Apologetic or Vindicated?

Sunday school classes run by the East End Madrassah will not be permitted at the David and Mary Thomson Collegiate, located in Scarborough, Ont., pending an investigation into alleged anti-Semitic teachings. (Google Street View)

"To demonstrate the thoroughness of our investigation we found it important to articulate that there are portions in there that clearly are not criminal, but perhaps from a pluralistic standpoint don't necessarily appear to be the types of teachings that you would hope to see in an open forum.

 

"That review looked at the content in its entirety and there were some we thoughy, 'This isn't a police issue, this is non-criminal.  However, to be more reflective of Canadian core values it perhaps needs to be revisited and perhaps needs to be taught in a slightly different way.'"

 

What needs clarification is the degree to which we tolerate the exposure of young impressionable minds to the promotion of a belief or ideology while it denigrates other communities or faiths."

York Regional Police Detective Brett Kemp

A most diplomatic summation of a fairly nasty situation where criminality is not involved, unless one considers it a criminal offence to fill young children's minds with slanderous claptrap about the presumed moral, religious, ethnic and ethical deficiencies of another group of people other than their own. 

 

 To infuse children with enthusiasm about their own religion by contrasting it with the religion of a people they charge is afflicted with a base nature represents a repulsive smear that Canadian values do not support.  But the authorities representing the East End Madrassah claim innocence of nefarious purpose.

They are simply guilty of the sin of overlooking passages in the school curricula that have been misinterpreted by prying eyes.  The inappropriateness in a Canadian and a moral context of some signal passages slipped their notice.  They have since taken steps to amend the situation.  

 

And as such they declare themselves to have been exonerated of the unfair charges brought against them - by a Jewish anti-defamation group.

The original charges of anti-Semitism and creating a conflict between peoples brought to the attention of York Regional police by the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre were, they claim, ill-founded and do not represent the intentions of the Shiite Islamic school whose purpose is to infuse Islamic virtues and verities, values and precepts in their students, and simply that.

And although police held Principal Masuma Jessa and Imam Syed Mohammed Rizvi responsible "As leaders in their respective roles the two must accept responsibility for failing to appropriately screen the learning material", which had been sourced from Iran, through an organization that represents Iranian interests, the mosque associated with the madrassah declared itself to have been exonerated.

"Our teachings embrace and celebrate the Canadian values of tolerance, understanding and harmony", stated Aliraza Rajani, president of the Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat mosque.  And they have undertaken to review the teaching materials ensuring that "inappropriate language is removed or revised".  And they very much take exception to the "rush to judgement and harsh comments" the controversy exposed them to.

Using such descriptives as "treacherous" and "crafty" in referring to Jews, contrasting Islam to "the Jews and the Nazis", evidently did not initially strike any of the principals reviewing the educational content of the material children were being exposed to as problematic.  Now that they have been enlightened they are more aware that greater care is required - a trifle more vigilance, and doubtless that will occur.

And they will also, doubtless, continue to encourage the young boys in their care to "keep fit for jihad".  And now, it will be interesting to see whether or not the Toronto District School Board which had revoked the school's permit after the initial revelations regarding the school syllabus will turn their decision around again.

And whether the Scarborough Collegiate will renew their usefulness to the madrassah by permitting it to once again use the facilities to continue teaching impressionable young Muslim children about their heritage, their religion, and their relationship to others around them in this pluralistic society of equals.