MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Luke 2:14 from the American Standard Version Bible:

Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased

King James says this:

Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men

Yes, we need to play our part to receive God's pleasure and gift.

Keeping Up With Muslim Wedding Traditions

Here is more evidence that Muslims have no intention of really integrating into Western culture.

The recent wedding of a young Muslim South Asian newscaster from New Jersey was depicted as "a fusion" of cultures. In reality, there is not much "fusion about it.

I know this isn't an Ontario story, but the New Jersey story was the one I could find with the most detail about young married, or soon-to-be married Muslim couples.

Still, regarding Ontario, the writer and creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Zarqa Nawaz, has talked about her husband and family life. She recounts her husband "supporting" her career as a filmmaker by relocating from Saskatchewan to Toronto, as though he made special sacrifices. But, her husband is a doctor, and unlikely not to find work anywhere, given the shortages. So, moving to Toronto from Saskatchewan to follow his new filmmaker wife's career wasn't such a risky move. In the end, as it happens, they had to return to Saskatchewan because...it didn't suit the husband's career plans. Doctors from out of Ontario have to wait three years before gaining residency. So much for the "feminist" woman full of career moves with the supportive modern Muslim husband. Of course, her TV series is also a heavily subsidized CBC affair, where her real entrepreneurship and creativity is not important. I'm sure it is her "female and Muslim" attributes that gave her the show.

Back to New Jersey.

Syma and Aamer are American-born well-established Muslims. Syma is both Pakistani and Indian. Her now-husband Aamer is Indian. Syma has a semi-glamorous life as a fashion model and a newscaster at News 12, and Aamer is an attorney. They met through a chat line, and dated for a year before they became engaged. Such a long dating period is frowned upon, but this outgoing, rule-breaking couple did it anyway.

Other rules they broke?

- Syma wore an off-white wedding dress (actually it looks more like a sari to me) instead of the traditional red one.
- Syma decided to have the henna-painting ceremony - the mehndi - before the wedding ceremony - the nikah. (Unfortunately, we are having to learn new vocabulary as well)
- There were bridesmaids whose saris matched the wedding sari and other decor
- Although the couple had a traditional nikah (yes that would be wedding) ceremony, they gave each other rings, as per Western traditions
- The bride and groom also followed other Western wedding traditions such walking down the "aisle", cutting of the cake, throwing of the bouquet (but not the garter!) and having the first dance as a married couple (couples apparently don't dance in Muslim wedding ceremonies).

But, more detail shows this is just really fluff.

They got married under strict Muslim tenets, reciting words from the Koran. And Syma's mother had the last say in almost all the big decisions, including having the wedding venue in a formal, large hall with hundreds of guests unlike the few dozen Syma was planning. Large communities are ways in which such groups keep their bonds strong. One small detail, which sounds quaint: the wedding cake had a mosque dome, a crescent and a star as the cake topper.

When push comes to shove, the "fusion" parts of Muslim weddings, and married couples, is in the artificial and unimportant ones - well, some might relinquish a little more. But, the essentials of the weddings are all there, and no real tradition is broken.

Even the Western rites are submerged and integrated into the Muslim/non-Western ones, and not the other way round.

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.

"Islamic centers" as fronts for mosques

Toronto has a nostalgic view of itself as the city with a church in every corner.

Well, "a mosque in every corner" doesn't sit so well, does it? And that is just what's happening. But, once again to avoid the shock and antagonism that could occur if this infiltration into our street corners were unveiled, these mosques are being called "Islamic centers." And, some are braving the unresponsive (for now) Canadian psyche by using masjid, the Islamic name for mosque.

The above photo shows the corner Masjid Toronto - which has been "loosely" translated as "Islamic Center of Downtown Toronto." The building was originally a bank

Maid of Gouda Under Minaret

At an amateur art exhibition in Holland, there was a piece ironically titled "Maid in Gouda."

Maid in Gouda - Tom Diamant

The information is from a Dutch site, and it seems that the painter is Dutch, and not Muslim. What is even worse than Muslims infusing their presence into our environment is when naive Westerners help them do this, and participate in their own destruction. But, the painter still can't help himself. The interesting thing about this painting is that there is no interaction between the Dutch and the Muslim. A half gouda cheese is part of the dome of the mosque, and the red, white and blue of the Dutch flag is prevalent, but there is no connection between the two buildings and the two "maids."

In fact, the Muslim symbolism ominously dominates. The Muslim girl, draped in the Dutch flag, appears to be rising out of the white cloud of the flag, whereas a pair of eyes, which look male, are peering through the blood red background. There is no counterpart male Dutch, unless we count the invisible "creator"--the painter. Even the minaret is much taller than what appears to be a castle (why not a church?)

The young Dutch girl, meanwhile, stands huddled in the corner clasping the cheese in her arms.

Perhaps this was a distorted psychological rendition of the Dutchman who painted this. He may appear to like his Muslim counterparts, but somewhere along there, his smiling Muslim girl cannot help him hide his inner fear.

Now, if only it were less symbolic and more realistic. If only he were more aware.

The time bomb that is Islam

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

CBC program Little Mosque on the Prairie
overshadowing the landscape

I recently reviewed a Canadian "sitcom" Little Mosque on the Prairie, and its incongruous setting. We'll be seeing a lot more of this kind of thing, since the Canadian public finds it amusing, quaint or not worth mentioning when Islamic imagery slowly start to seep into our landscape.

The latest casualties are the CN Tower and the Rogers Center. They are used as the final shot for one of Toronto's multicultural programs, the Arabic news show Omniyat TV. It is no coincidence that the CN Tower is made to look like a minaret, and the retractable roof of the sport center to look like the dome of a mosque.

The same subtle intrusions into our psyche (because that is the level of their intrusion) is happening on a more mundane level. For example, walking down Yonge street (not too far from the high-class Bloor and Yonge) one can hear Arabic music blurting from the storefronts, especially in the summer with doors and windows opened wide.

People better start paying attention to stories like this from Britain, where whole regions are becoming no-go areas for non-Muslims. Unlikely in Canada, you might say. But who would have thought that someone would transform Laura Ingalls' book (the title at least) of into a prairie full of Muslims? Out there in the middle of nowhere?