Reactive Revulsion

There's an editorial in the Ottawa Citizen, tut-tutting about the unreasonableness and crude discrimination revealed through the fact that a retired Ontario judge, Paul Staniszewski, has given orders that no Muslim students be funded by scholarship opportunities his endowment to York University and the University of Windsor affords to eligible students.

Well, it's unfortunate, actually. The simple fact is that when a gift is given, the intent should be altruistic; morally and ethically it is given to the gifted to do as they deem most advantageous for the matter at hand. And, in any event, to single out an ethnic or religious or political or ideological identity as a handicap and an impediment to eligibility just doesn't seem fair, does it?

If the student exhibits all the academic credits and qualifies in all other respects for eligibility considerations for scholarship funding, then that should be that, in all fairness. On the other hand, there's this: We've been learning in Canada, within Canadian universities, unions and other academic affairs that not always is the just and fair way recognized, nor followed.

It's rather nasty that an academically qualified student be disqualified because, simply because he is Muslim. That's an errant diversion from Canadian values of equality and freedom and respect for others. Do we have any idea why Mr. Staniszewski reached the conclusion that he found it repugnant that any of the money he granted the university assist in the career aspirations of a young Muslim student?

Was it a general revulsion at the global presence of Islamic jihadists threatening world stability, coursing through countries both Islamic and not, leaving corpses in their wake, and inspiring terror through the bloody-thirsty promises of revenge against the various Satans? Or might it have been his distaste and irritation at seeing university campuses high-jacked by Muslim student groups, stridently and viciously condemning Israel for its 'apartheid' polices, and intimidating Jewish students?

Might this tactic be a measured and well considered one, as a way of attempting to reason with Arab and other Muslim students, to alert them to the fact that their methods are incendiary, brutal and quite unappreciated, and that which they sow can come back to haunt them? Why is it all right for students within Canada from a Muslim culture and heritage to impress upon the general population their hatred for Israel and Jewish students?

Why can it be accepted that Jewish students are forced to protect themselves from assaults both verbal and physical, and for the rest of us to put up with hearing slogans like "Death to the Jews", while someone whose generosity funds academic opportunities for students, deciding to make exceptions for those who disrupt and demean others - even if it's symbolic and doesn't impinge on the malefactors necessarily - is seen to be practising 'discrimination of the worst kind'.

"Discrimination of the worst kind", in insisting that a personal endowment not be used to further the academic aspirations of one of a group who deny equality and respect to others on campus, and who threaten their well being? I think not. To declare that this constitutes the worst kind of discrimination is, in fact, practising a double standard.