on American Muslims titled "Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans" by academics David Schanzer and Charles Kurzman, with Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and the University of North Carolina respectively, shows that the contemporary mosques are a deterrent to the spread of militant Islam and terrorism.
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As a regular visitor to various GTA mosques (most of which are too poorly managed to take over the world), I concur with the study.
As a regular visitor to various GTA mosques (most of which are too poorly managed to take over the world), I concur with the study.
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It’s the Immigrant, Stupid!
It’s the Immigrant, Stupid!
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Immigrants, especially the visible minorities, have not had it easy in Canada. In 1885, the Chinese had to pay a special head tax to enter Canada exclusive to them. When in Canada, Chinese men were not allowed to bring their spouses or children, vote, hold certain jobs or hire white females. Ghettoized in the dingier parts of the cities, they pretty much suffered the same treatment as blacks whom PM Wilfred Laurier called "unsuitable" for Canada. When the Chinese situation improved, we branded the Ukrainians as "enemy aliens", stripping them of their wealth and subjecting them to forced labour under the War Measures Act (1914).
Immigrants, especially the visible minorities, have not had it easy in Canada. In 1885, the Chinese had to pay a special head tax to enter Canada exclusive to them. When in Canada, Chinese men were not allowed to bring their spouses or children, vote, hold certain jobs or hire white females. Ghettoized in the dingier parts of the cities, they pretty much suffered the same treatment as blacks whom PM Wilfred Laurier called "unsuitable" for Canada. When the Chinese situation improved, we branded the Ukrainians as "enemy aliens", stripping them of their wealth and subjecting them to forced labour under the War Measures Act (1914).
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An additional 80,000 immigrants that included Austrians, Germans, Hungarians and Ukrainians were registered as "enemy aliens" who had to carry their IDs at all times, regularly reported to the authorities and were legally banned to read anything other than in English/French. When the discrimination against the East Europeans and Germans ended, 22,000 Japanese were thrown in the internment camps in the 40’s on the basis of mass-suspicion and hate. These Japanese included decorated soldiers who had fought in WWI for Canada. Furthermore, the government confiscated their finances and homes, and instead of returning them later to the owners as promised, sold them cheaply at public auctions while the owners toiled as farm labour.
An additional 80,000 immigrants that included Austrians, Germans, Hungarians and Ukrainians were registered as "enemy aliens" who had to carry their IDs at all times, regularly reported to the authorities and were legally banned to read anything other than in English/French. When the discrimination against the East Europeans and Germans ended, 22,000 Japanese were thrown in the internment camps in the 40’s on the basis of mass-suspicion and hate. These Japanese included decorated soldiers who had fought in WWI for Canada. Furthermore, the government confiscated their finances and homes, and instead of returning them later to the owners as promised, sold them cheaply at public auctions while the owners toiled as farm labour.
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Remember that past anti-immigrant measures only reflected the wide anti-immigrant sentiments that existed, as they still exist, in public. Those sentiments are now directed toward the Muslims, and that is a cause for concern.
Remember that past anti-immigrant measures only reflected the wide anti-immigrant sentiments that existed, as they still exist, in public. Those sentiments are now directed toward the Muslims, and that is a cause for concern.
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A 2007 Pew Research Center report finds American Muslims to be "largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate" with respect to divisive issues – including the role of women. Kay too sees the Muslims as "generally well-educated and well-integrated" community, yet, at the same time blames the "retrograde Islamist attitudes towards women imported into Canadian society" as a "real" issue.
A 2007 Pew Research Center report finds American Muslims to be "largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate" with respect to divisive issues – including the role of women. Kay too sees the Muslims as "generally well-educated and well-integrated" community, yet, at the same time blames the "retrograde Islamist attitudes towards women imported into Canadian society" as a "real" issue.
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Shouldn’t Kay have allayed fears concerning "imported attitudes" toward women as part and parcel of the new-immigrant experience which would eventually disappear? Certainly it takes time, sometimes decades, for any community to acculturalize to a new setting. Instead, Kay appears to validate the fears by calling them "real, legitimate and widely shared".
Shouldn’t Kay have allayed fears concerning "imported attitudes" toward women as part and parcel of the new-immigrant experience which would eventually disappear? Certainly it takes time, sometimes decades, for any community to acculturalize to a new setting. Instead, Kay appears to validate the fears by calling them "real, legitimate and widely shared".
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Secondly, if Kay genuinely wanted to objectively assess "the state of Islamophobia in Canada" shouldn’t he have mentioned hijab/niqab-related physical assaults, job-firings, the banning of girls from sports/martial arts events, the talk on disqualifying few Muslim women in traditional garbs from voting rights, government services, etc?
Secondly, if Kay genuinely wanted to objectively assess "the state of Islamophobia in Canada" shouldn’t he have mentioned hijab/niqab-related physical assaults, job-firings, the banning of girls from sports/martial arts events, the talk on disqualifying few Muslim women in traditional garbs from voting rights, government services, etc?
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All cases may not be Islamophobia-inspired but they do enjoy wide support among the nastiest Islamophobes. Shouldn’t he have referred to the hate-propelled mosque vandalism and arson that has taken place in Calgary, Waterloo, Gatineau, Dorval, Port Conquitlam, Barhaven, Moncton, Hamilton and Toronto since 2006?
All cases may not be Islamophobia-inspired but they do enjoy wide support among the nastiest Islamophobes. Shouldn’t he have referred to the hate-propelled mosque vandalism and arson that has taken place in Calgary, Waterloo, Gatineau, Dorval, Port Conquitlam, Barhaven, Moncton, Hamilton and Toronto since 2006?
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Worse, Kay seems to blame the Muslims for maintaining "gestures and cultural habits" that "turn Canadians off". If a Canadian finds hijabs, niqabs or turbans (or even kippas) worn by taxpaying, law-abiding, hardworking, loyal citizens as public eyesores, shouldn’t Kay reprimand such people for being narrow-minded, unaccommodating, xenophobes? Why blame the immigrant for projecting "an aura of isolation and standoffishness" instead? Why not offer a constructive solution instead of blame, like increasing resources that promote better immigrant integration – which our foreign minister Jason Kenny acknowledged as lacking? Remember its Canada that needs a million immigrants a year to maintain the proportion of working age citizens relative to the retirees so we can all keep enjoying the life standard we do.
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Worse, Kay seems to blame the Muslims for maintaining "gestures and cultural habits" that "turn Canadians off". If a Canadian finds hijabs, niqabs or turbans (or even kippas) worn by taxpaying, law-abiding, hardworking, loyal citizens as public eyesores, shouldn’t Kay reprimand such people for being narrow-minded, unaccommodating, xenophobes? Why blame the immigrant for projecting "an aura of isolation and standoffishness" instead? Why not offer a constructive solution instead of blame, like increasing resources that promote better immigrant integration – which our foreign minister Jason Kenny acknowledged as lacking? Remember its Canada that needs a million immigrants a year to maintain the proportion of working age citizens relative to the retirees so we can all keep enjoying the life standard we do.
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Having said that, xenophobia coming from a person of a Jewish background is all the more tragic because not too long ago the Jewish immigrants to Americas were seen as too "clannish" and "unassimilable" and were generally held responsible for the discrimination meted out to them. Sounds familiar?\\
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Contd...
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