Soldier of the Mind

Comments: Justice Canadian Style II

Okay, this just really gets me heated.

For Syed Mumtaz Ali, 77, an India-born Islamic lawyer and scholar who is the driving intellectual force behind the institute, a Muslim cannot be a Muslim without following Shariah.

"Basically, Muslims live a different kind of life from the Western life, which is secular," he noted in an interview.

Well, that's just too bad because a Westerner can't be a Westerner without the basic tenets of individual freedom and tolerance. And if you want to live a different kind of life, then I suggest you get your religious self on an airplane to the Middle East where you can enjoy your version of freedom through coercion.

So perhaps that's the ignorant approach, but I'll take it with a smile and a cute little flip of the hand.

You might also find it interesting that "Syed Mumtaz Ali" means "Controlling Excellent Noble One" when translated. How cute is that?

What I find appalling is the complacency through cultural relativism through this whole ordeal. I am Progressive! (As opposed to what? Regressive? Hah.) But really, how much progress would Canada be undertaking by letting Sharia reign in these areas. I mean, have these authorities who smile and scream "Bring on the diversity, baby" read any Islamic law? It's not a bed of roses, it's a pot of acid in my view.

They're so open minded that they're brains just fall out completely.

Lets face it. Ideals can and should be ranked. It is so extremely hard for some people to do that, because it's an awfully nice notion that everthing inherently good is the same, but lets dip our toes in reality.

There comes a time when you have to rank ideals, and now is one of them. What's more important? Freedom or non-freedom. Tolerance or intolerance. Giving people freedom so they can take it away from others? Scratch that. Being tolerant to the point where we tolerate intolerance? Scratch that, too.

I don't see things in complete black and white, but I refuse to drown in an ocean of gray. For God's sakes, let's get a principle and stand on it.

Posted by Athena at August 5, 2004 11:26 PM

If anything this story makes me more angry than the one in Miami about the employee fired for eating pork in the lunchroom. I'm reasonably sure that Lina Morales will win her case, and that most Americans see her as being in the right.

What worries me is how American liberals are increasingly taking their lead from foreign countries. We're always hearing about the wonderful government-run health care in Canada and Sweden, and even Supreme Court Justices are citing foreign law.

Application of Shariah will present them with a dilemna, and I'm not sure how they'll work it out. On the one hand the dictates of multiculturalism demand acquiescence to minority demands (well, "oppressed" minorities anyway. Successful Asians need not apply). On the other, Shariah is anathema to Western beliefs.

I saw the battle lines drawn a few years ago when some Muslim women demanded to have their drivers license pictures taken while in full veil. The response of most politicians was quite tepid, with few willing to come out and say that their demand was ridiculous.

Posted by Tom the Redhunter at August 7, 2004 09:56 AM

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