http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PalestinianChristians
August 31, 2009
Editor’s Note: Considering the fact that Harry Abrams and B’nai Brith Canada are currently using sec. 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act as the basis to allege that myself and RadicalPress.com are committing an “anti-Semitic” “hate crime” by posting articles critical of the foreign state of Israel and the ideology known as Zionism in their Harry Abrams and the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada v. Arthur Topham and RadicalPress.com, File Number: T1360/9008 Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint now before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, it behooves all those involved in this matter to take a serious look at the following article submitted to the The Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism http://www.cpcca.ca/home.htm by Edward C. Corrigan, a lawyer certified as a Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration Law and Immigration and Refugee Protection by the Law Society of Upper Canada in London, Ontario, Canada.
To my knowledge, thus far, I have not seen a more comprehensive and cogent compilation of Jewish sources that respond in such an overt fashion to this false premise being promoted by certain Israeli lobby groups in Canada such as B’nai Brith and the Canadian Jewish Congress. While there are certain aspects of Mr. Corrigan’s opinions on specific matters related to the overall question of political Zionism and why it has risen to such a lofty and powerful and influential height in societies and governments around the world these are incidental to the question of “anti-Semitism” as it is here presented. I therefore strongly urge all of those receiving this post to take the time to carefully read through what Mr. Corrigan has offered to the CPCCA and to pass this article to friends and associates.]
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Here is my article published by the The Canadian Charger.ÂÂ
Ed Corrigan
http://www.thecanadiancharger.com/page.php?id=5&a=111
The Canadian Charger, August 26, 2009
IS IT ANTI-SEMITIC TO DEFEND PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS?
Edward C. Corrigan, BA, MA, LL.B.
(This article was submitted to The Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism http://www.cpcca.ca/home.htm )
“There is clearly a wide range of opinion on Zionism that exists within the Jewish community. This fact needs to be recognized. We also need to reject specious arguments and reject false allegations of racism and anti-Semitism. We need to fight for freedom of speech, academic freedom, critical inquiry and democratic debate, at all universities and colleges, in the media, in the halls of political power and all across North America. Individuals should be allowed to decide for themselves questions about Zionism and the Palestinians based on open debate, the facts and informed opinion not on suppression of debate, intimidation and censorship.” ~ Edward C. Corrigan
All across Canada and in the United States, there is an organized campaign to suppress criticism of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.
The campaign is especially strong on university campuses where many voices have been raised in support of human rights for the Palestinians.
One such example is the attempt to suppress the Public Interest Research Group, founded by Ralph Nader, at the University of Ottawa for their support for Palestinian human rights.
Similar anti-Palestinian campaigns have occurred at many universities in Canada including the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario and York University.
An attack against a student group that was sympathetic to the Palestinians occurred at the University of Western Ontario in 1982. The student group was refused official recognition because of its support for the Palestinians and for sponsoring Palestinian and Arab speakers. After this refusal a complaint was made to the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
After a long battle, and with the support of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and its General Counsel Alan Borovoy, and a supportive editorial in The Globe & Mail, the Ontario Human Rights Commission compelled the University Students Council at the University of Western Ontario to issue a statement of regret and to ratify the student group. The refusal was deemed discriminatory against Palestinians and persons associated with Palestinians. (See “The Palestinian Question at the University: The Case of Western Ontario,†American-Arab Affairs, Summer 1987, pp. 87-98.)
Despite this successful legal precedent at Western Ontario there have been many attacks against individuals and groups across Canada and the United States because of their support for human rights for Palestinians. Over the last few years there is a concerted attempt to suppress discussion of the Palestinian issue in North America.
There also is a campaign to punish those individuals who have spoken out in support of the Palestinians by cutting funding and by denying them tenure and even getting them terminated from their positions of employment.
But even if you don’t join in, just reading the various threads and studying the positions taken is, in itself, guaranteed to be an eye-opener in terms of gaining a broader perspective on how other Canadians perceive both sec. 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the actions of Harry Abrams and B’nai Brith Canada. Most questions are cogent and the issues are wide-ranging.
