timeimmortal

That’s why you go to an HRC: because your case is not good enough to stand up in a legitimate court of law. And because you don’t want to invest your own time and money, but would rather the taxpayer provide officers to do the paperwork, and pick up the tab. Instead, you want a slam-dunk way in which you can victimize someone you don’t like, by playing the victim yourself, without any financial or legal consequences, except to him. �human rights� commissions were designed to provide just this service, for the use of persons who are both litigious, and lazy.

Since Imam Soharwardy’s training is in Shariah — in and in Pakistani madrassahs — he perhaps needs advice on getting protection from a Canadian court against his own HRC problems. For women from his mosque — the Al-Madinah Calgary Islamic Assembly — have brought an HRC complaint against him. They allege that he discriminates against women, to the point of uttering abusive language, ignoring their questions, making them sit at the back of the hall, threatening them physically and verbally, pushing them out on the streets, and finally, pursuing them with obscene and threatening letters and phone calls.

Poor Imam Soharwardy. He should argue, that if any of these complaints were substantial, the women could have gathered evidence and made formal criminal charges. Harassing women is a serious charge, in this country, and physically abusing any human being is against existing laws that have been on the books since time out of mind. He should himself allege, that these women in his mosque chose an HRC because they weren’t very sure of their case. The imam should seek an injunction against the women for harassing HIM. Unless, of course, he’s not very sure what might emerge in that court, in the course of his own action.

He misses mention of another action Imam Sohawardy took toward Ezra Levant, after a public debate between the two men. Levant won the debate, defending his publication of the Muhammad cartoons, and Sohawardy went to the police to demand Levant’s arrest (apparently unaware that over here, unlike in Saudi Arabia, the police don’t arrest folks what “offends” Islam — not yet, at least) — there are no Canadian muttawa.

But his basic point is sound: cases heard by the HRC are those which, on their own merits, have no hope of standing up in a court of law. Nor should they, because the law does not (should not) mete out punishments on those who have transgressed against only the feelings of another — it is not a crime to make someone feel upset or offended.

The second point made is also sound: the HRC can, does, and will turn against everyone in due time. Syed Sohawardy made use of the HRC to level his complaint against Ezra Levant, and is in turn being hauled before it by female members of his mosque. He used it, and it has turned on him now. This is an Orwellian farce we can expect to see played out again and again until such time as human rights commissions are just a bad memory in a distant history. Until such time, pace Mark Steyn, the tiger will eat not only those on whom it is unleashed, but those who unleash it as well.

Relatedly:

~ by Kenneth on January 21, 2008.