timeimmortal

(Make that: Mohamed “All Israeli civilians over the age of 18 are legitimate targets” Elmasry.)

It seems that Mr. Elmasry sought a meeting with Stephen Harper; Harper, being a sensible sort, is not returning his calls.

The leader of the Canadian Islamic Congress is complaining that the Harper government won’t give him the time of day. Good for the Harper government.

The Muslim community in Canada is a large and a diverse one, with many voices. Government leaders, however, are right to exercise judgment in deciding which of those voices to engage with. Just because a group claims to speak for “Muslims,” or has the word “Islamic” in its title, does not give it instant legitimacy.

This applies, incidentally, to any ethnocultural association. Anyone can make businesscards and letterhead, and present themselves as the official representatives of this or that demographic. Sometimes, though, these community “leaders” represent mainly themselves, and in fact might advocate for issues that, paradoxically, are against the interests of the people for whom they presume to speak.

<p.A few years ago, Mohamed Elmasry did Muslims no service when his comments on a television show were widely interpreted to sanction violence against all Jewish Israelis over the age of 18. The episode even drew the interest of police — some alleged that Mr. Elmasry’s remarks had crossed the line into incitement — but no charges were laid.

Mr. Elmasry apologized and said he had been misunderstood, but the whole affair damaged the Canadian Islamic Congress. Does Mr. Elmasry really expect that, today, Stephen Harper is going to have him over for dinner at 24 Sussex Drive, especially when there are so many other Muslim and Arab organizations in Canada that represent a more moderate and constructive perspective? Indeed, several Arab-Muslim groups, to their credit, were quick to distance themselves from Mr. Elmasry’s comments about Israelis.

Mohamed Elmasry is a clanging gong, to use the imagery from Corinthians — he’s essentially the voice of radical Islam within Canada, and an apologist for what amounts to genocide against the people of Israel. He (hopefully!) does not speak for the majority of the Islamic community in Canada, and is really nothing more than what is colloquially called a ’shit disturber’ whose only purpose seems to be to try and censor anybody who even makes the slightest peep about Islam and the excesses of some strains of that religion both in Canada and abroad.

It doesn’t help matters that his organization, the CIC, is the one spearheading the absurd human rights complaint against and Mark Steyn.

Harper owes this man nothing, especially not any sort of official recognition that might confer undue legitimacy onto Elmasry and his organization.