If the Explosive Vest Fits, Wear It

Methinks they protest to much. So, the Israeli Consul General
chose not to mince words.

The response, as usual is to waltz out the "Palestinian problem"
as if that somehow justifiesthe Muslim mayhem that's going on
worldwide. If the majority of Muslims are against terrorismthen
where is the outrage and outcry from their community? There is
none. The outcry onlycomes when they feel threatened by the truth.
Well, you know what folks, deal with it. The reality of the situation
is pretty much as the Consul General stated it and if, as
someone said, it was ill timed it is no less true for being so.

TORONTO, May 10 /CNW/ - The Muslim Canadian Congress has
expressed angerat the remarks of the Israeli Consul General who
told a Jewish-Muslim dialogue that "most terrorists today are
Muslims" and that the majority of Muslims support extremism.
Calling the remarks provocative and hateful, the MCC demanded
the Israeli Consul General apologize to all Canadians Muslims,
Jews, Christians and otherpeople, who have worked hard to bring
better understanding between the two communities. In a statement,
the MCC also asked Foreign Affairs MinisterPierre Pettigrew to
investigate the remarks and seek an explanation from the Israeli
Ambassador.
The Israeli Consul General's remarks were made on May 4, 2005 at
the Temple Har Zion Synagogue to mark a special evening titled the
Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding. During his
speech, Israeli Consul General Ya'acov Brosh criticized the Muslim
community and said that even though most Muslims are not terrorists,
most terrorists are Muslim. He went on to say that moderate Muslims
are a minority while the majority is supportive of extremism and
terrorism. Elaborating his point, the Consul General said the support
of extremism is evident in the fact that the second most popular name
in the Muslim world is"Osama."
The Muslim Canadian Congress is deeply troubled by this stereotyping
of the Muslim community. Tarek Fatah, a founding member of the MCC
said, "The Israeli Consul General's remarks are a manifestation of the
contempt with which successive Israeli governments hold Muslims.
There is no parallel between support for Islamic extremism and parents'
desire to name their sons Osama. The ridiculous parallel drawn by the
Israeli diplomat has no foundation as many men named Osama, are in
fact not Muslim, but Christian." Fatah said, "Most men named Osama
were born long before Osama Bin Laden came to limelight. Osama
was the name of one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad and to
ridicule this name and associate people named Osama with extremism,
is to stoke the fires of Islamophobia in Canada."
"I advise Consul General Ya'acov Brosh to watch the award winning
CBC documentary 'Being Osama'. The documentary illustrates the
fact that the name 'Osama' has nothing to do with extremism. It is a
name just like any other name given to boys before and after 9/11,"
Fatah said.
Fatah said this debate should have ended when Alexa McDonough
of the NDP stood in the House of Commons, just days after 9/11, and
declared, "Osama is a Canadian name." However, as is obvious from
the Israeli Consul General's remarks, boys and men named Osama,
along with their parents, are still being labeled as extremists, he
added. Farzana Hassan-Shahid, an Inter-faith activist, said she was
shocked to hear the comments by the Israeli Consul General. "We
came to a Synagogue in the spirit of goodwill and understanding, but
what we heard from the Israeli diplomat was hate against Muslims
and stereotyping us as terrorists," she said. Ms. Hassan-Shahid said,
"What was more disturbing about the Israeli diplomat's speech was
the fact that he was lustily cheered by the audience. If this is how
Muslims are denigrated in their presence, I am worried what happens
behind closed doors."
Raheel Raza, Director of the Forum for Learning, and a leading
proponent of improved Jewish-Muslim relations, said the event
at Har Zion Temple was about bridge building and dialogue, but the
Israeli Consul General's speech violated the spirit of the evening.
Ms. Raza said, "His remarks were inappropriate, ill-timed and
smacked of intolerance and bigotry. He ruined what was set out to be
an evening of peace. The Israeli Consul General should immediately
apologize to all Canadians who have worked tirelessly to bring a
better understanding among the two communities."
Mahitab Labib, an Egyptian-Canadian who had an exchange with
the Israeli Consul General at the closing of the event, said she was
deeply angered at his remarks.
Responding to the Israeli Consul General's claim that the popular
slogan in the Arab World that "Islam is the solution" is actually an
endorsement ofterrorism, Labib said the Consul General's words
reflected his hostility towards Islam. She said Ya'acov Brosh is
oblivious to the fact that real terrorism in the Middle East stems
from the continued violation of Palestinian Human rights, targeted
assassinations, destruction of homes and the armed occupation
of Palestinian lands in defiance of UnitedNations resolutions.
The Muslim Canadian Congress has urged Jewish Organizations
in Canada to condemn the remarks of the Israeli Consul General.
"Hate and stereotyping has no place in Canada and certainly not
in religious institutions, be they Synagogues, Churches, Mosques,
Gurdawaras or Temples. What makes this incident worse is the
fact that Muslims were invited as guests to a synagogue where they
were accused of being supporters of extremism," said Tarek Fatah.
Article from Canada NewsWire Group.