Outraged Canadian Asserts Bloody Right To Post Danish Cartoons

Written by: Evrviglnt on Saturday, January 12th, 2008

Let me introduce you to another free speech hero: Ezra Levant. He is a Canadian in Alberta who is being interrogated by the Human Rights and Citizenship Commission based on a complaint by Syed Soharwardy, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, who is angry that Mr. Levant offended the prophet by putting the Danish cartoons on his site, ezralevant.com, two years ago. In preparation for his interrogation today Mr. Levant re-posted those same Danish cartoons – in case anyone forgot just what we’re talking about here!

Ezra LevantSyed Soharwardy, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, filed a complaint after the Western Standard published the cartoons, which included a Muslim man with a bomb-shaped turban, and the commission is now investigating.

Mr. Levant, his lawyer and his wife attended a 90-minute meeting yesterday with a human rights officer.

Mr. Levant, who occasionally writes for the National Post, said he was asked about his rationale for publishing the cartoons.

“I don’t need to be reasons-able. I have maximum rights of free speech,” he said later.

“I have the right to publish this for the most offensive reason, for the most unreasonable reasons.”

The commission’s director said it would hear from both sides and decide whether the complaint should be dismissed, go to an arbitrator, or go to a full human rights complaint hearing.

“We don’t talk about individual complaints until they get to the public stage,” said Marie Riddle, the commission’s director.

For Mr. Soharwardy, the issue has become intensely personal.

He fired off a letter to Calgary police yesterday, complaining about statements made by Mr. Levant on his blog that refer to the Muslim leader as a “radical, Saudi-trained imam who has publicly called for shariah law to be imposed in Canada.”

“I have asked him what kind of training did I get in Saudi Arabia?” an angry Mr. Soharwardy said from Calgary.

He said Mr. Levant has also called him anti-Semitic, despite the fact Mr. Soharwardy’s mosque celebrates Hannukah with the local Jewish community.

“These people have the intent to incite hate against Muslims,” Mr. Soharwardy said.

“God forbid if somebody reads from his Web site — [if ] any fanatic reads it — and he attacks me, who’s responsible?

“If any crime [is] committed against me or my family, I will hold Mr. Ezra Levant responsible.”

Calgary police said they were actively investigating the complaint, as well as another complaint Mr. Soharwardy made in December.

That complaint centred on comments made on a blog connected to the Western Standard Web site.

The comments, from an unknown user, included “There is no such thing as innocent Muslims,” and “They must all be killed. All of them.”

“The file is still open and we are still actively pursuing it,” Insp. Bob Couture said.

Mr. Levant called his appearance before the human rights commission “an interrogation.”"To me, this is offensive,” he said.

“A secular government bureaucracy has essentially been hijacked by a radical Muslim imam,” he said. “It’s being used to further his fatwa against these cartoons.”

“We have a great tradition of free speech in Canada,” he said.

“My freedom to publish a cartoon that some radical Muslim imam doesn’t like, well that’s the free West for ya.”

Mr. Levant is finding out that the “free west” is problematic for both those who think they’re free and those from Muslim countries who find themselves in the West! When will the freedom loving people of Canada realize that circumscribing their freedoms to placate any religion, race or ideology will only mean less freedom and less peace? I could sit here all night and was eloquent about our God given liberties and how we much we need to defend them – but Ezra Levant proves far more capable of expressing this with his outrage at the bureaucrat attempting to silence him:

WPvideo 1.10

Possibly Related Posts:


Stumble It!
Topics: Government Incompetence

3 Responses to “Outraged Canadian Asserts Bloody Right To Post Danish Cartoons”

Muslims Against Sharia Says:
January 13th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Canada: Freedom of Speech succumbing to Kangaroo Courts of the Human Rights Commission

Proceedings against Ezra Levant are nothing short of ridiculous, but let’s consider the implications for moderate Muslims. This “investigation” will further divide Muslims and non-Muslims in Canada. It will give credence to radicals’ claims that the West is at war with Islam. It will antagonize non-Muslims and moderate Muslims will be pushed towards radicalization. Regardless of the outcome, once again Islamists skillfully manipulated Dhimmi justice system and came out as clear winners. Thank you, Human Right Commission!

Evrviglnt Says:
January 13th, 2008 at 10:43 pm

Moderate Muslims need to make themselves heard – just as we here in America allow offensive speech because we believe that society has a role in shaming those things that offend our values, moderate Muslims need to advertise proudly that they find radical Muslims unIslamic.

If they don’t, we’re forced to.

Blogger News Network / Churchill’s Parrot Launches Anglosphere Consortium Blogroll Says:
January 16th, 2008 at 3:14 am

[...] the escalation in instances such as those presently being endured by Lionheart and Ezra Levant, wherein the heretofore unalienable rights of citizens of Western nations are being threatened by [...]

 

All comments are moderated, all trolls will be strapped to plywood boards and lobotomized. Proceed with caution!

CommentLuv Enabled