The Right To Speak

As Arab Canadians, insists Khaled Mouammar, national president of the Canadian Arab Federation, he and his group have every right to speak out against what he and they discern as 'lopsided media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict' and to 'challenge negative media depictions of Arabs as corrupt and barbaric proponents of terrorism.' These are mendacious stereotypes, that exist to characterize Arabs as what they are not, and it is the duty of the Canadian Arab Federation to challenge them.

Who could disagree with anyone's right to defend themselves from what they feel are errantly discriminatory descriptions of character, culture and tradition? By all means speak out, speak up, and defend. Of course the perception that media coverage of the Israeli-Arab conflict is tainted is a subjective one, and there might not be complete agreement with that.

In fact, it's a fairly good bet that Jews feel often enough that news is canted in favour of the Arab position. It's in the eye and perception of the beholder; a human enough trait. And this country celebrates its freedoms to express opinions and contest others' expressions if they're felt to be inimical to one's self-esteem, or denials of reality.

There should be fairly general agreement that the world at large has been treated, particularly of late, say the past several decades, to outrageous examples of fanatical Arab and Muslim brutalities. And they have been pervasive, and fairly frequent, and occur throughout the world, in areas of conflict and within and without countries, both near and far.

Attacks by fundamentalist jihadists have become startlingly commonplace in the West; both viciously verbal and homicidally final. Attacks targeting both moderate Muslim civilians and Western targets at large. Little wonder that Arabs and Muslims feel themselves slandered; it's an unfortunate impression indeed.

Within Canada, however, the debate tends to be rather more civilized, more sedate, more conservative. There does occur from time to time, observations that may seem to be culturally cutting, claims being made that appear to smear in a wide arc rather than a careful selectivity impacting on the minority of fanatics that cause huge problems not only to the Muslim community but the larger world as well.

Countering that reality, vicious portrayals of other countries' attempts to defend themselves from fanatically aggrieved groups, and then displaying an outreach of denunciations encapsulating an entire ethnic group, and violently intimidating and harassing an ethnic-cultural-religious student body does not accurately reflect what Canadians accept as our social contract and values in mutual respect.

Jewish students, for example, do not form posses of accusers, lift aloft flags and banners of terror groups, display cruel caricatures of a purported enemy, and shout "death to the Arabs" or "death to the Muslims". This type of socially dysfunctional and vicious display of hatred owes its presence to the representatives and supporters of the Canadian Arab Federation, exclusively.

So, yes, Mr. Mouammar, while you do indeed have the right to speak out in protest, you do not really have the right to foment an atmosphere of violent accusation and demonstrable hatred against other, very identifiable groups. And although you claim that criticism of Israel does not, in your opinion, represent anti-Semitism, your youth cadres, supported by your organization, do express their anti-Semitism by their rallying cry of "kill the Jews".

If the CAF truly does seek to engage in useful debates, do it in a civilized forum with due respect to all parties. At which time you will gain the respect due you as Arab-Canadians capable of extending civil courtesies to other ethnic groups within this great country. It's civil discourse, and it's the Canadian way.