Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Bigotry: Double standard in Canada?

In today's Post - Vision TV has promised once again to ban broadcasts of Pakistani fundamentalist Israr Ahmad. President and CEO Bill Roberts issued the following statement: "VisionTV profoundly regrets any offence that resulted from Mr. Ahmad's appearances on our network."

While VisionTV did not broadcast Mr. Ahmad's derogatory comments about Jews, or his theories of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy, Mr. Roberts said the decision about whether to allow him on Canadian airwaves should have perhaps taken those views into account.


The producer was apparently "distracted" by family matters, including his daughter's upcoming wedding.

"So the show was pulled and another show was put in its place, but it ended up being a show that also included him [Mr. Ahmad]."

(Maybe the producer should have taken some time off instead of accidentally allowing a purveyor of hate propaganda to have airtime in Canada? Just a thought.)


One of Mr. Ahmad's followers is, according to the Post, "Qayyum Abdul Jamal, who was arrested last summer for allegedly belonging to a Canadian terrorist group accused of plotting truck bombings in downtown Toronto."


Vision promises to set up a new task force to review standards and procedures.

Sounds like a start, but if you read today's editorial in the Post (Hateful Vision), you will see that the whole organization could use a good shaking up to put some balance in its obvious left-wing agenda. The Post points out a double standard in Vision and in our society in general when it come to bigotry:

While we accept that the July 21 broadcast was an accident, the incident fed into existing complaints about the network. Since its inception, VisionTV has shown a pronounced liberal bias. Evangelists have had to pay hefty sums to get their shows on the network -- and even then, they have appeared late at night or very early in the morning. Meanwhile, the channel's own original programming has been dominated by schismatic Catholics (those who favour female ordination, for instance) and United Churchers who question the divinity of Christ or who favour gay marriage.

Canadians also are understandably upset that Mr. Ahmad appeared on VisionTV in the first place. Our society (rightly) has zero-tolerance for traditional Archie Bunker-style racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia. Yet when the same hatred spews forth from someone speaking Arabic or Urdu, the instinct of some liberal Canadians is to permit it (or at least look the other way) in the name of cultural sensitivity.

This relativism comes across as hypocrisy. As you read this, an Albertan youth pastor is facing human rights charges because he disparaged gay activists in a letter to a Red Deer newspaper. What message does it send to this country that such a man must be shut up, while a Muslim who foresees the "total extermination" of Jews has been permitted to preach on a television network available in eight million Canadian households?

Meanwhile, CBC reports that B'Nai Brith Canada has asked Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion to "remove new star candidate Jocelyn Coulon from an upcoming byelection in Montreal's Outremont riding because of his past stance on Israel" (H/T National Newswatch). Apparently Coulon has a "well-documented anti-Israel bias, which is supposedly "out of step with current Liberal policy".

Coulon insists he is merely a "proponent of healthy debate" when he writes such things as feeling that the international community should not isolate Hamas; that it is committed to fighting corruption and helping people.

The Gazette reports that MoOse Moghrabi, legal counsel for B'nai Brith's Quebec region has grave concerns about Coulon:

"His hostile attitude toward Israel, his anti-U.S. rhetoric and his calls to end the isolation of a government controlled by Hamas, a terrorist group banned in Canada, ought to disqualify him as a candidate for the Liberal Party.

"Surely, the Liberals cannot continue to countenance having an individual with such biased views as their point person on foreign policy issues."


Considering that Outremont has a considerable Jewish population, it should make for an interesting byelection.

* * * *

Related: Mark Peters - The hypocrisy of political correctness.

Jack picks up this post at Jack's Newswatch - Daily Blogger.

22 comments:

Burton, Formerly Kingston said...

Morning Joanne, That article on Mr. Coulon was interesting, I actually felt a bit sorry for Mr.Dion when I read it, but this is where I get a bit confused ( Ya I know, it doesn't take much). Mr. Coulon to paraphrase says it is basically ok to walk that line in the interest of initiating strong debate, why is it wrong then when a NDP'er, or CPC member does the same thing, why is it then divisive.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Morning Kingston. ;)

Mr. Coulon to paraphrase says it is basically ok to walk that line in the interest of initiating strong debate, why is it wrong then when a NDP'er, or CPC member does the same thing, why is it then divisive.

I'm having trouble figuring that one out too. Maybe I need another coffee.

BTW, I just added another link at the bottom of the post from the Gazette.

I actually felt a bit sorry for Mr.Dion

The poor guy is suffering from exhaustion, apparently. I just hope he has what it takes to run the country if he ever becomes PM.

Anonymous said...

In one opinion piece, dated Feb. 22, 2006, Coulon writes that Hamas isn't just a terrorist organization, but a social and political movement that won the Palestinian elections because of its commitment to fight corruption and help people — and the international community should not isolate it.
So now writing the truth will get you into trouble....

Burton, Formerly Kingston said...

CWTF, Morning, I did not say that what he wrote was true or false. My question or statement really was why is it ok for certain people to make statements and it is ok because they are stirring debate but when other people do it, it is divisive. As to his comment itself, well that is a whole other argument do you not agree.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

why is it ok for certain people to make statements and it is ok because they are stirring debate but when other people do it, it is divisive.

Sorry, Kingston. Only CWTF is allowed to debate here.

Anonymous said...

Go vote for Mike Harris at this stupid liblog "Greatest Premier" poll. He's in second right now!
http://www.demochoice.org/dcballot.php?norot=on&poll=Ontario

Mark said...

Glad you picked up on the producer's negligence, something that was not mentioned in the articles I had read, which I found kind of odd given the initial reports had linked directly to the producer, not an executive. Perhaps the producer is getting sacked?

(Tnx for the link btw.)

Anonymous said...

My question or statement really was why is it ok for certain people to make statements and it is ok because they are stirring debate but when other people do it, it is divisive.
The flippant answer would be context….
The longer answer would involve intent.
I don’t think that Mr. Ahmad's was trying to stir up debate and the comments have mostly been pointed out as marginal and out of touch.

JJ, re: debate. I know you can do better than echo some dispiriting comments on your blog. If I was not ready to debate, I would surely not be playing by your rules (the no vulgarity one)…

Joanne (True Blue) said...

CWTF - Sorry for the flippancy. Mea culpa.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

(Tnx for the link btw.)

Mark, no problem. I enjoyed your take on this: "Where else but the National Post do we find commentary with aim as straight as this?"

So true. The Post is one of the few if only Canadian papers to tell it like it is.

Anonymous said...

JJ - No worries
Thanks

OMMAG said...

Not just a double standard Jo.
Blatant and pervasive double standard!

Anonymous said...

You know Joanne, I am convinced that the vast majority of our society doesn't want to hear about these issues -- which is why I am on a campaign against political correctness and politicians "changing the subject."

Most people don't want to deal with these issues. If I don't talk about it or don't think about it, it will all go away. Right? Wrong!

The radical Muslims have got everyone tied up in knots and people are too afraid to say it like it is.

Well, thanks pal, for saying it loud and clear. Bigotry -- the double standard in Canada. You bet!

OMMAG said...

About Truth:
When a person states a partial truth and presents it as the whole truth it is known as Dissembling ......

As in setting up an argument by making a partially or conditionally true statement then proceeding to make arguments based on the assumption that this is an absolute truth.

Take for example the story about Vision TV as presented in most of the media. The tactic is used to call into question the fact that Irar Ahmad is a virulent anti semite and right up there with the likes of Ernst Zundell as a matter of record in public forums.

And so it goes on.....

Anonymous said...

“Yet when the same hatred spews forth from someone speaking Arabic or Urdu, the instinct of some liberal Canadians is to permit it (or at least look the other way) in the name of cultural sensitivity.”


I say that they “look away” is because they are scared out of mind that the same thing will break out against them as it did when the dutch cartoons were pulblished by someone brave enough to make fun of Muslims in the same way that they make fun of Christians.

But we know now that the new line of tact is to wave the white flag of surrender which says “I’m a friend, a friend, don’t hit me I will be on your side now matter how trying it is to defend you, I will be on your side, I know that all you need is a little left wing coddling and everything will turn out good for your cause and you will save me because I was on your side.”

Take the recent immigration issue in the U.S.A. When the people got wind of the sneaky way the powers to be wanted to run an end run around giving amnesty before the government secured the borders. “We the people” rose up and peppered their government repesentatives with e-mails and literally shut the government phones and all systems down and they got an earful from the “we the people”. They shouted “Secure our borders first”.

So until we really get mad enough in this country this kind of crap will still keep happening, again and again and the left wing media like Vision Tv will still appease, appease, appease like Chamberlein did in England telling the English people they had nothing to worry about in Hitler.

It is because they are scared and they want to appear unbiased but they are so two faced and cowardly and the only ones they stand up to and bash with liberal abandon is the Christians.

They are yellow bellies one and all.

Anonymous said...

appease, appease like Chamberlein did in England telling the English people they had nothing to worry about in Hitler

Neville Chamberlain was a Conservative.

Damn "leftist"!

Anonymous said...

"Neville Chamberlain was a Conservative.
Damn "leftist"!"


He was as far left of center as a Conservative could be.
Damn "leftist"!

Anonymous said...

PGP, maybe you should tell anon that they were Danish cartoons, not dutch.... you know, just to keep with the facts...

Anonymous said...

Thanks Cherniak,
You are right,
I stand corrected!

Möbius said...

Damn those Dutch anyways.

Don't trust them.

Möbius said...

Danes are great, though.

Anonymous said...

I would rather see the likes of Israr Ahmad and hear what he has to say than pretend people like him don't exist until the planes hit the next tower.