You’ll recall that my blogger-husband and I blogged this week about an event at the Canadian Dept of National Defence celebrating “Islamic Heritage Month” (?), at which the keynote speaker was the head of the Canadian Islamic Congress — the same group that took Mark Steyn to “Human Rights” court.
Thanks to inquiries made by a number of people who are better connected than Arnie and I, and perhaps all the attention brought to this event by Mark Steyn et al
it has been cancelled!
A speech at National Defence headquarters by the outspoken executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress has been cancelled due to his organization’s “extremist views.”
A spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Imam Zijad Delic was scheduled to make an address as part of Islamic Heritage Month on Oct. 4 but that MacKay decided to cancel the event.
However, “Islamic Heritage Month” will still be celebrated at DND in some form:
Paxton said the festivities will instead focus on the “evolution of Islam in the Canadian Forces and the positive contribution of Canada’s Muslim community to our society.”
UPDATE:
Dear angry lefties:
“Separation of Church & State,” right, old boys? That’s your favorite (usually misunderstood) ralling cry, no?
Just checking. You should have been the ones on top of this bizarre official function, not us.
What’s the State’s armed wing doing celebrating “Christian Heritage Month”??
Ooops, I mean “Islamic.”
Anyway, you progressives go back to fighting against having to see Christmas trees in public.
Once again, my side is on top of something actually important.
This is a small victory in a long war. A special thanks to our readers and the bloggers who supported this effort but most importantly we thank those who worked behind the scenes to make this happen. Good work all of you!
What we have witnessed is the effort by an extremist organization to legitimize itself in the public eye.
This did not happen without enablers; useful idiots or willing conspirators the CIC had help from the inside.
Whether the rot extends to DND itself or is confined to DFAIT remains to be seen.
Hard questions must be asked. Access To Information requests with the Defence Department’s visible minority advisory group will be filed.
We’ll have more on the plan of action as it develops.
UPDATE:
Binks has helpfully rounded up all the blog and news links about this issue.
Great backgrounder (for those in the legacy media just joining us…)
And Bink’s own commentary and analysis of this incident is excellent.
UPDATE:
WOW– the Institute for Canadian Values issued a press release before the cancellation of the speech, but it is still excellent:
The Director of the Evangelical Association, Dr. Rondo Thomas, states “Canada has lost over 150 soldiers in this war and I recently buried one of these heroes. When his mother heard the details of this coming Islamic celebration, she said she felt as if her son was killed all over again.
“I spent nearly 10 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and I am horrified that our leaders would be so insensitive,” added Dr Thomas. (…)
“Circumstances surrounding this failure raise questions about our defence headquarters’ internal security at a time when experts warn of the risk of infiltration of our security organizations,” said Dr McVety.“Was the Delic invitation facilitated by associates of the Canadian Islamic Congress or other radical Muslim elements operating from within National Defence headquarters itself?
Something has gone wrong, and we ask fair-minded Canadians to call upon Prime Minister Stephen Harper to fully investigate this serious security failure.”
UPDATE: Pamela Geller picks up the story and adds…
We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the herculean efforts of Revere-ian bloggers who exposed this suicidal act of dhimmitude.
Once again bloggers and like groups are on the front lines doing the heavy lifting in the war on the West, while big media carries water for the the most radical, intolerant ideology in history.
Kudos to blog colleagues Blazing Cat Fur, Kathy Shaidle, and Steynian among others — proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this fight.
UPDATE: thanks, too, to Robert Spencer for pushing this story:
A small victory indeed: after all, why is there an “Islamic Heritage Month” at all at Canada’s Department of National Defence? When is Jewish Heritage Month? Christian Heritage Month?
Still, any victory is…a victory. Delic is head of the Canadian Islamic Congress, about which you can read below.
Kudos to Blazing Cat Fur, Steynian, and the incomparable Kathy Shaidle.
