Hyperbolic hyperbole

From the Seattle Times:

Batasar portrayed the sensational allegations as an attempt by the government to frighten the public.

"It appears to me that whether you are in Toronto or Ottawa or Crawford, Texas, or Washington, D.C., what is wanting to be instilled in the public is fear," he said.

Yes of course there is a certain amount of hyperbole on both sides. The police with their overstated militia type security measures and beheading the Prime Minister as a desire from one of the suspects - is most likely wishful thinking if he were able to get close. And it wasn't the Crown that read out the charges - it was the guys lawyer. By doing so he drew attention to it.

Let's put hyperbole in perspective.

In 1996 I was told by two Windsor RCMP officers that "I would be killed" if I told my boyfriend I was speaking to them because, unbeknownst to me, he was being investigated for accident fraud. I didn't exactly believe them - but I was more nervous when I left the detachment than when I went in because a cab was waiting in front. I was instantly overcome with anxiety because over the last number of months I had been followed by cabs and was recieving numerous hang up phone calls.

When I relayed this to my acquaintance at CSIS, after he finished explaining that many Arabs and Muslims speak in hyperbolic language ie: they say they will kill you when they don't actually mean it. But he wasn't happy two RCMP officers would try to frighten me by telling me I would be killed especially when you had call the police earlier in the year to tell them what would happen to you and who might do something to you if something were to happen to you.

He tried to reassure me that they were using hyperbolic language because their training back then wasn't very good. My response was that I didn't believe that RCMP were susceptible to hyperbole. As I knew Arabic and Islamic culture much better - I know that most are very gentle people and if they speak with what appears as rough language it usually is hyperbole. It's just when their actions don't correspond with the words that becomes a problem.

Canadians, in particular, Torontonians may be scared but I'm not. I'm more scared of Hamilton's doctors than I am of terrorists lurking about. As I understand the community they don't lurk - they keep themselves contained - away from Canadian culture - until obviously have had enough meetings to make their plans and act on them.

What does happen is the lying.

And it could be from not saying anything to loved ones and keeping the ideas to one's self or outright denying accusations on suspicion. They will also use the race card or religious intolerance card because they know it works so well here in Ontario. It's actually being so over-used that it is becoming the cry wolf game. When abuses do then occur - most of us will ignore them. (And yes, the accused have Charter rights. If they don't get them - then their case will be thrown out and Canada's justice system will become a laughing stock again)

Think about it. Realistically, if 17 guys tried to storm the CBC do you think Ontarians would let them? No way in hell - I sure as hell wouldn't. As much as I don't like CBC's programming, I'd get on the Go and with thousands of other Ontarians, I'd storm it back.

Now, getting past the Islamic community's expected propaganda - Ontario has to start paying attention to what it's been neglecting to a point of liability - that Islamic 'Imams' are not regulated. There is no accountability within Ontario legislation or regulations that makes it mandatory that in order to preach Islam, that Islamic training must be undertaken by future Imams in an accredited Islamic institution taught by accredited, respected and peace loving theologians that will be under scrutiny by the Ontario Human Rights Commission - not a body of self-policing theocrats. It doesn't work in Ontario as those self-policing institutions are corrupt.

Many Universities in Ontario started off as seminary schools - like the University of Windsor for example. But new Islamic theological schools can and should be regulated to avoid the likes of Mr. Jamal and to practice willy nilly.

Mosque's of any sort should also be regulated and shut down if they violate legislation like performing multiple marriages or allowing extremist preachers to give sermons in any language. Complaints should be made to the OHRC , for example when extremism is preached in another language. That may cut down on mainstream mosques being used to rally support for extremism. Of course - all the extreme stuff will go underground if this is done and will be harder for Muslims to self police themselves. But the community needs to be responsible - and start self-policing - and accepting it.

This may be a conundrum because one of the teaching by fellow Muslims is that being a good Muslim is "not tattling on" fellow Muslims ( I think this is more of a criminal code of ethics judging from the number of "pious" Muslims that were into criminal activity before they 'reverted').

It is also difficult to express an alternate opinion otherwise you risk being accused of adhab - having no manners - and therefore, not a pious and good Muslim. This, I believe, is not any where to be found in the Quran but is something that is amplified by some hadith somewhere by a community that doesn't like freedom of expression.

Isolation and refusal to integrate into the Canadian/Western culture is also at play and something I have posted on this blog and commented on in others as well as what is taught to Muslim children by their mothers from home schooling or by others in Islamic schools.

The Ontario government - thinking they are progressive by allowing free Islamic thought - are just as irresponsible for ignoring the security threats to Ontarians and other Canadians by those within the Muslim community who do use the Islamic religion to interpret a violent Islam.

And to paraphrase on National Post commentor: I'm gobsmacked to hear that the RCMP doesn't attribute one common denominator to the cell - the fact they are ALL MUSLIM - should be a clear enough indicator .

And if the Islamic community can't get over this common demoninator - then perhaps it will take a class action lawsuit by the people of Ontario and Canada to get it through their denying craniums.

We can start with the Al Rahman Islamic Centre - and continue from there.