Iran Inspiring Canadian Values

First it was a malicious urban legend hatched in the Palestinian Territories - actually Gaza, post-2008 IDF offensive against incessant rockets into Israel that claimed the IDF was involved in apprehending Palestinians for the purpose of harvesting their bodily organs. A claim that despite its preposterously-absurd nature was taken up by a newspaper in Sweden, as having veracity, and despite a glaring absence of anything remotely resembling evidence.

It would appear that the Palestinian-initiated tale of horrible Jewish predation on poor innocent Palestinians incapable of defending themselves against the maleficent plan to deprive them of their lives had a special appeal among those who choose to believe such incredible slanders. Nothing, it would appear, is seen to be beneath the malevolence of Jews, harnessing their deadly antipathy toward Arabs to award themselves Arab body parts.

Horribly reminiscent of medieval blood-slanders when Jews were perpetually accused of abducting gentile babies to drain their blood for use in the making of Passover matzos. Motivations for resulting pogroms. The appeal of believing that Jews represent the scum of the Earth, that no practise is quite low enough to attribute to them, appears to be rather wide-spread; it was historically, it remains so to this day.

Iran appears to have taken notice of this particular libel, and has expanded on it, and published it as their benighted idea of a believable reality. Correction: Iranians know full well how utterly absurd the claim is, but see it as a devilishly practical way in which it can assist the world to ever lower expectations of Jewish activities impacting deleteriously on the world.

And - lo and behold, a British Columbia newspaper, Al-Ameen, associated with the B.C. Muslim Association, saw fit to reproduce the claim, taking it directly from Iran's television network, Press TV. Informing their thousands of faithful Muslim readers in the province of the "Israeli conspiracy to kidnap children" for their organs. "Ukrainian kids, new victims of Israeli organ theft!" Handily posted as well on the newspaper's website.

B'Nai Brith Canada took exception at the unspeakably vile libel and protested vigorously. The response was quickly forthcoming, when an executive and spokesman from the B.C. Muslim Association identified the article as racist, condemning it. "We don't endorse conflict between Jews and Muslims. We don't need that stuff. Some people are so full of hatred." Whew!

That is most gratifying, to say the very least. So the massive conspiracy by Israelis to kidnap children for the purpose of plucking their organs is not endorsed by the B.C. Muslim Association. And what the al-Ameen newspaper wrote: "Israel has brought some 25,000 Ukrainian children into the occupied entity over the past two years in order to harvest their organs" is now disavowed. That is a monumental relief.

Mohammed Bhamji, managing editor of al-Ameen, ingenuously stated he doesn't consider the story racist or inflammatory "because it was reported in the media". We believe all that we read. Precisely. Repeating that atrocious propaganda gives it credence, particularly on the part of loyal al-Ameen readership, assuming they all echo Mr. Bhamji's belief that what is published deserves respect.

"But I don't have the facts. When we got that story on the Internet we assumed it was true. We are not professional journalists. We are just a community-based newspaper about anything that has to do with Islam. The best we can do is trust the sources. We don't have the resources to find out if each and every story is true." Oops, just take it for granted that atrocities committed by Jews have resonance in fact, reflect the zeitgeist.

The newspaper's website states that it "vigilantly strives to maintain its news contents purely in accordance with the Islamic teachings and have raised the bar high above all other news reporting agencies, in regard to the content, the quality, as well as the goods and services it promotes - which must also be in "strict" compliance - falling within the realm of Muslim lifestyles."

It is clear that this newspaper, its spokesman, and those who support it have a very frail grasp on realities when it comes to Jews. And since they're committed to publish "anything that has to do with Islam", how publishing an unconscionable blood libel impacts on Muslims is puzzling. On the other hand perhaps it does, actually, speak volumes.

So much for common sense, for good will, for Canadian values.