Eid at the Ex

Part of a poster for the Eid festivals at the CNE, showing the
Queen Elizabeth Building designated for prayers

[Click here to see a bigger and complete version of the poster.]

December 8th was the big Eid Al-Adha festivities.

This time, instead of the Rogers Center, Muslims used another well-known Toronto landmark to hold their celebrations: the Canadian National Exhibition (the CNE). This isn't the first time that these celebrations took place in the CNE, but the organizers promised that it would be bigger and better this time, expecting up to 15,000 people from around the Toronto area.

The CNE becomes a giant fairground for two weeks in August as it hails in Labor Day and the end of summer. This event is simply known as "The Ex". The theme song "Let's go to the Ex" is sweet music to thousands of young children, who have been celebrating the end of summer with carnival rides, hot dogs and cotton candy for decades.

The grounds started off as an agricultural fair, which later branched off into the August fair ground. The rest of the year, the many buildings are used for smaller trade shows, exhibitions and athletic demonstrations.

Other multicultural events also take place there, like the Chinese New Year.

But the Muslim Eid celebrations are the biggest yet. They also made extensive use of the Ex's facilities, including rides for children, and the Queen Elizabeth Building for prayers.

Various Toronto institutions set up a food drive, co-sponsored by the CBC and Little Mosque on the Prairie's. The show's caste (many of whom are non-Muslim) also attended to meet their "fans" and to help with the food drive.

Toronto and Ontario officials, including John Tory, leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, and Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle were in attendance.

Here's how the Muslim Association of Canada describes the event:

MAC envisions Muslims as a community in Canada that is an essential, integral and vibrant part of this society yet maintaining its religious attributes and values. In aiming to integrate the Muslim identity into the Canadian social fabric, MAC has dedicated itself to events such the Eid Festivals. The Muslim community represents 10% of the GTA population and continues to grow each year. Given Eid is a very important celebration for Muslims, establishing a united gathering that represents such a multicultural community directly strengthens the Ontario heritage. This celebration is unique compared to most other events in the GTA; the events gather a diverse attendance that directly reflects the cultural mosaic of Ontario.

A nice contradiction, on the one hand advocating the multicultural nature of the Canadian society, on the other hand maintaining a Muslim exclusivity. But, this is common. Muslims will use the multicultural fabric to establish themselves, their families and their religion while excluding everyone else.

No Religion=Islam Convert

I was doing some research on Islam the other day, and needed to consult some books. I went to the Ryerson University Library, which is right in the middle of finals, so a little crowded.

Still, I went past the lady stacking books, and got to the section I needed only to find someone taking up the whole area. I waited a while, and then decided to ask the person if I could just get to the books I wanted. I realized then that she was an Indian-looking girl, holding a book simply titled "Islam", and since I felt I had already done the introductions, I asked her if she was doing a term paper on this.

No, she said, she is learning about Islam for herself.

Why, I persisted.

Because she has to teach it to her boyfriend who wants to convert.

What religion is her boyfriend, I wanted to know.

No religion, she said. Then, that he was actually a Hindu, but doesn't practice. And now wants to convert to Islam.

Oh, he's Indian, I said. But he was actually from Trinidad (large Indian population there), and her family comes from Pakistan. I wanted to ask her more, especially why her family wasn't helping her with the instructions, but time was pressing.

From no religion, to Islam. That is quite a step. Unfortunately, it isn't the first time I've heard this. I know of two weddings that have taken place recently between Muslims and supposed Christians.

Those Brampton 18 must be some role models. Promising more fun and adventure (and risk and danger) than a "no religion" can possibly provide.

Full Niqab in Full Daylight

This is what I saw crossing the street while stopping at a red light in downtown Toronto. Well, the one I saw was all in black, which was even more frightening.

It was shocking. A small, squat woman, dressed from head-to-toe in this garb. I have never seen anyone come out dressed in full niqab, as it is called, in full daylight in the city.

It shows a tremendous amount of confidence for her to walk out like this, probably the only one in the streets.

But not for long. If one dares to come out like this, there must be hundreds others getting ready to do so. Slowly, like the less intrusive hijab, this full-length dress is being introduced into our landscape.

More Books for the School Children

October as Islamic History Month was created by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2007. It is still at its nascent stage, and we didn't hear advertisements about it months in advance as we do about Black History Month. But, it will only be a matter of time.

But what is equally perturbing is that Muslims are adamant on reaching school children. Two women for the University of Calgary's Faculty of Education have developed Islamic history books for grades 1-6. This was launched in time for last year's Islamic History Month. More books are in the works, especially for the grade 7-12 group.

Here is an article praising Muslim "scientists" those precursors to microchips and space travel by Mohamed Elmasry president of the Canadian Islamic Congress:

In some way, we all come in daily contact with microchips, space travel, medicine, physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, music, literature, arts, architecture, and spirituality. But do any of us , including contemporary Muslims themselves, fully realize how directly all of these advances and disciplines have been built upon more than a millennium of achievements by Muslim scientists, scholars, engineers and artists? Probably not.

It is high time for Islamic civilization to be rediscovered and celebrated by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially in the West. And it is equally important that we ignore all those who, for political reasons, have a longtime vested interest in dismissing or suppressing Islamic civilization, to the point where it has become scarcely known and not even a footnote on most school and university curricula.

Well, the reason why it is "not even a footnote on most school and university curricula" is because there is nothing to report.

I'm sure Rahat Naqvi and Sally Goddard have rectified that in their text books. We already know that schools are not much interested in teaching the truth.

"Borrowing" Logos

Although I have blogged about the appropriation of the title and locale of the CBC Muslim show "Little Mosque on the Prairie", I only recently found out that they also "borrowed" the logo for the TV credits.

There is nothing else to link these two shows except the superficialities. But, it is a big boost from Muslims in Canada (and the US, where "Little House on the Prairie" originates) to give the impression that they are like any other Canadian. Take the name, the region and even the design style of the original show to fool ordinary Canadians into thinking that "Muslims are just like us."

Similar to the Roger's Center (where the last Eid celebrations took place) which is being touted as the center for multicultural celebrations, the clever producers of "Little Mosque on the Prairie" are saying that looking like a quintessential Canadian show (yes, Laura Ingalls is part of any young Canadian's reading material) is enough to detract people away from the real intentions of Muslims, which is not to look like Laura Ingalls and her family at all, but to be clear and uncontested Muslims.

The TV show is testament to that strategy. Nothing in the show resembles the prairies of the Ingalls family.

"Being A Muslim"

Haroon Siddiqui at a PEN Canada event.
He was past president of PEN.

In 2006, the Toronto Star journalist Haroon Siddiqui was already preparing the way for Canadian schools by writing his book "Being a Muslim. (Groundwork Guides)".

Getting the population young is the smartest way for ideologies to pass on their message. Why not try that for religions as well.

The premise of this book is clearly outlined in the first chapter of the book:

Contrary to the popular belief that the West is under siege from Muslim terrorists, it is Muslims who have become the biggest victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001, as inconceivable as that would have seemed in the aftermath of the murder of 2,900 Americans. Since then, between 34,000 and 100,000 Iraqis have been killed by the Americans or the insurgents. Nobody knows how many have been killed in Afghanistan. In the spots hit by terrorists – from London and Madrid to Amman, Istanbul, Riyadh and Jeddah, through Karachi to Bali and Jakarta – more Muslims have been killed and injured than non-Muslims.

The approximately 27 million Muslims living in Western nations have been targeted in other ways. They have been victims of racial profiling and frequent identity mix-ups at airports and border crossings, where they may be harassed and sometimes detained. Monitored by both the secret services and the media, they must be careful about what they say in emails, phone conversations and in public. They must think twice about keeping a beard or wearing overtly Muslim clothing and be mindful of their behavior in public. They must keep proving, in school and at work, that neither they nor their faith fit the caricature of Muslims and Islam drilled into the public consciousness.

Two high school teachers from Manitoba review this book and both find "Being a Muslim":

...a highly-accessible guide to the faith, an exploration of the social and economic challenges faced by Muslims living in societies (both European and North American) founded largely on Judeo-Christian values,

One elaborates even further by saying:

As a social studies teacher, I look forward to taking the entire first section of the book as a study of current events and of the effective use of persuasive style in nonfiction writing. . . Siddiqui is unequivocal and effective in exposing double standards and inconsistencies in contemporary media coverage of news stories in which Islam plays a part. One can only hope that a publisher sees the value in taking Siddiqui’s research and clear style and expanding the work into a more comprehensive contemporary treatment of Islam for high school students...”

In other words, what these young students are hearing about Islam is all wrong and that Siddiqui counters all the negative reports about Islam in his brilliantly persuasive book. Forget about 9/11 and the 3,000 that were murdered, think about all those Iraqis and Afghans that have been killed by American (and now Canadian) forces. And let's not forget the Muslims targeted in Western countries, those countries founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and whose prime purpose is now to oppress these poor Muslims.

And just like I mentioned earlier, this seasoned teacher was struck by the "effective use of persuasive style in nonfiction writing." This is exactly one strategy that writers like Siddiqui would need to cultivate in order to falsify the information even his ultra-left newspaper reports as true.

Just the way to reach the young Canadian minds.

One more thing, this is a writer who has received the Order of Canada, the highest civilian order, for his "journalistic contributions as well as his voluntary work in helping to forge the new Canadian identity." I suspect in Siddiqui's world, Western civilization is a threat to his Islamic culture, and has no place any more in the "new Canadian identity" that he is forging.

Eid at the Roger's Centre

Shot of screen with the CN Tower and Rogers Center
looming over Toronto, clearly looking like a mosque.
From the Arabic program Omniyat TV.

The past Eid Al Fitr Festival was celebrated in the Roger's Centre.

I had perviously noted that the Roger's Center and the CN Tower have been used to look like a mosque and a minaret.

Well, here is the progression of that intuition (observations?).

The huge sports complex interior was fittingly used to celebrate one of the most important Muslim festivals.

Of course, people will say that the center is often used for large community, multicultural, events. But, that's besides the point. One by one, we are getting used to our buildings take on different functions. And it is in the interest of the Muslims that this is the case, since they can camouflage their increased presence in the West as part of the multicultural reality.