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877 Shefford Road.
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Tel: (613) 680-2867
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In May of this year, Zionists the world over will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of a state-for-Jews-only in Palestine.

A recent book by Joel Kovel, Overcoming Zionism - Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine, is must-read for this difficult and bitter-sweet occasion.

Kovel is an American Jew, an author, activist, and successful professional with dual careers in medicine and psychiatry to his credit. He was a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Residency Training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was also nominated as a Green candidate in the 2000 U.S. presidential race. He is currently editor-in-chief of Capitalism, Nature, Socialism.

In his book, he suggests convincingly that the inner contradictions of Zionism led Israel to develop its "state-sponsored racism" and that Zionism and democracy are essentially incompatible. He also believes that a two- state solution is hopeless because "it concedes too much to the regressive forces of nationalism, wherein lie the roots of continued conflicts."

He illuminates as well the drawbacks of a one-state concept which some Palestinians and many Zionists oppose, but for different reasons. Zionists oppose a single state on ideological and philosophical grounds, believing that the only-for-Jews character of Israel will be greatly compromised with Palestinians living side-by-side and that more than a century of hard work by former generations of Zionists would be wasted.

Many Zionists would consider a two-state solution only with a long list of conditions, including never having to give up valuable lands in the West Bank and Occupied Arab East Jerusalem and not allowing diaspora Palestinians to return to their ancestral homes.

Those Palestinians who oppose the one-state solution are those who believe the illusion (promoted by U.S. president George W. Bush, for example) that a two-state solution is just around the corner, if not this year, then maybe next.

Kovel dedicates his book to his aunt and to Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American university student and International Solidarity Movement volunteer, who was murdered on March 16, 2003 by an Israeli bulldozer in the city of Rafah, Gaza while peacefully protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes.

To show the hate that drives Zionist attitudes toward Palestinians, Kovel quotes Tanya Reinhart's interview with another bulldozer driver. The driver, who received medals for his work in the Jenin Refugee camp in 2002, revealed that had been on duty for 75 hours straight and was drunk most of that time. He recalled that "for three days I just destroyed and destroyed ... I would just ram the house with full power, to bring it down as fast as possible ... I didn't give a damn about the Palestinians ... It was all under orders ... If I am sorry for anything, it is [for] not tearing the whole camp down."

Kovel also comments on the sanctification of American-born Zionist Baruch Goldstein, a former Israeli military physician who in 1994 entered the Abraham Mosque in Hebron and shot dead 29 Palestinian Muslims, wounding another 150 before he was overcome by other worshippers and killed. Goldstein was buried with great ceremony very near the scene of his grisly crime and the inscription on his gravestone reads: "Here lays the saint, Doctor Baruch Kapal Goldstein. Blessed be the memory of the righteous and holy man, may the Lord revenge his blood, who devoted his soul for Jews, Jewish religion and Jewish land. His hands are clean and his heart is clear. He was killed as a martyr of God on the 14th of Adar, Purim, in the year 5754."

I visited Hebron in 1995 and found that the Goldstein tomb is guarded 24/7 by Israeli military personnel and half of the Abraham Mosque has been forbidden to Muslims; it is now used as synagogue for Jews.

Kovel states wisely that no American president can do much about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due to massive "Zionist political/financial muscle and manipulation of Holocaust guilt."

He recounted his early experience with a private tutor of Hebrew in Brooklyn who "intoned about the Torah and the Covenant through which God had made the Jews special among the nations ... [His] words were positively spat out, bearing hatred for Goyim [Gentiles, or non- Jews] who had persecuted our superior people, and Chosen Ones of God. And for what? ‘I'll tell you what,' said the tutor, with blazing eyes and Old Testament wrath: ‘For a savior who wasn't even born legitimate! That's right! His parents weren't married. The so-called god of the Christians was a bastard!'"

The experience has lingered in the adult memory of Kovel, who wonders in his book how many people with the same obsessive wrath as his tutor "would immigrate to Israel from our neighborhood and come to play an important role in the future Jewish state?"

You'd think that a man as versatile and gifted as Kovel would receive front page coverage in American and Canadian media about his book, which was published in 2007.

But this did not happen in our so-called "free" press and broadcasting networks, because these systems are free only to those who own them and use their power to express their own views. And that is a sad loss for everyone.

(Dr. Mohamed Elmasry is national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. He can be reached at np@canadianislamiccongress.com)

"...in less than a year, half of Palestine's population was expelled..." - Ilan Pappe, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2007)

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For those who live in the Greater Toronto Area and did not attend Dr. Ilan Pappe's lecture on Israel's History of Ethnic Cleansing, they missed a truly insightful event. At around 7:30 p.m. on March 26, 2008, the Health Sciences Auditorium of the University of Toronto was filled to capacity and beyond with people eager to hear from one of Israel's most courageous historians. With more than 300 attending his lecture, many had to stand around the sides of the room. The directors of Canadians for Genocide Education, who sponsored the event, announced they were "delighted with such a turnout." After a brief introduction, Dr. Pappe stepped to the microphone and from that moment on, he held the crowd in rapt attention.

Dr. Pappe began with a brief history of Zionism, outlining specific causes and events that led to the creation of the Zionist movement by the late 19th century. He described how political Zionism gained momentum after World War II, leading directly to the founding of Israel. After the terrible atrocities committed against them under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, many Jews were forced to find "safe haven" in Western countries; others, however, found comfort and hope in the linked concepts of "nationalism" and the "re-invention" of Judaism. But according to Pappe, a lifelong analytical historian, the creation of Israel transformed Jewish nationalism into something more sinister -- colonialism. While picking Palestine as the region in which to settle, Zionist leaders considered neither the faith nor the culture of native Palestinians. Zionist leaders wanted to control the entire area, and in order to do that, they needed to establish a "pure Jewish land," where the overwhelming majority of the population would be of "Jewish blood." As Pappe often reiterated, this form of rigid ideology has changed very little during the six decades of Israel's existence as a state.

What he described next, however, caused a strong reaction in many members of the audience. As disturbing as it is to believe, in 1947 a group of Zionist leaders devised a brutal plan to systematically dispose of indigenous Palestinians in the newly created state of Israel. "In less than a year, half of Palestine's population was expelled," Pappe said - along with the destruction of half of the native villages, and the Palestinian culture and economy. By "expelled," he meant that most were either thrown out of the country at gunpoint, abandoned in the desert to find their way to the next border, or brutally murdered. As Pappe described the horrific methods that resulted in the mass exodus from Palestine, one could clearly see reactions of shock, distress and anger on the faces of listeners, whose feelings ranged from complete disbelief to skepticism.

Dr. Pappe also explained that since the situation in Israel did not improve over the years, its Zionist leaders came up with a new plan in 1967 - namely to take control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli control of these two territories was essential in order to segregate Palestinians from all over Israel into separated areas, as was done in South Africa during the Apartheid period. Once again, he emphasized that little about this policy has changed today.

Pappe strongly criticized the Canadian media for ignoring the undisputed historical facts behind the current situation between Israelis and Palestinians. He stated that these issues are well known to the media and politicians around the world, but "they just decide to ignore it." Unfortunately, Canada's silence has sent a very telling message to the State of Israel: basically, that it has "an insurance policy from the West." In fact, there isn't even one leading newspaper in Canada that truthfully and consistently represents the plight of the Palestinian people. Commenting on typical media approaches to the Middle East, which portray Palestinians entirely at fault, or Israel as justified in its actions, or both Israelis and Palestinians at fault, Pappe stated simply that "there is one ethnic cleanser ... there is one colonist ... and there is one occupier ... and that is the State of Israel." Although Pappe covered many important points in the lecture, this point alone could undoubtedly help raise awareness concerning the plight of the Palestinians -- if it was reported in the Canadian media.

After the formal part of the lecture concluded, Dr. Pappe answered a series of questions from the audience before signing copies of his latest book (and the title of his talk), The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. I had the honor of being among those who received his autograph and briefly spoke with him; I complimented him on his courage, and for enlightening the world with the whole truth about crimes against humanity committed in Palestine. For those who missed the lecture, I can highly recommend The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

(Romina Ghasemian is a full-time staff member at the CIC office in Kitchener, Ont. and longtime CIC volunteer. She is a recent University of Guelph graduate specializing in geopolitics with a strong interest in contemporary world cultures. This article has been slightly edited for the Canadian Islamic Congress Friday Magazine.)

From the very moment of conception, through growth and development toward full maturity, a child is the continual care and responsibility of his or her parents. It is impossible to estimate the depth of attachment and compassion parents feel for their children. Nor is it possible to calculate the worries, troubles, and hardships they go through in raising them.

Islam has always recognized the priceless contribution of caring parenthood and thus teaches that respect for one's parents is a prime and sacred obligation -- a debt of human gratitude that combines social obligation with religious duty.

Anyone who fails to respect their parents has disobeyed God Almighty and fallen away from the path of true faith. And those who treat their parents badly are more likely to treat others badly as well. On the other hand, those who appreciate the value of their parents and regard them as a means to obtain Allah's mercy are most prosperous in both worlds.

The Qur'an sums up the primary relationship between children and parents through the core concept of Ihsan, which relates to all that is right, good, and beautiful. In practical terms, Ihsan entails for parents an approach grounded in active empathy and patience, gratitude and compassion; it includes respect of children and prayers for parents, honoring their legitimate commitments and providing them with sincere counsel.

Almighty Allah says in the Qur'an: "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you show kindness to parents. And if one of them or both of them attain old age with you, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy, and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small'." [Al Isra' 23, 24]

As we can understand from these verses, Allah has asked human beings to honor and appreciate their parents; only the worship of Almighty Allah takes precedence. In fact, the recognition and respect of parents is mentioned no less than 11 times in the Qur'an and in every instance, Allah reminds children to appreciate their parents' love and care for them.

The rights of parents are among the greatest that Allah has decreed for human beings and are in the category of a'zamil huquq. The Qur'an teaches: "And We have enjoined on [humanity] to be kind and dutiful to parents. Mothers bear children in weakness, through one hardship after another, and a child's utter dependence upon his/her mother lasts two years. Hence, O [people], be grateful to Me and to your parents and remember that I am your final destination." [Al ‘Ankabut 8]

The Prophet Muhammad himself said: "May he/she be humiliated; may he/she be disgraced; may he/she be brought low." "Who?" the Sahabah inquired. ‘The unfortunate person whose parents reached old age in his/her lifetime and he/she would not enter Paradise (by being kind and respectful to them)'." [Muslim]

These references show that the more respectful we are towards our parents, the less we need worry when we come before our Rabb (Lord). On the other hand, those who do not feel and show respect to their parents, feel no respect towards Almighty Allah. It is a curious thing today that those who are disrespectful to Allah, as well as those who claim to love and listen to His will, both allow themselves to be disobedient to their parents.

Here are several points of explanation regarding how we should fulfill our duties towards our parents:

1. Treat them with goodness, mercy, and righteousness. Consider this as conduct that will earn Allah's grace both in this world and in the hereafter (Fard ‘Ayn). Next to Allah, one owes the greatest obligation to his/her parents. The Qur'an several times mentions the rights of Allah and of parents simultaneously. In Sura Al Isra, Allah reminds us: "And your Rabb has decreed that you should worship none but Him, and that you show kindness to parents." (Verse 23)
   
   
2. Be grateful to them, offering thanks for all that they have done, protecting us and raising us to the age of maturity. The extraordinary self-sacrifice, unparalleled devotion and deep affection they have bestowed on us demands that our hearts should be filled with reverence, love and appreciation for all they have done. For this reason Almighty Allah has decreed that we offer gratitude to our parents along with thanksgiving to Him: "Anishkur li wali walidayka -- We willed that you should offer thanks to Me and remain grateful to your parents."
   
   
3. Always work to make your parents happy. When they become elderly, do not reject them using harsh and disrespectful language. Make them understand that in spite of their weakness, they are important to us. For Allah warns: "And if one or both of them attain old age with you, say not to them a word of disrespect ... nor shout at them."
   
   
4. Always respect your parents to the greatest degree possible. Do not show disrespect even by a single word or action. As the Qur'an affirms: "But address them in terms of honor."
   
   
5. Be faithful and humble towards your parents. Allah guides us in this regard saying in the Qur'an: "And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy."
   
   A Muslim does not regard his/her parents as a burden, no matter how demanding their care may be. People should never distance themselves from their parents.
   
   A Muslim will always lower the wing of mercy towards those who cared for him/her as a child. If we ignore them and their needs when they most need us, it will show how selfish we are. This is an ungrateful return for all they did for us when we were more helpless then they are now.
   
   For a Muslim it is a basic understanding that when parents reach this stage of life, it is their children's turn to take care of them.
   
   A moving story is told about a Muslim who carried his old mother in his arms for Tawwaf around the Ka'bah. She told him: "I know that I am a very heavy burden for you, my son," she said, "but do you know that your carrying me once around the Ka'bah is not equivalent to one pain I had in giving you birth."
   
   We are also instructed in the Qur'an to offer prayer for our parents: "Wa qur rabbirhamhuma kam rabbayani sagira -- And say: My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small."
   
   
6. Even if one's parents are non-Muslims, and that often occurs in the West, treat them well and show respect to them, as explained above.

When our parents pass away, our duties towards them are not finished. We may honor them in the following ways:

1. Make Du'a (supplication) for them;
2. Be respectful and nice to the friends of your parents;
3. Give Sadaqa (charity) on their behalf, which is known as Waqf (endowment);
4. Buy and distribute good Islamic literature on their behalf;
5. Perform Hajj (pilgrimage) on their behalf.

These foregoing suggestions are just a few of the many possible ways.

Lastly, I ask God Almighty, that all people pray for their parents (whether they are still living or not). If they are alive, may you help them to live a long, easy and happy life; if they have passed away, may God Almighty forgive them their shortcomings and reward them plentifully for all they have done for us. Allahumma Amin!

(Imam Dr. Zijad Delic is CIC's National Executive Director in Ottawa. This article was edited for the Canadian Islamic Congress Friday Magazine.)

The dynamics and challenges facing the Muslim family in Western society was the keynote theme at a successful fundraising dinner held by Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) at Masjid As Salaam, Burnaby BC, on March 29.

Mr. Daud Ismail was Master of Ceremonies for this well-attended event, which began with a recitation of the Qur'an-e-Hakeem. This was followed by CIC Regional Director Dr. Naiyer Habib, who spoke about the history of CIC. Imam Dr. Zijad Delic, CIC's Executive Director from Ottawa was a special invited guest who spoke about the projects, efforts and necessity of CIC. His inspiring talk motivated listeners and his efforts resulted in more contributions to the fundraising effort.

Keynote speaker for the evening was CIC national Vice-President, Mrs. Wahida Valiante, a career social worker and family counselor who has written numerous articles about Muslim and minority family issues and is currently completing the first Canadian book on this subject.

Mrs. Valiante's timely theme was the Muslim Family in Western society. In her dynamic speech she described how the term "Muslim family" encompasses a diverse, heterogeneous immigrant population that arrived in Europe and North America either directly from the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Kashmir, or those whose families of origin previously resettled in different countries before immigrating a second time to the West (immigrants from Uganda, for example).

Throughout the history of Muslim settlement in the West, she emphasized the positive and constructive role the Muslim family has played in the creation of equality and social justice.

There is nothing consistently typical or immutable about the North American Muslim family, she noted. It is similarly incorrect to generalize about the Muslim family system as a whole, since it is neither homogenous nor fixed. Despite some elements in common, it displays enormous variety in structure, life-cycles, internal controls and functions.

Yet while Muslims generally come to Canada with quite varied cultural, linguistic and racial backgrounds, they do share common religious rituals, social roles, and family values. Some of those core values include: belief in marriage as, ideally, a lifelong commitment; familial relationships based on interdependence, not independence; respect for the authority of elders; traditional deference to male members of the family holding leadership positions; and belief in the stability and harmony of the family as being of higher value than individual interests.

Muslims also share in Islamic values and behaviors that promote tolerance and understanding of others and a positive attitude toward life-events such as suffering, old age, and death. These values are basic to a Muslim's daily religious observances and duties, and are also reflected in a temperament of cultural reserve, shared family values and modesty in dress and social behavior.

She then shed light upon the challenges facing the Muslim family and Islam itself, describing these changes as both internal and external in origin, emerging as they do from centuries of colonial domination and its resultant social, economic and intellectual stagnation.

In fact, there seems to be a "war" going on against parents that underscores how deeply family life has been altered by divorce, one of many social factors that have gradually but inevitably turned the traditional nuclear family on its head.

Mrs. Valiante emphasized that the Muslim family must internally establish an Islamic psycho-social identity and address the theoretical discrepancies that exist between the egalitarian spirit of the Qur'an and historical practices carried out in the name (but not the spirit) of Islam.

She speculated that perhaps one of the most compelling challenges facing the Muslim community in general and Muslim family in particular (because of its relatively young population) is increased divorce rates, marital conflict, psycho-social problems and exponential growth in the misconceptions of Islam as it seeks to maintain its religious self-identity as well as achieve a balanced integration into society at large and its institutions.

The stark reality is that since the tragedy of 9/11, Western societies have become increasingly Islamophobic. This trend has been exacerbated by relentless anti-Islam and anti-Muslim rhetoric from the mass media about (for example) oppressed Muslim women. Such a hostile social environment is bound to have a negative impact on the psychological, emotional and social health of the younger generation of North American Muslims.

She also shared her personal experience of working as a family counselor, noting that she is often confronted by painful human emotions experienced by individual family members, including children, which are caused directly by sustained personal inequalities, destructive criticism, and harsh words that can destroy self-confidence and peace of mind.

Therefore, in order to preserve a just, peaceful and moral social and family order, the Qur'an does not strip man, woman and even children of their individuality and self respect as humans, for all are equal in the realm of physical and spiritual capacity - and all are priceless vicegerents of Allah.

This inspiring event concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks to the evening's guests and the providers of the dinner.

(This article was edited for the Canadian Islamic Congress Friday Magazine.)

MUSLIMS DEMONIZED by David Liepert, (Calgary Herald, Tuesday, April 15, 2008)

Re: "No stake for the witch hunt," Editorial, April 12.

Instead of condemning the Ontario Human Rights Commission for criticizing Maclean's, you should commend it for having the courage to state, "Freedom of expression should be exercised through responsible reporting and not used as a guise to target vulnerable groups and to further increase their marginalization or stigmatization in society."

Despite the personal attacks I'm sure they saw coming, the commissioners expressed "serious concerns about the content of a number of articles concerning Muslims that have been published by Maclean's magazine and other media outlets."

Between January 2005 and July 2007, Maclean's published a series of articles culminating in one by Mark Steyn that alleged Muslims were a threat to Western civilization because we were breeding too rapidly. Then, the Western Standard blog carried a discussion on whether we should be forcibly converted, deported or killed.

Muslims have been your neighbours, quietly contributing to making Canada the envy of the world, for more than a century. Glib populist Islamophobia obviously sells books and magazines -- and puts money into the pockets of men like Steyn -- but when it's based on the ravings of obscure Norwegian radical clerics whom few Canadians have heard of, it grossly misrepresents who we are. When it incites hatred, it's hard to ignore.

It is also a gross misrepresentation to claim the Canadian Islamic Congress's dispute with Maclean's is anti-free-speech. Steyn can say what he likes about Canada's Muslims, but wouldn't it be useful to hear from people who know what they're talking about, too?

(David Liepert is spokesman for the Muslim Council of Calgary.)

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FEW AVENUES TO FIGHT HATE CRIME By Muneeza Sheikh, Naseem Mithoowani and Khurrum Awan, Mississauga (Toronto Star, April 15, 2008)

Re: Press freedom at risk, Editorial, April 11

You correctly described the Maclean's article "The Future Belongs to Islam" as an Islamophobic polemic. Although the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled that it lacks jurisdiction to hear the complaints we filed against this article, it exercised a broader mandate to advance human rights by expressing "serious concerns about the content of a number of articles concerning Muslims that have been published by Maclean's magazine and other media outlets."

The commission also properly recognized that these articles and others like them raise "important human rights issues for the affected communities and those concerned with an appropriate balance of freedom of expression and equality."

Moreover, the commission properly recognized that in our democracy, free expression is not limitless and the mass media are expected to behave responsibly.

In this context, the commission stated: "Freedom of expression should be exercised through responsible reporting and not be used as a guise to target vulnerable groups and to further increase their marginalization or stigmatization in society."

Canada has criminal hate-speech laws, but when the source of hate speech is our own mass media, they provide little or no protection to vulnerable minorities. All hate-speech prosecutions require the attorney general's consent - an unlikely event if the potential defendant is a large media organization.

Although provincial press councils provide an avenue for reader complaints, membership is voluntary and many media organizations, like Maclean's, do not subscribe. Therefore, when non-subscribers target an identifiable community, the public scrutiny of the commission must be invoked.

As Asalamu'Alaykum brothers, sisters, and dear friends of CIC:

It gives me a great pleasure to invite you to attend our fund-raising dinner function in Ottawa on April 26, 2008. CIC OTTAWA FUND-RAISING DINNER:

• Where: Al Mazaj Restaurant, 5307 Canotek Road (near Montreal & Shefford) Ottawa ON Tel. (613) 741-3000
  
• When: April 26, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
  
• Speaker: Dr. Munir El-Kassem
  
• Topic: How Can We Improve the Image of Muslims in the West?
  
• Tickets: Students/Seniors $20; Regular $40; Family (up to four) $100.
  
• Ticket Contacts:
  1. Sr. Iman Ibrahim (613) 276-6764
  2. Dr. Hussain Mouftah (613) 565-9331
  3. Br. Sulaiman Khan (613) 830-1228
  4. Imam Dr. Zijad Delic (613) 698-8469
  
  

Dinner tickets may be reserved through the above individuals and be picked up at the door.

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CIC is committed to working for YOU and for OUR future generations. We ask YOU to do something for CIC to help us continue this work.

The Canadian Islamic Congress undertakes a broad range of activities on your behalf, including advocacy of just causes, lobbying, improving the religious literacy of politicians, educating Canadian Muslims on full participation in Canadian society, and educating all Canadians through lectures and special projects such as Islamic History Month.

To do all this and more, we need YOUR support.

Your generous donations will be greatly appreciated and appropriately utilized.