DAR AL HARB-CANADA: 'HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT' DROPPED AGAINST EZRA LEVANT

Muslim leader drops rights complaint

Calgary Muslim leader Syed Soharwardy says he is withdrawing his Alberta Human Rights Commission complaint against former Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant. The complaint was launched in February 2006, after the Western Standard and the Jewish Free Press reprinted cartoons from a Danish newspaper that many in the Muslim world felt insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The cartoons sparked violent protests in a number of countries. "Over the two years that we have gone through the process, I understand that most Canadians see this as an issue of freedom of speech, that that principle is sacred and holy in our society," said Mr. Soharwardy, president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada.

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Muslim leader drops complaint against Levant
Graeme Morton, Canwest News Service

CALGARY - Calgary Muslim leader Syed Soharwardy says he is withdrawing his Alberta Human Rights Commission complaint against former Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant.

The complaint was launched in February, 2006, after the Western Standard and the Jewish Free Press reprinted cartoons from a Danish newspaper that many in the Muslim world felt insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The cartoons sparked violent protests in a number of countries.

"Over the two years that we have gone through the process, I understand that most Canadians see this as an issue of freedom of speech, that that principle is sacred and holy in our society," said Mr. Soharwardy, president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada.

"I believe Canadian society is mature enough not to absorb the messages that the cartoons sent. Only a very small fraction of Canadian media decided to publish those cartoons."

Mr. Levant said he isn't buying Mr. Soharwardy's promise, calling it a "temporary, tactical truce." (aka HUDNA)

"I don't believe him. He thought this would be easy to do, just sic the human rights commission on me and it would be done. But I decided to fight back," Mr. Levant said.

Mr. Levant said he plans to launch a civil lawsuit against Mr. Soharwardy to recover the tens of thousands of dollars he said he has spent battling the complaint.

"I put in at least 100 hours fighting this guy. He may want to run away from this issue, but I'm not going to. His values are out of synch with Canadian society."

Mr. Soharwardy said he had received a number of "hateful" e-mails after the cartoons were published locally. He said he knows some of his supporters will see his decision as backing away from a fight.

"But I hope people see this as a positive action, that it will create better feelings between Muslims and all Canadians," Mr. Soharwardy said. "I'm not giving up working in the front lines. But I feel at this time withdrawing the complaint is the right thing to do."

After the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada filed the complaints against the two publications in 2006, Mr. Soharwardy and Jewish Free Press publisher Richard Bronstein met with a human rights commission mediator in March, 2007. They settled their dispute with a handshake and Mr. Soharwardy withdrew his complaint.


He only dropped the lawsuit because islam was being examined a bit too closely and whatever is usually found is pretty damned ugly...

No escaping that ugliness...


Pertinent Links:

1) Muslim leader drops rights complaint

2) Muslim leader drops complaint against Levant