Israel Bashing

Bashing Israel at every opportunity seems to provide inordinate satisfaction to so many people. There's an everpresent, underlying, perhaps even gut reaction from some segments of society toward Jews. Where once it was perfectly all right in Canadian society to clearly express one's contempt for Jews, however, we've advanced to a society that disowns expressions of anti-Semitism, even to the enactment of hate-crime laws that protect against spreading hate through racial epithets and defacing of property in expressions of deep enmity toward Jews.

With the modern advent of multicultural societies, the welcome of immigrants from all corners of the world to an essentially WASP society with its traditions, cultural underpinnings and values, resulting in a relaxation of suspicion and dislike of foreign elements in society, Canada has become a more welcoming, immigrant-supportive and tolerant society. That, however, is the ideal, it is how we present ourselves, how we see ourselves, how we celebrate ourselves, as a kind and moderate population.

The ideal being that when disparate ethnic, religious groups enter the country and become landed immigrants, then citizens, they are encouraged to retain elements of their native customs and traditions, while integrating into Canadian society. Adapting themselves to the mainstream culture to a degree, accepting Canadian values. This is, in fact, what had occurred in days long past, when newly-arrived immigrants had to rely on their own resources, to learn a new language, find employment, make a place for themselves and their families, as new Canadians.

Integration followed a long, difficult period of adjustment, when self-reliance was the key to success. Latterly, the Canadian federal government, the provincial governments, municipalities and private aid agencies have taken the lead in offering resettlement assistance to new immigrants, inclusive of initial funding support, access to language lessons, and assistance in employment searches. Strangely enough, people no longer having to rely solely on their own inner resources, have greater expectations and feelings of entitlement.

And as many immigrants settle into society, finding their place, they also find a voice, one circumscribed by their previous experiences; where they were born, brought up, learned to become part of a culture, a tradition, inclusive of antipathy toward others who may have been in a minority position in their home countries. People of a shared religion, bringing their cultural contempt for others with a different religion along with them to Canada.

Joining with elements already in Canadian society whose covert dislike for blacks, Asians or Jews formed an understory of discontent and a malaise of ongoing discrimination. Part of the process of interviewing would-be emigrants to another country by agents of the government is to audit prospective immigrants for suitability for integration into the existing society. Those deemed incapable of leaving their cultural, ethnic biases behind, or those identified as having engaged in crimes against others through belonging to repressive regimes are weeded out.

No country wishes to introduce into their population elements that will, in short order, prove to be inimical to the well-being of society as a whole, through actively-engaged proven cultural or ethnic violence. Yet here we are, in modern-day Canada, with a sizable and growing Muslim population, most of whom are comfortably settled into the country as model citizens, but yet hosting within the majority a seething radical-inspired minority group who loathe Jews and Israel.

Who feel free to march in demonstrations in Canada's large cities - Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa - against the State of Israel's defensive assaults against the terrorist group Hamas, shouting slogans supportive of, and reflective of, those Hamas espouses, for the destruction of the State of Israel. Fundraising in Montreal becomes a public display in support of terror organizations.

In Montreal demonstrators march to the chant that refers to a 7th-century Muslim massacre of Jews at Medina that espouses the return of Mohammed's jihadist armies, calling for the death of Jews. The founder of the Canadian Islamic Congress refers to Zionism as "a fascist, racist ideology", an "ethical travesty", and Israel as a country where any adult Jew is a legitimate target for assassination.

Tolerant Canada permits these violent displays of hatred against other Canadians and against another democratic country, a member-country of the United Nations. While the Government of Canada has been explicit in its denunciation of Hamas's offensive acts against the State of Israel, holding it solely responsible for the current defensive assault by the IDF against Gaza in trying to halt the ongoing Kassam assaults, there are more than enough Canadians who take umbrage at this position.

There is no reason why a rational and logical discussion cannot take place between people whose ideologies are at loggerheads with one another. People who see fault in the traditions and the culture of others, and take instead to violent verbal assault espousing death to those whom they prefer to despise rather than discuss matters with, have no place in a democratic society that has offered them freedoms their places of origin denied them.