We have the right to speak

Submitted by Judy Rebick on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 8:17am

Poster banned at Carleton

Freedom of speech is at serious risk in Canada today.  First Carlton University banned this poster on the grounds that it might promote hate.  Since when does an anti-war poster promote hate in the human rights code meaning of the word?  Criticizing Israel is not anti-semitic. 

Then Immigration Minister Jason Kenney launched a full on attack agasint the Canadian Arab Federation and the Canadian Muslim Congress threatening their funding for their views on Israel's attack on Gaza.

It's worth reading Khaled Mouamma's piece in today's National Post, We have the right to speak

CAF rejects the accusation that support for the Palestinian people and criticism of the state of Israel is "anti-Semitic." As Arab-Canadians, we have every right to engage in debates that affect the Arab world. We should not have to fear retaliation from our own government for holding views with which it may disagree....

It is neither hateful nor criminal to criticize our own government's policies, including the manner in which Canada approaches the Arab-Israeli conflict. CAF seeks to engage in debates that expand free speech and the free exchange of ideas. We are alarmed at recent comments by federal minister Jason Kenney, pictured, that we think restrict debate. Kenney has made allegations against CAF that we believe are unfounded, and now threatens to eliminate funding for essential settlement services for immigrants and refugees. This behaviour is irresponsible, vindictive and undemocratic. And it is reminiscent of the repressive regimes from which many of us fled to escape punishment for expressing dissenting opinions.

Abdul-Rehman Malik says in Transforming Power that Islamaphobia is the new McCarthyism.  Is it essential that we act before it is too late.  Write the National Post supporting CAF and write the Prime Minister demanding either an apology or Kenney's resignation.

Tags:

question of fairness

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 7:21pm.
I was wondering if you, who support free speech in letting this poster be displayed, would support one showing another side of that debate? What about a poster that showed some evil-looking Palestinian suicide bomber walking into a children's nursery with a lit fuse on his explosives? Perhaps the title would be something like "Palestinian support for Terrorism Week". This is just as applicable. The poster you support clearly takes license with technical truth, as there has never been a verified report of Israel deliberately targeting children. Instead the poster uses the child as a metaphor for Palestine in general and Gaza in particular. If you can compare the entire nation of Palestine to a child, comparing Israel to a children's nursery is fair play. And the surveys that show widespread support for Hamas, the organization that publicly and explicitly supports attacks on Israeli civilians, clearly works as a parallel to the Israeli government. Hamas acts for the Palestinian people as Israel's government acts for Israel. By the way, I am not against Arabs, nor am I against Islam or Muslims. I am against people using their religion as a means to justify their racism and desires for genocide. So what do you say? Are you for freedom of speech when it is critical of radicals from the left? What about radicals who hide behind their religion? What about people who disagree with your own views?

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