Two Muslim immigrants arrested in Canada for Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist plot

Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Afghanistan

The CBC reports on a blockbuster story from Canada. (H/T Blazing Cat Fur)

Excerpt:

Canadian police say they have arrested two men and thwarted a plot to carry out a major terrorist attack on a Via passenger train in the Greater Toronto Area.

In a press conference that followed an exclusive report by CBC’s Greg Weston, police named the two accused as Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal, and Raed Jaser, 35, from Toronto. They have been charged with conspiracy to carry out a terrorist attack and “conspiring to murder persons unknown for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group.”

The two men arrested are not Canadian citizens, police said Monday, but would not provide any details about their nationalities.

The RCMP accused the two men of conspiring to commit an “al-Qaeda-supported” attack.

Police said the two accused were getting “direction and guidance” from al-Qaeda elements in Iran. There was no information to suggest the attacks were state sponsored, police said.

Chief Supt. Jennifer Strachan said the two suspects watched trains and railways in the Greater Toronto Area. There was a specific route targeted, not necessarily a specific train, Strachan said, although she declined to reveal which route was allegedly being targeted.

“We are alleging that these two individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack,” she told reporters.

The two men are expected to appear at Old City Hall courthouse in Toronto tomorrow.

With Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the helm, the Conservative Party majority gets the job done again!

Too bad Harper is not in charge down here. Democrats think that only married, Bible-believing small business owning Tea Party conservatives who served in the Armed Forces can be domestic terrorists. They think that William Lane Craig is more likely to be a terrorist than KSM. That’s what they believe.

I have to share Blazing Cat Fur’s headline for this “Canada: Muslims Fear Backlash Over Latest Thwarted Terror Plot – Linked To Amish Division Of Al Qaeda“. He also points out that the Canadian chapter of CAIR is urging the Canadian government not to pass national security legislation.

Blazing Cat Fur is the place to be for the latest news from Canada. Best Canadian blog.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that the Canadian media will try to blame this on the Amish, or whatever the Canadian equivalent of the Tea Party is. They can’t bring themselves to believe that they made a mistake by ratcheting up unregulated immigration from Muslim countries in order to move their country to the left. Bringing in skilled immigrants who learn English is one thing, but bringing in radical extremists is something else entirely.

Filed under: News, Al Qaeda, Al Qaida, Al Quds, Canada, Chiheb Esseghaier, Conservative Party, CSIS, Diversity, Greater Toronto Area, GTA, Homeland Defense, Immigrant, Immigration, Iran, Islam, Middle East, Montreal, Muslim, National Security, Ontario, Political Correctness, Raed Jaser, RCMP, Religion of Peace, Stephen Harper, Terrorism, Terrorist, Toronto, Via Rail

Supreme Court of Canada rules that politically incorrect speech is a criminal offense

Political map of Canada

Canada is hostile to free speech, as shown in the recent Supreme Court decision.

Excerpt:

Canada’s top court has released a unanimous decision today that critics say has struck a monumental blow against freedom of speech, opinion, and religion across the country. The court ordered the defendant, a Christian pro-family activist with a reputation for intense activism, not only to pay a fine, but also to pay court costs which could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[...]In Saskatchewan (Human Rights Commission) v. Whatcott, the Supreme Court decided that born-again Christian William Whatcott was guilty of hate speech for distributing flyers to neighborhoods in Saskatoon and Regina in 2001 and 2002. While the flyers used vehement language against homosexual practices and the homosexual agenda, they did not directly attack homosexual persons.

[...]The Court focused on Whatcott’s main argument, namely that he loves homosexuals with a brotherly Christian love, and it is only their sexual activity that he denounces.

But the Supreme Court found that with regards to hate speech, the distinction between ‘sin and sinner’ no longer applies.

“I agree that sexual orientation and sexual behaviour can be differentiated for certain purposes,” the Court stated. “However, in instances where hate speech is directed toward behaviour in an effort to mask the true target, the vulnerable group, this distinction should not serve to avoid s. 14(1)(b) [the hate-crime clause of the Code].”

“Courts have recognized a strong connection between sexual orientation and sexual conduct and where the conduct targeted by speech is a crucial aspect of the identity of a vulnerable group, attacks on this conduct stand as proxy for attacks on the group itself,” the Court stated.

The Court ordered Whatcott to pay the Human Rights Commission’s legal fees and to pay $7,500 in compensation to two homosexuals who were offended by his flyers.

Gwen Landolt, national vice-president of REAL Women of Canada, called the ruling “very depressing” and “bad news”.

[...]“On the one hand they’re saying, ‘Oh, no, no, no, we’re not really infringing on freedom of religion and freedom of speech and freedom of opinion’, but in fact, what they say is not what they’ve done,” she said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com.

Next time we have an election, can we vote in favor of free speech? I don’t agree with anything Whatcott did – form or content. The man is a fool. But I can easily see how this ruling could be used to silence reasonable speech that disagrees with homosexuality and gay marriage on secular grounds. The motivation of these judges is to silence speech critical of the gay agenda, and we should all be concerned about that. They pick these kooks like Whatcott to attack because they won’t get any opposition from normal people. But later you’ll find out that these legal precedents will furnish the foundation for eliminating free speech altogether. It’s happened before.

Apparently, there is some effort to repeal section 13 in Canada, which is the part that criminalizes speech deemed offensive by the political left. That might affect future rulings of the Supreme Court if it is made clear that the right to free speech is absolute.

Related posts

• Free speech under attack from the secular left in the UK and Canada
• By repealing section 13, Canada takes a baby step toward freedom of speech
• Free speech hero Mark Steyn reflects on the demise of Section 13 fascism
• Canadian conservatives pass bill to repeal Section 13 speech code
• Youtube reverses decision to ban video critical of gay activism in Canada
• Alberta judge rules that it is legal to disagree with homosexuality
• Conservative MP’s bill to repeal Section 13 moves to committee
• Conservative MP introduces bill to abolish Section 13 speech code
• Ezra Levant on the new Sun News television network
• What happens when same-sex marriage conflicts with religious liberty?
• Human Rights Tribunal finds Catholic school board guilty of discrimination
• Saskatchewan planning to abolish its Human Rights Tribunal
• In Canada, Blazing Cat Fur is being sued for linking to Mark Steyn
• Canadian Human Rights Commissions continue war on Christians
• Video of Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn testifying against Canadian HRCs
• The Conservative Party takes up free speech in British Columbia
• The Conservative Party takes up free speech in Ontario
• Video of Ezra Levant discussing free speech on the Michael Coren show
• Video interview with Ezra Levant by the libertarian Fraser Institute

Filed under: News, Bill Whatcott, Canada, Communism, Fascism, Feminism, Free Speech, Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Tribunal, Leftism, Nanny State, S. 13, Section 13, Socialism, Speech, Speech Code, Supreme Court, The Left, Thought Crime, Thoughtcrime, William Whatcott

Pro-life conservative shouted down by pro-abortion thugs at University of Waterloo

WARNING: Video contains very vulgar pro-abortion language. 

From the National Post. (H/T Blazing Cat Fur)

Full text:

The University of Waterloo is investigating after an anti-abortion Conservative MP was blocked from delivering a lecture Wednesday night by protesters led by a man dressed as a giant vagina.

Ethan Jackson, 21, an art student at nearby Wilfrid Laurier University, said he calls his pink costume Vulveta, and that Stephen Woodworth’s talk about the universality of human rights came from an oppressive western discourse that ignores the rights of indigenous people.

“That kind of speech, that kind of facts, are not acceptable,” he said. “We decided to go by the route of using satire instead of intimidation…. We decided to make Stephen Woodworth feel as uncomfortable as he makes us feel.”

Ellen Rethore, associate vice-president of communications and public affairs, said the disruptive behaviour was “unacceptable,” and that a joint inquiry of the school’s secretariat, police, and student success office was underway.

“Our goal is to ensure an environment of tolerance and uphold the right of individuals to advance their views openly,” she said.

Mr. Woodworth — who gave a third of his talk before a woman in a red dress commandeered the podium to award him a trophy as “Kitchener-Waterloo’s Nastiest Misogynist” — said it is “a mark of extremism to take disrespect of others as a virtue.”

“I couldn’t outshout the shouters. I’m not there to engage in a shouting match,” he said.

After the talk was cancelled and the protesters left, Mr. Woodworth said he was able to stay and have a discussion with a few people.

He was speaking about the section of Canada’s Criminal Code that, in the context of defining homicide, says a child “becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother.”

His legislative effort to have Parliament study the definition of “human being” failed in a House of Commons vote last year, despite support from eight cabinet ministers, including Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. It cannot be revived in this Parliament.

Listen to the hate and intolerance from those brainwashed leftists in that video. This is why it’s important to have an alias when writing online, because these students are brainwashed by public education to hate those who are different from them, and they are only too happy to use violence and intimidation against anyone who disagrees with them. Many of these students are probably growing up in broken homes where they are never exposed to fathers and the relationship between husband and wife. Fatherlessness is a serious social problem.

Fascism is and always has been a phenomena of the political left. Mussolini was a socialist, Hitler was a socialist, Stalin was a socialist, Mao was a socialist, and so on. To be a socialist is to on the same continuum that leads to totalitarianism and fascism. People on the left do not believe in natural rights like freedom of speech and the right to life. They are nihilists, and anything is permitted on nihilism. If they are willing to kill innocent children in order to escape the consequences of recreational sex, they could do anything. Abortion is the rock-bottom of immorality.

Related posts

• Video of armed police arresting pro-life students at Carleton University
• Carleton University orders peaceful pro-life students arrested
• University of Calgary convicts eight pro-life students
• University of Calgary denies legal counsel to accused accused students
• University of Calgary students face expulsion for pro-life display
• McGill University and University of Calgary censor pro-life students
• University of Ottawa cancels Ann Coulter appearance
• Ann Coulter files hate speech claim against Canadian university
• Canadian student union leader says pro-lifers are all potential murderers
• Lakehead University bans pro-life club
• Pro-life debater shouted down at McGill University
• Pro-life debater shouted down at St. Mary’s University
• Pro-life club at McGill University banned
• University of Calgary uses police to threaten pro-life students(More from Ezra Levant)
• Canadian pro-life student quarantined by public school principal

Filed under: News, Abortion, Campus, Canada, Censor, Censorship, College, Fascism, Indoctrination, Intimidation, Left, Leftism, Pro-Abortion, Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, Rhetoric, Secularism, Socialism, Stephen Woodworth, University, University of Waterloo

Marriage was weakened in countries that legalized same-sex marriage

A sociologist summarizes what can be known about the effects of gay marriage on society by appealing to evidence from other countries. (H/T Dina)

Excerpt:

Gay marriage will further destabilise marriage and family life in Britain, a leading sociologist has warned Parliament.

Dr Patricia Morgan told the House of Commons that same-sex marriage reinforced the idea that marriage is irrelevant to parenthood.

This was the principle factor, she said, that has caused the collapse in marriage rates between heterosexuals in countries where gay marriage had been introduced – as well as a sharp rise in cohabitation and the numbers of children born out of wedlock.

She said there was no evidence whatsoever to prove the Coalition Government’s assertions that gay marriage would bolster the institution.

She made her claims in a 22-page paper submitted at the Committee Stage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.

It contained a detailed analysis of marriage trends in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Canada and some U.S. states were gay marriage has been legalised.

[...]Spain in particular, she said, saw a “precipitous” downward acceleration in the numbers of all marriages by a 15,000 a year in first three years that followed the legalisation of same-sex marriage by the Socialist government in 2005.

The rate of decline later more than doubled to 34,000 fewer marriages a year in between 2008 and 2010.

Dr Morgan also produced evidence to show that heterosexual marriages were less stable in those countries where same-sex marriage had been introduced because they were expected to conform to the values of gay couples whose unions were often open, rather than exclusive, and far more likely to break down.

Cohabiting gay couples were 12 times more likely to separate that married heterosexual couples, she said.

Dr Morgan also predicted the widespread victimisation of individuals and institutions who dared to resist the redefinition of marriage.

“Some clearly hope that compulsion to perform same sex weddings will sever Church and state and further push Christianity out of the public arena and, therefore, consciousness,” she said.

“Undermined and stigmatised for their unreasonableness and prejudice, the moral authority of religious institutions will further retreat in favour of a narrow secular ideology, particularly as sexual behaviour at odds with traditional norms is further encouraged and advanced.”

Why can’t we stop talking about abstract concepts like “tolerance” and “homophobia” and just look at the results of legalizing same-sex marriage? We want to strengthen marriage, because marriage is better for children emotionally and financially. If we look at the results of legalizing same-sex marriage in other countries, we can know for certain whether it strengthened marriage, and therefore helped children. Rhetoric and insults doesn’t tell us anything. We need to look at the data that we have from other countries.

Filed under: News, Belgium, Canada, Children, Definition of Marriage, Denmark, Equality, Gay Activism, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Homosexuality, Law, Legal, Marriage, Natural Marriage, Norway, Patricia Morgan, Redefinition of Marriage, Same-Sex Marriage, Sociology, Spain, Sweden, Traditional Marriage, World

Apologetics conference in Calgary, Alberta starts tonight – live streaming

The conference is in Calgary, Alberta.

Here’s the Executive Director of Faith Beyond Belief:

Here’s the schedule: NOTE: ALL TIMES ARE IN THE MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE.

Friday March 8, 2013

• 5:30pm – Registration
• 7:00pm – Introductions
• 7:20pm – Mini-lectures featuring Craig Hazen, J.P. Moreland and Sean McDowell
• 8:30pm – Clay Jones: Why God Allows Evil

Saturday March 9, 2013

• 7:30am – Registration
• 8:30am – Craig Hazen: Christianity and the Challenge of World Religions
• 9:30am – Sean McDowell: Apologetics for a New Generation
• 10:20am – Break-out sessions
• 11:15am – Lunch break
• 12:15pm – J.P. Moreland: The Case for the Soul
• 1:10pm – William Lane Craig: Arguments for the Existence of God
• 2:00pm – Conference finishes

And there are some other events, including one on Thursday night: NOTE: ALL TIMES ARE IN THE MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE.

An evening with Christian speaker and author, Dr. William Lane Craig

Topic: Is the Physical World all there is?
When: Thursday March 7th at 7:00pm
For who: Students, General Public
Where: University of Calgary campus: The Alberta Room inside the Dining Centre (“DC” on the campus map) next to Hotel Alma (169 University Gate NW).”
Contact: info@faithbeyondbelief.ca or 403-689-5890
Event is free

Teaching the Christian Worldview: A Night for Christian Educators with Christian speaker and author, JP Moreland

When: Thursday March 7 at 7:00pm
Where: First Nazarene Church – 65 Richard Way SW, Calgary, AB
For who: Christian Educators
RSVP Required: This is a free event and is by invite. RSVP is required
Contact: info@faithbeyondbelief.ca or 403-689-5890

Pastors and Ministry Leaders Breakfast with Christian speaker and author, Dr. William Lane Craig

When: Friday March 8th at 9:00am
Where: First Nazarene Church – 65 Richard Way SW, Calgary, AB
For who: Pastors and ministry workers
RSVP Required: This is a free event but RSVP is required
Contact: info@faithbeyondbelief.ca or 403-689-5890

Even the parallel sessions look quite good, featuring well known Christian scholars like Michael Horner and Tawa Anderson! Lots of Masters degrees and Ph.Ds in the breakout sessions. Even some professors.

Finally, the event on Thursday night with William Lane Craig will be live-streamed. They say it will start at 7:15 PM Mountain Time, which is 9:15 PM Eastern Time.

Filed under: Events, Abbotsford, Apologetics, Be Ready, Calgary, Canada, Conference, Training