We didn't write about the folks with Canadian Hindu Advocacy (all two or three of them) or their plan to harass Muslim worshippers outside a Toronto mosque by parading dogs in front of it (because for some reason the myth that Muslims hate and/or are afraid of dogs has managed to really take hold in the minds of the anti-Muslim fringes) for two reasons. First and foremost Ron Banerjee is a publicity whore who is pretty much irrelevant except that he is promoted by the Canadian JDL and Michael Coren on Sun News and we didn't want to contribute, even in a small way, to his efforts at self-promotion. Second, we sort of knew it would end up as a complete failure anyways. But if you would like to read about this almost surreal piece of performance art, our friend BCL has done a very good job since the ill-fated decision by Banerjee to call for the protest (here, here, and here).
But even before Banerjee's mosque dog walk action, he had already come up with another way to antagonize the Muslim community.
You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of or read about the situation surrounding the movie trailer that has sparked protests around the world, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. Aside from the horrendous production value, the 14 minute video is an especially noxious piece of anti-Islamic propaganda which has been condemned by responsible individuals, religious leaders, and governments. It was produced by anti-Muslim extremists and I'm afraid it has served it's purpose very well, as it has played into the hands of Islamic extremists who have used the film as a means of whipping up anti-Western sentiments. Some of the protests have led to the attempted (and successful) storming of American and other Western embassies throughout North Africa and the Middle East. People have died, including the American Ambassador to Libya who, along with three other men, were murdered by what appears to be a group linked to Al-Qaeda who have used the protests as cover for an attack on the consulate in Benghazi. These violent protests have resulted in anti-Muslim extremists using the violence that has resulted as a justification to paint all Muslims with a broad brush and has lead to retaliatory action, including attacks on mosques.
Extremists baiting extremists who further bait extremists.
And Ron Banerjee wants in on the action:
But even before Banerjee's mosque dog walk action, he had already come up with another way to antagonize the Muslim community.
You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of or read about the situation surrounding the movie trailer that has sparked protests around the world, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. Aside from the horrendous production value, the 14 minute video is an especially noxious piece of anti-Islamic propaganda which has been condemned by responsible individuals, religious leaders, and governments. It was produced by anti-Muslim extremists and I'm afraid it has served it's purpose very well, as it has played into the hands of Islamic extremists who have used the film as a means of whipping up anti-Western sentiments. Some of the protests have led to the attempted (and successful) storming of American and other Western embassies throughout North Africa and the Middle East. People have died, including the American Ambassador to Libya who, along with three other men, were murdered by what appears to be a group linked to Al-Qaeda who have used the protests as cover for an attack on the consulate in Benghazi. These violent protests have resulted in anti-Muslim extremists using the violence that has resulted as a justification to paint all Muslims with a broad brush and has lead to retaliatory action, including attacks on mosques.
Extremists baiting extremists who further bait extremists.
And Ron Banerjee wants in on the action:
Group wants Muhammad film screened in Toronto
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Friday, Sep. 14, 2012 9:51AM EDT
Published Friday, Sep. 14, 2012 9:51AM EDT
A Canadian Hindu advocacy group says it is planning to screen a
controversial film depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a madman, which has
led to violent protests throughout the Middle East.
Canadian Hindu Advocacy spokesman Ron Banerjee says he is working to secure a location in Toronto to show the film, which was attacked as anti-Islamic following its release last week.
The movie, shot by a California filmmaker, depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman.
It has been held up as the catalyst for a fatal attack on a U.S. embassy in Libya and angry demonstrations in Tehran, Yemen, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, among other locations.
Banerjee says the violent protests should not silence the film, suggesting it is a matter of protecting freedom of speech.
“There is an element of standing up for our values. In our society we are allowed to screen films, even if they are offensive,” Banerjee told CTVNews.ca on Friday
Banerjee said they are planning on showing pieces of other movies that are considered offensive to other groups, including Hindus, Christians and Jews.
He said the Hindu community is frequently portrayed negatively in films, but the issue is ignored because they don’t spark violent protests.
“My general message to Muslims is that you should act more like Hindus,” he said, adding that all groups and religions should be treated fairly.
The Canadian Hindu Advocacy has previously protested against the Toronto school board for allowing Muslim prayer inside a public school.
There is a part of article that I find especially ironic:
He said the Hindu community is frequently portrayed negatively in films, but the issue is ignored because they don’t spark violent protests.
“My general message to Muslims is that you should act more like Hindus,” he said, adding that all groups and religions should be treated fairly.
Banerjee is absolutely right that Hindus, who are sometimes portrayed negatively in films, have not engaged in violent protests.
Or at least the vast majority of moderate Hindus. Hindu extremists? Well, that's another story:
But the point is that in India, these hindutva are the minority and those who subscribe to the philosophy and who would commit acts of violence in support of it are a minority within these groups.
We could make the same case for Christian extremists like the Aryan Nations and their offshoots. Jewish extremists. Sikh extremists. And, of course, Muslim extremists.
I was in Egypt in 2009. I been in Tahrir Square (I was visiting the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities at the time). It's huge. Given the numbers of violent protesters I was reading about who had occupied the square, I couldn't imagine that they could occupy more than a small corner. That conclusion seems to have been proven to be correct as a camera shot of the square showed a few 1000 at most confined to a small section as other people just tried to get on with their lives. Cairo is a city of more than 20 million people during the day. It's difficult for reasonable people to accept that the actions of the violent protesters mirrored the views of the average Egyptian who might have been justifiably offended by the trailer, but otherwise just got on with their lives.
The actions of the producers of the film, the Islamic extremists, and people like Ron Banerjee simply feed each others' hatreds. We would do well not to allow them to consume us as too.
Canadian Hindu Advocacy spokesman Ron Banerjee says he is working to secure a location in Toronto to show the film, which was attacked as anti-Islamic following its release last week.
The movie, shot by a California filmmaker, depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman.
It has been held up as the catalyst for a fatal attack on a U.S. embassy in Libya and angry demonstrations in Tehran, Yemen, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, among other locations.
Banerjee says the violent protests should not silence the film, suggesting it is a matter of protecting freedom of speech.
“There is an element of standing up for our values. In our society we are allowed to screen films, even if they are offensive,” Banerjee told CTVNews.ca on Friday
Banerjee said they are planning on showing pieces of other movies that are considered offensive to other groups, including Hindus, Christians and Jews.
He said the Hindu community is frequently portrayed negatively in films, but the issue is ignored because they don’t spark violent protests.
“My general message to Muslims is that you should act more like Hindus,” he said, adding that all groups and religions should be treated fairly.
The Canadian Hindu Advocacy has previously protested against the Toronto school board for allowing Muslim prayer inside a public school.
There is a part of article that I find especially ironic:
He said the Hindu community is frequently portrayed negatively in films, but the issue is ignored because they don’t spark violent protests.
“My general message to Muslims is that you should act more like Hindus,” he said, adding that all groups and religions should be treated fairly.
Banerjee is absolutely right that Hindus, who are sometimes portrayed negatively in films, have not engaged in violent protests.
Or at least the vast majority of moderate Hindus. Hindu extremists? Well, that's another story:
- Hindu chauvinists block filming of Deepa Mehta's Water
- India's Hindu extremists target Charlie Chaplin
- Rise of Hindu extremism rattles world's largest democracy
- Hindutva activists attack theatres screening Delhi Belly
- The rise and rise of a Hindutva hitman
- Orissa's Christians still fear for their lives in the face of attacks
But the point is that in India, these hindutva are the minority and those who subscribe to the philosophy and who would commit acts of violence in support of it are a minority within these groups.
We could make the same case for Christian extremists like the Aryan Nations and their offshoots. Jewish extremists. Sikh extremists. And, of course, Muslim extremists.
I was in Egypt in 2009. I been in Tahrir Square (I was visiting the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities at the time). It's huge. Given the numbers of violent protesters I was reading about who had occupied the square, I couldn't imagine that they could occupy more than a small corner. That conclusion seems to have been proven to be correct as a camera shot of the square showed a few 1000 at most confined to a small section as other people just tried to get on with their lives. Cairo is a city of more than 20 million people during the day. It's difficult for reasonable people to accept that the actions of the violent protesters mirrored the views of the average Egyptian who might have been justifiably offended by the trailer, but otherwise just got on with their lives.
The actions of the producers of the film, the Islamic extremists, and people like Ron Banerjee simply feed each others' hatreds. We would do well not to allow them to consume us as too.
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