The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a collaborative group comprised of Jewish organizations in Canada, has released a startling three-minute video clip of what appears to be an anti-Israel protest.
The rally, which took place on August 28 at Queens Park in Toronto, has ignited fear and debate surrounding radical Islam and its infusion into Western society. IsraelNationalNews.com describes the event, which was called Al-Quds Day:
Al-Quds Day has been marked since 1979, as decided by Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian government, on the last Friday of the Ramadan month in order to express the support of Iran and the Muslim world of Palestinians Authority Arabs and “the liberation of Jerusalem,” to discredit Israel and call for its destruction, and to defy the United States and other western powers.
The event, which included a multitude of anti-Israeli rhetoric, occurs in cities across the world each year. YNetNews reports that the Toronto version included speakers who called Israel a “cancer” and who accused the Middle Eastern country of being involved “wherever we see injustice happening.”
Additionally, Israelis were purportedly called “racists” and “barbarians,” among other names. At one point in the clip, it appears that some protestors are waving Hezbollah – widely regarded as a terror group — flags.
For example, Zafar Bangash, president of the Islamic Society of York Region said, “Zionism is racism,” and claimed that Zionists are “racist, inhuman and barbaric.” These were tough words for such a prominent faith leader.
“Allah willing, I see that day when we, the Muslims, will march on Palestine and liberate Palestine for all the people in the world,” he continued. “For the Jewish people, for the Christian people and for the Muslim people, and under Islamic law they will all be living as equal citizens.”
Maulana Asad Jafri, who also spoke at the event, said that “the Zionist regime sucks the resources, the blood and everything that belongs to people all across the world in order to fulfill its personal needs.”
Another speaker, Karin Brothers, sparked controversy for her participation in the event. Brothers, a representative of the United Church of Canada (a Christian denomination), had nothing but kind words for the participants. The video shows her proudly proclaiming, “We are blessed here in Toronto with the most dedicated peace activists who represent many faiths and cultures.”
Tarek Fatah, the president of the Muslim Canadian Congress, has come out against Toronto’s Al-Quds Day. You may recall Fatah from his warning about the Muslim Brotherhood’s alleged influence on the White House (The Blaze covered that speech last month).
During an interview with Sun Media, he called on Muslims to denounce the rally’s participants. He also encouraged adherents to tell the event’s speakers that they should return to their homelands if they want to live under Islamic law:
Additionally, Fatah posted a strong message on his Facebook page:
Some will likely be startled to hear such inflammatory language being uttered in a Westernized society like Canada. The Blaze, equally surprised to see the footage, reached out to CIJA to confirm the accuracy of the video.
After viewing pieces of the raw footage, we can confirm that radical statements were, indeed, made at this event. The confirmation from individuals like Fatah further corroborates the notion.
(h/t IsraelNationalNews.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment