TORONTO – A program last week at Bloor Street United Church – sponsored by SIFT (Skeptics Inquiry for Truth) and Global Outlook Magazine and publicized by the church and the Canadian Arab Federation – featured radical conspiracy theorists promoting the thesis that 9/11 was an American inside job and that the Toronto 18 (alleged members of an Islamic terror cell) were framed by an ideologically driven Canadian government.
Although the event gave lip service to respect for diversity, viciously antisemitic reading material was on display. The event featured guest speakers Dr. Bob Bowman, who’s been waging a campaign challenging fellow US citizens to “take back America,” and Michael Keefer, an English professor at Guelph University who laments the Canadian government’s “fear mongering” and the “largely mythical Islamic terror international.”
This particular church has a history of activities on behalf of “social justice,” and part of its mission, as stated clearly on its web site, is to “advocate on behalf of the Palestinians.”
In fact, emcee Barry Zwicker praised “this United Church” for being “maybe the most progressive United Church in Canada.”
Introducing the guest speakers, Terry Burrows, SIFT’s project co-coordinator, declared: “We don’t want a government that practises fascism and tyranny. We are Canadian patriots and we want to live in a country that…upholds Canadian values of bedrock inclusiveness and respects diversity.”
Among the literature that visitors were urged to take was a newspaper with content smacking of antisemitism, for example, “it’s a fact” that “Zionists [are] controlling the media,” “Zionists in Canada don’t care about Canada’s sovereignty and are willing to join the US, where they control Bush,” “Zionists attack our advertiser [not named]… threats by Toronto Zionists who attack the messenger rather than improve themselves and their nazi [sic] ways,” and “Rothschild owned big pharma killers.”
What’s interesting, however, is that Bloor Street United Church would agree not only to host the event, but also to allow vicious hate-mongering literature to be distributed on its premises.
According to Tina Edwards, the office secretary in charge of bookings, the literature “must have been brought in by the tenant renting the space. It wasn’t a church event. We rent space to community groups. We are aware of who’s coming in the building, but we do not monitor material as closely as you’re indicating that we might.”
Rev. Martha Ter Kuile, spiritual leader of the church, told the Jewish Tribune: “I am afraid the event in question is not one that I know much about. I did not attend the event, and am not familiar with the Skeptics Inquiry For Truth group, who rented the Bloor Street United Church facility.” She recommended contacting Church Council head Nenke Jongkind.
Jongkind said she was an usher at the event and didn’t see the antisemitic material. “Nothing about SIFT is antisemitic or anti-Jewish at all,” she asserted. “I’m chair of the Church Council and a participant with SIFT. We definitely are not antisemitic; I can say that explicitly. We have a social justice committee that’s active in a variety of ways to inform the community in a number of areas in social justice; for example, Black History Month.”
Keefer, who accused the Canadian government of using fear mongering tactics and spreading Islamophobia, said he believes the Toronto 18 were tortured “out of desperation to possibly squeeze something out of them” that could be incriminating.
“We have to stand up and say, we will not permit you to continue arresting Muslim men and boys,” he stated.
Bowman, calling for a revolution to “throw off the shackles of tyranny,” told the assembled that the US is leading Canada not just to war, but also “down the primrose path to a police state.”
He delivered a mock inauguration speech as newly elected American president, announcing that George W. Bush and Richard Cheney had been arrested as war criminals.
“Remember, we executed Nazis for just following orders,” he proclaimed, and, “a US attack on Iran, which poses no threat to the US, would be a war crime.”
Asked by the audience how he would deal with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, he replied: “I am quite sure that if the Canadian people and the British people saw the US taking back their country…they would not stand for being left behind with the status quo. I wouldn’t have to lean on them. The people would lean on them.
“I would lean only on Israel,” he elaborated, to enthusiastic applause. “Don’t start calling me antisemitic. I have Jewish friends....” |
