Issue of Muslims' place in Canada won't disappear

Issue of Muslims' place in Canada won't disappear: "We have all been unsettled by the unfolding situation involving a terrorist threat aimed at Canadians that was headed off by the law enforcement authorities working together."

The shock has not worn off, and just thinking about what could have happened sends shivers down our collective spine. A recent poll suggests about two in five Canadians feels less safe in the aftermath of the arrests.

It is fair to say that, considering the gravity of the situation, the reaction on all sides has been mature and responsible.

But we would be delusional to think the matter of the place of Muslims in Canada will disappear, that everything will slide back into functional normalcy. There are worries on all sides, worries that should not be ignored and have not been ignored by responsible leaders.

Let's begin with the obvious. The agenda on all sides should be nothing less than that the Muslim community is welcome in Canada and that the Canadian reality is fully embraced by the Muslim community.

In this age of instant communication, there are no secrets. Canadians hear the shrill sounds of hostile takeover, of the call from some quarters to impose Sharia law everywhere, including Canada. They may have dismissed this until recently, but not any more. Christians and Jews in Canada, as in other countries, hear themselves being branded as infidels. Previously, they may have laughed this off, but not any more.

The Muslims I know do not embrace this ideology, and are model Canadians, but Canadians are worried about this ideology, and Muslims are worried about how they are perceived by Canadians. How do we address this situation such that Muslims will feel comfortable in Canada and Canada will feel comfortable with its Muslims?

There has been some debate about who has to make the first move. We need to avoid the Kansas conundrum. There is a law in Kansas that goes something like this: When two trains arrive at the same station, each must come to a full stop, and neither of them shall move until the other one has left!

With such an approach, we will be stalemated. We all need to make moves in the reconciliatory direction, in the direction that creates a climate of respect and trust. We did it before, after 9-11, when this community's leaders banded together and declared its solidarity, even in the face of incendiary remarks. It said then that everyone would deem an attack on one religion as an attack on all religions.

That spirit prevails today, but, in the light of the recent scare, we need to move far beyond that very necessary foundation.

The first step we must all take is to purposefully remove hate from the agenda, in public and private discourse.

I am not talking about legislation. I am talking about self-monitoring, about all communities rejecting hateful expression and not allowing such expression from its religious and secular leaders or anyone else.

The next step is for us to all think creatively about how we can work together on issues of common interest, such as we have done with blood donation, with organ donation, with fund-raising for CHEO, among other endeavours.

With your indulgence, the Muslim community, I propose some thoughts in the spirit of friendship. This is not a lecture; it is some shared reflections based on our history.

It is an unfortunate fact that Jews were not welcomed into Canada during the Second World War; instead they were forcefully excluded. That decision and policy was hate infused. And Jews endured anti-Semitism in so many quarters, public and private, for many years before, during and after the war.

Anti-semitism still exists, but it is hardly a potent presence. Jews are involved in every area of life in Canada and probably feel as welcome here as they have felt in any other country in their rich and turbulent history.

How did they achieve this? By patient, determined involvement in helping Canada shape itself, by philanthropy, by volunteerism, by political engagement, by educational zeal and by being undeterred whenever hatemongers stood in their way.

By now, the Jewish contribution to Canada is well entrenched and appreciated, but it did not come easily, or instantaneously. It came after years of persistent hard work.

And we still do not take Canada for granted. We are blessed, and count those blessings regularly.

To our Biblical cousins, I plead that you take a number of steps, steps that will take patience and courage, but which will help us all.

- 1. Do not let others define you. Let your appreciation of "Canada as it is" be a constant in your heart and on your lips. Clearly reject the values that, if ever implemented, would destroy Canada as we know it.

- 2. Be fully engaged in the community. I know that some of you are already fully engaged, but let it be almost a required component of your lives.

- 3. Make your schools and mosques places wherein the appreciation of Canada and its prevailing values is taught, wherein profound respect for all faiths is transmitted.

- 4. Do not allow conflicts in other parts of the world to be imported to Canada. Appreciate that the battle Canada is fighting, with the sacrifice of many of its youngest and most devoted men and women, is so people all over the world have the freedoms we here enjoy and cherish.

- 5. Have confidence that your community, properly devoted to the well being of Canada and all Canadians, will be more than properly embraced by fellow Canadians.

If you take these steps, as your defining agenda, and Canada as a whole stands by you supporting and applauding these steps and happily welcoming you, then any incident such as what occurred a few weeks ago will be dismissed as totally unrepresentative of what you are all about.

In truth, as many of you realize, we are not yet at that point of being able to dismiss such horrible behaviour, which is why we are all worried.

But this wake-up call can be turned into an opportunity to confront a situation that we all wished would go away, but will not go away unless and until we drive it away.

Canadians are with you in this and wish you well in your desire to be a vital part of the Canadian mosaic.

I know you can do it because your cousins did.

Reuven P. Bulka is rabbi of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa and former co-president of Canadian Jewish Congress.

Rep. Keith Ellison: To defeat terrorism, reach out to American Muslims

Rep. Keith Ellison was a guest on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday to talk about terrorism and the commemoration of the attacks of Sept. 11. Ellison said that in fighting terrorism, it's vital that the U.S. government keep open lines of communication with Muslim Americans. He also commented on increasingly anti-Muslim sentiment in the country, which he says may hamper efforts to counter home-grown terrorism.

There were two reasons for such sentiment, Ellison said: a misunderstanding of Islam and politicians trying to score points by scapegoating fellow Americans.

"The criminals and the murderers who did this thing to our nation, you know, they did associate themselves with my faith, Islam. That's unfortunate. Nothing they did is the Islam I know or the overwhelming majority of the Muslims I know. But they did make that connection, so a lot of Americans are just ... they don't know anything about Islam," Ellison said.

He added, "I think there is anxiety and frustration in the country. There are some politicians who believe it's to their political advantage to identify scapegoats and try to turn Americans on Americans for their own political advantage by pandering to our worst instincts and fears."
In order to bridge the divide and to bring the Muslim community into the fight against home-grown terrorism, he said American Muslims need to feel safe going to authorities and being part of the community.

"I think the right thing to do is reach out to mosques and Muslim groups across the country, to have a relationship of trust and open communication," said Ellison. "I recommend that Americans go out and get with your churches and your synagogues, reach out to a mosque. Get to know people."
"I think the wrong direction is to sort of target discreet and insular minority groups like Muslims and sort of focus on that community in a strict law enforcement sense. I think that could have a negative effect," he said.

"I think the right thing to do is, one, reach out to mosques and other groups across the country to have open communication and trust, because these good loyal Americans will be among the first to say, 'You know what? We found somebody we believe is suspicious.'"
Ellison added, "We need to make sure that we stand for civil liberties, so we can deprive people like Osama bin Laden of the claim that Muslims are poorly treated in America. The United States is not at war with Islam. The United States is a fair country."

Low support for radicalism among European Muslims | Reuters

Low support for radicalism among European Muslims | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Support for radical Islamist groups is low among European Muslims and some leading groups with overseas roots are now cooperating with local governments and encouraging Muslims to vote, according to a new report.

European groups linked to wider Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat-i-Islami now focus more on conditions for Muslims in Europe than their original ideologies from Egypt and Pakistan, according to the report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life."

Brisbane Lawyer Expects To Be Fired For Burning Koran And Bible

Brisbane Lawyer Expects To Be Fired For Burning Koran And Bible: "The Islamic Association of Australia president urged 'hurt' Muslims not to retaliate.

'Of course we're hurt ... but I would urge my Muslim fellow men to respond with caution and with responsibility,' Sheik Muhammad Wahid said.

'They should be careful when they respond upon these issues. We are a community of tolerance [and] understanding.

'Of course people will be angry but I urge they should not take the law into their own hands and they should show their response in a positive way to explain [to] the whole Australian public that we must live in a way that we respect each other's faith and practices.'

Sheik Wahid questioned Mr Stewart's motive for publishing such a video"

Judge blocks 14-year-old girl's arranged marriage | Herald Sun

Judge blocks 14-year-old girl's arranged marriage | Herald Sun: "A 14-YEAR-old girl has been banned from leaving Australia and has had to surrender her passport to save her from an arranged marriage.

Just days before the girl's father planned to whisk her overseas to marry a man she has never met, the Family Court ordered she must stay.

The Melbourne teenager is one of a number of Australian girls forced into arranged marriages overseas each year.

Her plight came to light when child protection officers received a report in June that the then-13-year-old had been taken out of school ahead of her intended marriage."

Shouldn't Imams focus more on such issues than on paradise & rewards & worships?

Terror suspect walked around base: court

Terror suspect walked around base: court: "The men believed Islam was under attack from the West, including Australia, the court has heard.

Transcripts of secretly recorded conversations involving the men were read to the court on Tuesday during prosecutor Nick Robinson SC's opening address to the jury.

In one conversation, Fattal and Sayed describe Australians as the enemy.

'They are spiteful,' Fattal said.

'I swear to Allah the great, they are enemies.

'All of them. All of them. They are targeting us.'

Sayed agreed: 'I swear to Allah, poison'."

This is indisputably terrorism but isn't that what Mr. Keelty was talking about?
FORMER Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty's judgment that the Iraq war had increased the terrorist threat has been vindicated.

On Religion - Muslim Prayer Room Was Part of Life at Twin Towers - NYTimes.com

On Religion - Muslim Prayer Room Was Part of Life at Twin Towers - NYTimes.com: "Over the next few days, noticing some fellow Muslims on the job, Mr. Abdus-Salaam voiced an equally essential question: “So where do you pray at?” And so he learned about the Muslim prayer room on the 17th floor of the south tower.

He went there regularly in the months to come, first doing the ablution known as wudu in a washroom fitted for cleansing hands, face and feet, and then facing toward Mecca to intone the salat prayer.

On any given day, Mr. Abdus-Salaam’s companions in the prayer room might include financial analysts, carpenters, receptionists, secretaries and ironworkers. There were American natives, immigrants who had earned citizenship, visitors conducting international business — the whole Muslim spectrum of nationality and race."

First timers make poll waves: News: SBS Federal Election coverage

First timers make poll waves: News: SBS Federal Election coverage: "Ed Husic - First Muslim MP

Ed Husic, the winning Labor candidate for Chifley in Western Sydney, describes himself as
'Blacktown, through and through' on his website.

A union man - he's the National President of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union, Ed is the first 'Muslim' ever elected to the lower house.

Husic is the son of Bosnian parents, and describes himself as a 'non-practising' Muslim, but it's perhaps something of a milestone for this multi-cultural country where, in 2010, politics still looks decidedly different to the community as a whole.

Husic spoke of what he said was the vilification he experienced when standing as a candidate in 2004."

Iraq war turned British Muslims against their country: former spy chief

She said British involvement in Iraq "radicalised" some British citizens, "not a whole generation, a few among a generation -- who saw our involvement in Iraq on top of our involvement in Afghanistan as an attack on Islam".


Asked what specific proof there was of a direct correlation between the Iraq invasion and the growth in Muslim terror plots in Britain she said: "I think we can produce evidence because of the numerical evidence of the number of plots, the number of leads, the number of people identified and the correlation of that to Iraq and the statements of people as to why they were involved.


"What Iraq did was to produce a fresh impetus of people prepared to engage in terrorism."

You harvest what you sow!

Six years after public rap, Keelty judgment on terror upheld

FORMER Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty's judgment that the Iraq war had increased the terrorist threat has been vindicated.


He was promptly jumped on by the Howard government for contradicting its line on the war.
Yesterday, he was belatedly backed in spectacular fashion by former director-general of MI5 Lady Eliza Manningham-Buller, who told Britain's Chilcot inquiry into the war that the Iraq invasion had substantially increased the threat of terrorist attacks and was a significant factor behind the radicalisation of young Muslims.

Last night, he told The Australian he did feel vindicated by Lady Manningham-Buller's testimony.
"It's probably the strongest indication yet that the position I took not only at the time, but subsequent to that, to ensure that the Islamic community was properly engaged and not marginalised in Australia, was an important decision," Mr Keelty said.
He started by introducing Islamic awareness training in the AFP and put Islamic liaison teams in each state and territory.

I salute you Mr. Keelty!