B’nai Brith has rejected suggestions by Mohamed Elmasry, President of the Canadian Islamic Congress, that the comments he made condoning terrorism against Israeli civilians were “misunderstood.” B’nai Brith has also dismissed the denial by Vancouver Imam Younus Kathrada that he is a promoter of hate. “Here are examples of two very different leaders of Canada’s Muslim community — one the head of a secular Islamic organization, the other a religious leader — who are actively engaged in hate mongering,” said Frank Dimant, B’nai Brith Canada’s executive vice-president. “Where are the voices of Canada’s Imams condemning such hateful and dangerous words? Where are the calls from the Canadian Islamic Congress, the Dar-ul-Madina Islamic Society and the wider Muslim community demanding their resignations?
“We ask why the Vancouver authorities only launched their investigation of Imam Kathrada after his incendiary remarks were made public. This was reportedly a full two years after information on the Imam’s particular brand of anti-Jewish hate speech was first brought to their attention.”
“Our government must demonstrate through its actions — both in the case of Imam Kathrada and Mohamed Elmasry — that such intolerable hate is not acceptable in this country. Canadian officials must pursue all appropriate options to investigate these two individuals.”
Imam Younus Kathradra, who heads the Vancouver mosque Dar al-Madina, has been accused of inciting hatred and advocating genocide. According to reports, Kathradra says in a recording on the mosque’s web site, “We know what happened over the last week and how the brothers of the monkeys and the swine assassinated and murdered one of the heroes of Islam, the Salah al-Din of this day and age, Ahmed Yassin.”
“Once again they’ve shown their treachery; once again they’ve shown that they are cowards and that they cannot be trusted.”
According to the CBC report, his preachings repeatedly talk of killing Jews. On the Oct. 19 edition of The Michael Coren Show, Elmasry said that any Israeli is a legitimate terrorist target. “The totally innocent people (are) obviously the children, but they are not innocent if they are part of a population which is the total population of Israel (which) is part of the army.... They are part of the Israeli army, even if they have civilian clothes.”
Index | Letters to the Editor | Main Page | Op Ed | Photos
Send Letters To The Editor:
editor@jewishtribune.ca
This site hosted by:
vex.net
