Doc's Talk: Reaction to the Jaffari Centre's "MUSLIM-ONLY" re-development proposal in Thornhill Woods

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Reaction to the Jaffari Centre's "MUSLIM-ONLY" re-development proposal in Thornhill Woods

The attached document below is an open letter to the residents of Thornhill from Erin Goodwin who is the Freedom Party candidate in Thornhill for the upcoming provincial by-election. JDL Canada does not endorse any candidate but is reprinting the letter for the sole purpose of public information.

______________________________________________

OPEN LETTER TO THE VOTERS OF THORNHILL

FP's Erin Goodwin Opposes Approval of

Muslim-only Development

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Riding of Thornhill:



Many of you will know that, on February 4, 2014, a meeting was held at Vaughan City Hall concerning a proposed expansion to the Jaffari Community Centre. The proposal is for the construction of a 30 acre Muslim-only development involving two condominium towers and a number of townhouses for a total of 377 units.   The meeting drew an overflow crowd because the issue is of great concern, especially to those living near the proposed development.

A number of concerns have been raised about the development, which reportedly cannot proceed without obtaining special exemptions and approvals from government. The project reportedly would not comply with zoning and planning criteria without the exemptions and approvals. In addition, legitimate concern is being caused by the fact that proponents of the development - Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jama'at of Toronto ("ISIJ") - initially made it clear that the intention is for a Muslim-only community on a 30 acre site.



Thornhill residents go to the polls this coming Thursday, February 13, 2014 to vote in the provincial by-election for the riding of Thornhill. Concerned voters have written to Freedom Party of Ontario and to Erin Goodwin - Freedom Party's candidate in Thornhill - asking that we state the party's position with respect to the issue of the proposed development.



This issue is an important one not only for the riding, but for the precedent it could set for the province. Accordingly, we are writing to ensure that you understand in no uncertain terms Freedom Party's position on the issue, and the position of Erin Goodwin, Freedom Party's candidate.



Freedom Party, its leader Paul McKeever, and its candidate Erin Goodwin oppose the granting of exemptions or approvals for the 30-acre development. We oppose it in part because of the many zoning and planning concerns expressed by Thornhill residents who would suffer the consequences - including traffic congestion - were the development to get exemptions and approvals to go ahead.



However, we also share the concerns of those who oppose - or are puzzled by - the Muslim-only nature of the proposed site. Freedom Party is quite aware that the religious leader of the ISIJ is an Imam and author who regards only the laws of Allah - Sharia - to be legitimate law. It would be naive, at the very least, to disregard the exclusive, Muslim-only nature of the proposed development, which we understand to include streets and allowances that would be not private but public lands.



Contrary to the religious leader of the ISIJ, Freedom Party stands opposed to facilitating respect for Sharia law. We advocate respect only for the laws made in our legislatures and courts, by the people, for the life and happiness of all of the children and adults on this good earth, of all religions. We will not support the use of our laws to defend the existence of zones in which the laws made in our legislatures and courts are disregarded or discouraged.



Having made our own position clear, we encourage the Liberal and Progressive Conservative candidates to do the same, because those who remain mute in order to get elected, will remain mute in order to get re-elected.



Sincerely,



Erin Goodwin (Freedom Party candidate for the riding of Thornhill)

AND

Paul McKeever (Leader, Freedom Party of Ontario)

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The following article, dated today - February 11, 2014 is reprinted from the online magazine CRESCENT INTERNATIONAL. This publication represents the sentiments of the Shia community to which the members of the Jaffari Centre adhere. It is an article celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Islamic revolution - a revolution which has produced one of the world's most repressive regimes in existence today. This revolution has produced a culture of violence and terrorism - a culture which is a throwback to medieval times that is based on tyranny, misogyny and homophobia - and is characterized by anti-semitism and religious intolerance. The article has been re-printed here - the actual article in it's original appearance can be viewed by following this

LINK

_______________________________

Crescent International is a publication of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT).

Millions join 35th Anniversary celebrations of Islamic revolution in Iran

by crescent-online.net

February, 2014

Despite illegal sanctions, sabotage and other difficulties placed in the path of the Islamic Republic by imperialists and zionists, the people's support for the Islamic Revolution has not waned. This was witnessed once again today as millions joined the 35 anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution at Azadi Square in Tehran.

Tehran, Crescent-online

Tuesday February 11, 2014, 09:51 EST

Millions of Iranians from all walks of life attended celebrations in Azadi Square marking the 35th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution that triumphed in 1979. The Islamic revolution was a turning point in contemporary history when the movement led by Imam Khomeini (ra) brought to an end the tyrannical regime of the US-backed Reza Shah. It was not without a price: at least 80,000 people, among them women and children, were martyred by the Shah's forces despite the completely peaceful nature of demonstrations.

Even after 35 years, the people's enthusiasm for the revolution has not waned despite decades of illegal sanctions imposed on Iran by the Western powers led by the United States.

The Islamic revolution was the first genuine change in Muslim societies. It was not another palace coup in which one set of elite grabbed power from another. The Imam established a system of government based in Islamic values and principles.

By offering sincere and courageous leadership, the Imam inspired the people of Iran to make immense sacrifices in defence of the revolution. Soon after the victory of the Islamic revolution, agents of imperialism and Zionism launched a vicious campaign of internal sabotage and assassinated more than 1200 leading figures of the revolution.

Those martyred included the country's President Mohammad Ali Rajaie, Prime Minister Mohammed Bahonar, Chief Justice Ayatullah Mohammed Hussein Beheshti, leading ulama such as Ayatullah Mofatteh and Ayatullah Murtaza Muttahari as well as scores of Imam Jumahs.

Any other system would have collapsed after such massive blows but the Islamic system with its deep roots among the people and the courageous leadership of Imam Khomeini, withstood this challenge.

Similarly, the people of Iran singlehandedly withstood the onslaught from Baathist Iraq under the tyrannical ruler Saddam Hussein. That war lasted eight years and Saddam was backed by all of his Arab allies as well as the West. He used chemical and biological weapons against the Islamic forces but Islamic Iran was not cowed down.

After such tremendous sacrifices, the people of Iran are entitled to display fireworks and colorful illuminations on the evening before the final day-February 11 (coinciding with 22 Bahman in the Iranian calendar year) to celebrate this remarkable achievement.

President Hassan Rohani as well as Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addressed the millions of people assembled at the site of the celebrations. They had started to gather from early morning bringing their children and families with them.

The festive mood was evident. The people of Iran are entitled to these celebrations that they have earned with their blood and tears.

Two days earlier, the Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei while addressing Air Force Commanders said that American officials speak with forked tongues. They say one thing in their private meeting with Iranian officials and then say something completely the opposite the next day. He warned Iranian officials to be vigilante against such duplicity and doublespeak.

In denouncing the threats against the Islamic Republic by some

American officials as "worthless and childish," President Rohani who was addressing millions of people, announced, "On behalf of the people of Iran, I declare with a clear voice that threatening Iran is worthless and childish since our millat has, over the past 35 years, resisted against various threats from the enemy and achieved victory."

Addressing directly the sextet with whom Iran has been involved in negotiations over the nuclear issue, President Rohani told them: "I say to the P5+1 countries that nuclear negotiations are a historic test for Europe and the United States. Should they proceed within the framework of law, the rights of the Iranian people, common interests, mutual respect, interaction, and cooperation in nuclear negotiations, they will receive a positive and proper response from Iran."

He then warned: "But, if they seek to repeat the improper and wrongful manners of the past, they should know that they have taken steps to the detriment of their own countries, the region, global welfare and stability..."

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

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