B.C. Human Rights Commision - They Ought To Be Ashamed

I sent these guys the following email [slightly edited in this version to correct typos, and to improve the original letter]. They have attained some notoriety over past months because they have instituted the prosecution of a Canadian magazine, Macleans, for running an article about a book written by Mark Steyn about the possible impact of Islamo-fascism on Europe and beyond, because the book might expose Muslims in Canada to negative attitudes due to the extreme aspects of their religion.

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"I am not surprised, but am saddened because of your ignorance concerning the threat of Islamo-fascism to the modern world and to Europe and North America in particular.

First of all, please know that I used to be the outside lawyer for a Canadian provincial Human Rights Commision in the 70's and early 80's, and, consequently understand what the advocy role of a Human Rights Commision, as opposed to that of a tribunal, should be. I am appalled that your statute allows HR Tribunals to accept un-supported hearsay statements and ignore truth as a defence against charges laid under that statute. Vive la fascisme, eh!

Nevertheless, I want to tell you that I have read the entire book written by Mark Steyn from which excerpts were taken by Macleans. I have also read many other articles and news reports from the US, Canada, the UK, Holland, and elsewhere, including the book entitled, "Infidel" by Ayan Hirsi Ali, a Muslim woman originally from Somalia, driven out of Holland by threats of murder by Islamo-fascists, who reports in grim detail the problems with the religion itself as exacerbated by the extreme versions of it promulgated by the Islamo-fascists as philosophically represented by the Wahabists, especially via the teachings spread by many of the schools of extremism and terror called "madrassas" located around the world.

You and your people may not have not read this material. You have an poor understanding of the Muslim world view and of the basic teachings of Mohammed, the prophet. You see the world through the rose-colored glasses of Western non-value [relativistic] oriented liberalism.

The major problem is that the basic tenets of the Muslim religion consists of a collection of very extreme views, centered in a medieval value system and worldview based on a warrior-oriented, expansionist and violent concept of advancement of the religion. On the positive side, it is certainly clear that many adherents of the religion do not ascribe to the violent and dangerous basic tenets of Islam, however, many of them do nothing to expose or combat them. By and large, the extremes of Christian fundamentalism resemble Muslim extremist notions, however, Christianity is not NOW still mired in a medieval, warrior-based expansionist mindset. Therein lies the very real difference between the two religions.

Have a look at the NYT article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/world/africa/23algeria.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin, as well as many of the other articles and books on the subject before going off half-cocked at you have done. You ought to know better, but clearly have not taken the time or made the effort to enlighten yourself. Perhaps your relativistic liberal attitudes prevent you from believing those things you might read that contradict your world view."