The Downtown Mosques
Should we not be extremely concerned about the suitability for citizenship of people whose culture, heritage and religion obviously set them outside the potential for fully integrating with Canadian values and social mores? Sounds sensible; why wouldn't we be concerned? More to the point, why haven't we exercised due diligence in accepting into Canada those very people whose culture, heritage and religion so obviously identifies them as unsuitable for sharing this country?
Well, we haven't practised due diligence. It was identified as patronizing, insulting, anti-democratic, sinfully discriminating, and most definitely not forward looking; excessively illiberal. Politically incorrect in countries of the West with their socially advanced consciences who led themselves to believe that by opening their doors to those who were unfortunate enough to have been born and bred within freedom-stifling theocratic governments, they would be helping to make the world a better place.
And have we? Europe is battening down their hatches. Trouble is, it's a little late in the game. Britain has now decided, after decades of accommodation, ill repaid, to insist on respect for its traditions and social practises, from its would-be immigrants. France continues to bluster about resistance to the French tradition as it snuffs out the incendiary break-outs from its banlieues.
There are backlashes all over Europe against a now-established immigrant-demographic that insists on its rights and prerogatives overriding the prevailing core values of the countries they have migrated to. As though by now, with distinct population centres overtaken by Muslims whose disdain of the corrupt values of the West - with established mosques recalling their members to their sacred duty to Islam - can readily be overturned.
Many Muslims profess themselves to be loyal to their new countries of residence and citizenship, but they are not entirely averse to the advances made on behalf of Islam, either through the threats and commissions of violent acts of terror, or through the more acceptable - for a religion of peace - gradual and purposeful overturning of the host country's resolve to resist.
And here, in Canada, with a Muslim population increasing at a fairly steady rate both through continued migration and an amazing birth rate, identified as increasing three-fold by 2030, there is much to consider. Starting with the infiltration of Muslims unprepared to accept Canadian cultural and political values, striving to alter those values by shared persuasion, and inciting to social divisions within the greater community.
Toronto alone represents as the city in North America with the highest concentration of Muslims. People who are expected - in reflection of a hundred years of immigrant-absorption resulting in a multifarious population representing various ethnicities who have been absorbed willingly into the whole - to accept and to practise the universal verities we value while retaining fond memory of their origins.
Instead, we've been slowly realizing that this is an immigrant group that strenuously seeks to occupy a separate place within society, not at all willing to intermingle, and stressing to those among them who do, they they do not reflect the values of Islam. "I see Wahhabism as a growing factor in Toronto", admitted one Toronto resident, unwilling himself to submit to the fundamentalist practise of Islam imported from Saudi Arabia with its funding of madrases in Canadian cities.
For some within the Muslim community it is alarming that from mosques and Islamic community centres a radical, ideologically political Islam is being expounded.
Which just happens to be the world's number one Islamist political organization, one that has spawned numerous terrorist groups, like Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. With supporting offshoots all over the globe. Their end-game is the establishment of sharia law in all Muslim countries and the enlargement of Islamic rule toward a global caliphate.
These are Muslim-Canadians who have sought within Canada the freedoms that were denied them in their countries of origin. Within Canada they enjoy those freedoms, and yet for many their commitment to the country is questionable. They aspire, like their counterparts in Europe, to gradually transform Canada's political and social and religious landscape to reflect the one they fled.
And we are obligingly sitting back and chanting to ourselves that everyone's rights and values are to be equally respected, neglecting to notice that ours are being subverted and eroded.
Well, we haven't practised due diligence. It was identified as patronizing, insulting, anti-democratic, sinfully discriminating, and most definitely not forward looking; excessively illiberal. Politically incorrect in countries of the West with their socially advanced consciences who led themselves to believe that by opening their doors to those who were unfortunate enough to have been born and bred within freedom-stifling theocratic governments, they would be helping to make the world a better place.
And have we? Europe is battening down their hatches. Trouble is, it's a little late in the game. Britain has now decided, after decades of accommodation, ill repaid, to insist on respect for its traditions and social practises, from its would-be immigrants. France continues to bluster about resistance to the French tradition as it snuffs out the incendiary break-outs from its banlieues.
There are backlashes all over Europe against a now-established immigrant-demographic that insists on its rights and prerogatives overriding the prevailing core values of the countries they have migrated to. As though by now, with distinct population centres overtaken by Muslims whose disdain of the corrupt values of the West - with established mosques recalling their members to their sacred duty to Islam - can readily be overturned.
Many Muslims profess themselves to be loyal to their new countries of residence and citizenship, but they are not entirely averse to the advances made on behalf of Islam, either through the threats and commissions of violent acts of terror, or through the more acceptable - for a religion of peace - gradual and purposeful overturning of the host country's resolve to resist.
And here, in Canada, with a Muslim population increasing at a fairly steady rate both through continued migration and an amazing birth rate, identified as increasing three-fold by 2030, there is much to consider. Starting with the infiltration of Muslims unprepared to accept Canadian cultural and political values, striving to alter those values by shared persuasion, and inciting to social divisions within the greater community.
Toronto alone represents as the city in North America with the highest concentration of Muslims. People who are expected - in reflection of a hundred years of immigrant-absorption resulting in a multifarious population representing various ethnicities who have been absorbed willingly into the whole - to accept and to practise the universal verities we value while retaining fond memory of their origins.
Instead, we've been slowly realizing that this is an immigrant group that strenuously seeks to occupy a separate place within society, not at all willing to intermingle, and stressing to those among them who do, they they do not reflect the values of Islam. "I see Wahhabism as a growing factor in Toronto", admitted one Toronto resident, unwilling himself to submit to the fundamentalist practise of Islam imported from Saudi Arabia with its funding of madrases in Canadian cities.
For some within the Muslim community it is alarming that from mosques and Islamic community centres a radical, ideologically political Islam is being expounded.
"I mean sermons about Afghanistan, about Iraq, about Kashmir, about suicide bombing and chaos in the Muslim world. As a project I visited mosques in each corner of the city and in lectures, statements and sermons at Sunni mosques from Stouffville to Toronto, imams are preaching about how Muslims all over the world are being attacked by non-Muslims and they are justifying the violence by Muslims against NATO and everyone else. I'm scared to take my children to the mosque. So I don't."Some Muslims who wish to remain within the comfortable zone of regularly attending mosque services no longer feel comfortable doing so, because the mosques have been increasingly expressing the tenets of an Islam they are decidedly uncomfortable with and have no wish to support.
"I used to go to the downtown mosque [at Dundas and Bay] but I don't anymore. I didn't like the political discussions, they were divisive. I saw no indication of interest in promoting integration into Canadian society. It was always about how different we are, how Muslims should live in Canada. There were political undertones of why some of the international events were happening and how we should feel about them."In interviews, we have the assurances of highly educated Muslims from Egypt that there are indeed among them in their mosques, some individuals who appear to be fundamentalist and radical in their outlook, encouraging of violent jihad, but most, they claim are 'moderate', their imam preaches "middle of the road Islam", which is so much more acceptable. That "middle of the road Islam" follows the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Which just happens to be the world's number one Islamist political organization, one that has spawned numerous terrorist groups, like Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. With supporting offshoots all over the globe. Their end-game is the establishment of sharia law in all Muslim countries and the enlargement of Islamic rule toward a global caliphate.
These are Muslim-Canadians who have sought within Canada the freedoms that were denied them in their countries of origin. Within Canada they enjoy those freedoms, and yet for many their commitment to the country is questionable. They aspire, like their counterparts in Europe, to gradually transform Canada's political and social and religious landscape to reflect the one they fled.
And we are obligingly sitting back and chanting to ourselves that everyone's rights and values are to be equally respected, neglecting to notice that ours are being subverted and eroded.
Labels: Canada, Culture, Human Relations, Politics of Convenience, Religion
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