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TWO Christian organizations have responded to recent
Canadian government initiatives to counter “the new
anti-Semitism.”
On March 12, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, referring
to attacks in Mumbai, India, called anti-Semitism “a pernicious
evil.” A week later, Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason
Kenney cancelled a $447,000 grant to the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) for
immigrant language training, citing intemperate remarks by CAF’s
Khaled Mouammar.
The government decided not to send representatives to
the United Nations conclave on racism in Durban, South Africa, fearing it
would become an anti-Israel forum. In late March, the Canadian Border
Service Agency barred British MP George Galloway from visiting Canada due
to his support for the Hamas leadership in Palestine.
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Canada
national director Donna Holbrook strongly supported the government’s
actions.
However, Esther Epp-Tiessen, a researcher at Mennonite
Central Committee Canada (MCC), said the government needs to “take
the time to listen to all sides of the story.” She called it
“most unfortunate” that the government cancelled the CAF grant
“without sitting down and talking with them.”
Epp-Thiessen also said that the government should
listen not only to Jewish groups that support the Israeli government but
also to Jewish groups that sometimes side with Palestinians, such as
Independent Jewish Voices (IJV).
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IJV claims the Canadian Jewish Congress and B’nai
Brith Canada, which the Canadian government listens to, have links to the
Jewish Defense League, which is itself considered by some nations to be a
terrorist organization. – Lloyd Mackey
May 2009
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