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	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Michael Kravshik</title>
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		<title>Canadian Left Calls for &#8216;Neutrality&#8217; on Honor Killings &amp; Female Genital Mutilation</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-kravshik/canadian-left-calls-for-neutrality-on-honor-killings-female-genital-mutilation/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=canadian-left-calls-for-neutrality-on-honor-killings-female-genital-mutilation</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:25:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Kravshik]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barbaric]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[female genital mutilation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honor killing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Left]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=185054</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Political establishment condemns calling heinous woman-hating practices "barbaric." ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-kravshik/canadian-left-calls-for-neutrality-on-honor-killings-female-genital-mutilation/clitorectomy/" rel="attachment wp-att-185060"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-185060" title="clitorectomy" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/clitorectomy.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="174" /></a>Cultural relativism has reached a new point of absurdity in Canada when the &#8220;barbarity&#8221; of female genital mutilation and honor killings is questioned and becomes a controversy.</p>
<p>A recently introduced manual by the Government of Canada intended to teach newcomers about Canadian values and Canadian society has been met with ongoing hostility from left-wing Canadians and politicians over the choice of words in describing female genital mutilation and honor killings. Jinny Sims, the immigration critic of the opposition New Democratic Party of Canada, suggested the word &#8220;barbaric&#8221; might <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/new-immigration-guide-issues-stern-warnings-against-barbaric-practices/article10671286/">“stigmatize some cultures.”</a></p>
<p>Aside from official protestations, everyone can imagine the type of cultural relativist rhetoric that has been used to attack the Conservative government for releasing this guide. The blogosphere has been filled with &#8220;liberal-minded&#8221; Canadians continuing in the same vein as Ms. Sims, suggesting the term &#8220;barbaric&#8221; is somehow discriminatory or offensive to a particular group. However, reasoned thought on the matter should conclude on the exact opposite; that it is offensive to those forced to endure such ordeals to call them anything but barbaric. Unfortunately, sensitivity towards this group (as per usual) is ignored.</p>
<p>Taking up the relativist banner was also none other than Justin Trudeau, front-runner for leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, and son of the infamous Canadian Prime Minister who brought multiculturalist policy to Canada. He attacked the Conservatives for using the term &#8220;barbaric,&#8221; and <a href="http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2011/03/15/17622291.html">suggested</a> that the term was a “pejorative” and that “there needs to be a little bit of an attempt at responsible neutrality.”</p>
<p>Of course the term is a pejorative, as it should be. Have we gone so mad with political correctness that we can’t even call cold-blooded murder of a family member &#8220;barbaric&#8221; in case it might &#8220;stigmatize&#8221; or offend? Rightfully, Mr. Trudeau was forced to step back from his comments as even members of his own party realized he had gone too far. This was done in the usual callous fashion people expect these days from politicians: Trudeau claimed that his words were somehow taken out of context and that they may have &#8220;misled&#8221; people.</p>
<p>He certainly didn’t mislead Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who shot back at Trudeau <a href="http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2011/03/15/17622291.html">saying</a> that the Liberals are, “so wrapped up in political correctness, they can&#8217;t call things for what they are anymore…They&#8217;re afraid of offending someone or appearing to be insensitive by actually making a judgement about culturally barbaric practices.&#8221;</p>
<p>Here we have a blatant example of the folly of cultural relativism. Had Trudeau’s comments not been so utterly contemptible that they were questioned by his own colleagues, it is safe to assume he would have continued his attack on what he would call &#8220;conservative values.&#8221; While Mr. Trudeau attacked these values for political reasons, what is always more shocking is when regular, intelligent people actually believe that using the term &#8220;barbaric&#8221; to describe heinous practices is somehow unjustified or discriminatory. This is not a &#8220;conservative&#8221; value judgment. It is an affirmation of Canadian values, Western values, and unequivocally morally justified values.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>York University&#8217;s Racist Boycott of Israel</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-kravshik/york-universitys-racist-boycott-of-israel/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=york-universitys-racist-boycott-of-israel</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:37:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Kravshik]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Academics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BDS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boycott]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[York University]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=184476</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of Canada's largest universities officially joins the genocidal war against the Jewish State. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-kravshik/york-universitys-racist-boycott-of-israel/israel_nazi/" rel="attachment wp-att-184477"><img class=" wp-image-184477 alignleft" title="Israel_Nazi" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Israel_Nazi.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="219" /></a>On March 21, 2013 bold-faced racism returned to a Canadian campus in official form. Racism by individuals and by fringe groups has never disappeared, but now we have the student federation of one of the largest universities in Canada quietly guiding itself back into the abyss.</p>
<p>On this day the York Federation of Students (YFS) at York University in Toronto <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/03/york-university-student-union-endorses-boycott-of-israeli-academics/" target="_blank">voted to accept a motion</a> of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) targeting the State of Israel. Boycotting Israeli products, or even companies that do business in Israel, is shameful, but not racist (at least not demonstrably). However, this motion includes a boycott of all Israeli academics. Persecution based on your country of origin can be described as nothing less than flagrant racism, and were it any other nationality our media would have plastered it on every TV station and every newspaper. But alas, it has taken nearly two weeks for any major media outlet to notice.</p>
<p>Maclean’s, a major Canadian magazine, refers to Chaim Lax, the President of the Jewish organization Hasbara, merely &#8220;<a href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2013/04/01/york-federation-of-students-endorses-israel-boycott/" target="_blank">alleging</a>&#8221; the resolution is racist. His comments (<a href="http://www.cija.ca/bds/hillel-and-hasbara-at-york-condemn-the-york-federation-of-students-for-endorsing-bds/" target="_blank">seen here</a>) illustrate very clearly how the motion is racist, and to diminish it is insulting to any one who truly despises discrimination. Yet Safiyah Husein, vice-president equity of the YFS, has the audaciousness to <a href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2013/04/01/york-federation-of-students-endorses-israel-boycott/" target="_blank">claim</a>, “We engage in anti-racism, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia, and anti-sexism campaigns not because they are popular, but because they are right, and they are important to our members.” Hypocrisy at its finest.</p>
<p>This comes only a few years after the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) tried the same move. Its Ontario President, Sid Ryan (known for his extreme political views) <a href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/tag/bds/" target="_blank">said</a>, “We are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general.” But realizing the inherent racism of such a resolution &#8211; or more likely realizing the bad press that would follow such a racist resolution – CUPE backed down and focused on Israeli institutions rather than individuals. It goes without mentioning that some Israeli academics themselves commonly and publicly lash out at Israel for its actions.</p>
<p>Opposing groups have often claimed the YFS works in a deceitful fashion, undercutting the true sentiment of York students (recently banning anti-abortion student clubs, for example). Additionally, YFS approving the motion will have little teeth since it is not binding on the University.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the fact that such a blatantly racist motion can pass, and be justified publicly, by the main student union of one of Canada’s biggest and most well-known universities is a travesty. Political extremists should not be able to coerce our system into supporting racist resolutions. The thought of our campuses becoming hotbeds for racism under the guise of fighting it, is truly a sad state of affairs.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Judgement Day for the Christians of the Middle East</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/michael-kravshik/judgement-day-for-the-christians-of-the-middle-east/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=judgement-day-for-the-christians-of-the-middle-east</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/michael-kravshik/judgement-day-for-the-christians-of-the-middle-east/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 04:05:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Kravshik]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[persecution]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=170193</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How long before the once flourishing population is extinct in the Middle East?]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2012/michael-kravshik/judgement-day-for-the-christians-of-the-middle-east/egypt-christian-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-170212"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-170212" title="egypt-christian" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/egypt-christian1-429x350.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="210" /></a>Why has so much praise been given to the &#8220;Islamic Golden Age&#8221;? Sure, the age produced many great achievements and innovations. But why then, do most seem to overlook one of the Middle East’s most successful creations, Christianity? Although today branded &#8220;Muslim land,&#8221; the Middle East (including North Africa) was a Christian domain for quite a long period of time. Today, the region’s Christian identity is all but lost. Its few remaining Christians are &#8220;graciously&#8221; permitted to live on &#8220;Muslim land&#8221; as little more than inconvenient minorities or second-class citizens. Whether through some twisted projection of white guilt, or perhaps just wilful blindness, the plight of the Middle East’s Christians has gone largely unnoticed in the West.</p>
<p>With over two billion adherents, Christianity remains the most populous faith in the world and potentially the most popular ideology in the history of humanity. Yet, in the very region of its origin, its flame is flickering. Even just a century ago 20% of the Middle East’s population was Christian, down to a paltry 4% or 5% today. After thousands of years, it would be truly regretful if this flame were permanently extinguished. Forecasting such a future requires contemplating the past. In this, Lebanon and Egypt make excellent bellwethers. Combined, they contain almost half (46%) of the region’s Christians, and both have an extensive Christian presence dating back to the beginning of the religion.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Islamic governing systems, especially the piously religious ones, tend to marginalize their Christian populations. It was the original Islamic expansion itself that began the precipitous decline of Christianity from majority to subjugated minority. Under Muslim domination, Christians were subjected to <em>dhimmitude</em>, the Islamic system developed to control non-Muslim subjects. They were forced to pay <em>jizya</em> (a non-Muslim tax), banned from constructing new churches, and generally treated as second-class citizens. Many who were not converted by the sword would ultimately give in to Islamic dominance from the extreme political, economic, and social disadvantages of being a <em>dhimmi</em>.</p>
<p>In contrast, more liberal or power-sharing governments would usually improve the plight of the Christians. In Egypt, the 1920s and &#8217;30s was an era of liberal politics after receiving its faux independence from Britain. The nationalist Wafd party commonly won over 80% of the vote, and was fully inclusive of Egypt’s Christians. Their logo even bore a cross and a crescent together. In Lebanon, power sharing in recent years has allowed Christians to play kingmaker, due to the unique situation of roughly equal Sunni and Shi’a populations. No other Christian minorities can make use of such a strategy. Similarly, Lebanon’s 1926 constitution (its first power-sharing arrangement) actually maintained Christian dominance in the country for long after they lost their majority. This constitution was developed largely by the French with an eye for ensuring continuing Maronite supremacy.</p>
<p>Western hopes for the Arab spring have been filled with unsubstantiated optimism and naivety towards the creation of liberal democracies in the region. As the Islamist shift becomes even more apparent, it’s curious that most still see it as a spring rather than a fall. The notion of &#8220;moderate&#8221; Islamism is more wishful thinking than reality, something <a href="http://www.meforum.org/3099/moderate-islamist">discussed</a> by other Front Page writers. True democracy is more than just elections. Even if one were to consider what happened in Egypt as democracy, the victory of an Islamist party has empowered religious extremists and resulted in repeated attacks. Tacit state nonchalance towards protecting Christians, and calls for what can only be described as <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2012/raymond-ibrahim/a-new-year-of-%E2%80%98dhimmitude%E2%80%99-for-egypt%E2%80%99s-copts/">modern <em>dhimmitude</em></a> only serve to intensify their fear. Egypt President Mohamed Morsi’s latest power grab illustrates his impatience, but he has remained firm on implementing a constitution where civil rights will be subordinated to Sharia<em>, </em>something<em> </em>the Christian community rightly fears. Even in Tunisia, where the Islamist leaders have been portrayed as even more &#8220;moderate,&#8221; it’s not hard to find pleas for the creation of a global Caliphate. The more Islamists in power, the more fearful Christian populations become and the more likely they are to pick up and move. Something I can’t blame them for, but something that inevitably aids in the withering of Christianity in the Middle East.</p>
<p>Western engagement has usually given a boost to Christian presence and influence in the Middle East. The Lebanese constitution has not been the only example. For all the bad that came with the Crusades, Lebanon’s Christian Maronite community benefitted enormously, both economically and politically. The same pattern formed during the age of Imperialism. The Middle East’s Christians provided Westerners with familiarity, and therefore trust, in an otherwise exotic region, making them excellent trading partners. Political pressure on the Ottoman Empire by Western countries helped ban the <em>jizya</em> and provided protection and greater judicial equality in the mid-19<sup>th</sup> century; the best example being the 1856 <em>Hatt-i Humayun </em>decree. Foreign missionary-established schools educated the region’s Christians, and helped to develop a flourishing intellectual and cultural life. The Christian Arabs trained at these institutions were some of the first major proponents of Arab Nationalism itself, though it lacked potency until Muslim thinkers got behind it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately it’s doubtful that Western engagement will continue to aid the Christians of the Middle East. Western powers do not have the aura of invincibility that they once enjoyed; seriously limiting whatever soft power they have left in the region. There is also little appetite for forceful intervention after more than 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Even limited engagements have become extremely undesirable as the Libya operation can attest to, especially after the September 11, 2012 U.S. Embassy attack. Regardless, protecting Christians has been noticeably absent from the list of Western priorities. In contrast to the historical pattern, the U.S. intervention in Iraq has actually resulted in a steep decline in the Iraqi Christian population, from 750,000 to roughly half that in just over a decade.</p>
<p>The negative spiral always begins and ends with demographics. Declining population and declining political influence go hand in hand. Analysing demographics can be tricky, especially in a region where many countries have rarely, if ever, done a census of their populations. When these censuses do occur, political motivations often get in the way of precise and unbiased figures. In Egypt for example, controversy over the Christian population has resulted in claims as low as 5% and as high as 14% of total population. There really seems to be only one area of agreement, Christian populations are shrinking. Besides having seen the Christian population drop from 20% to 4% in the entire region, this century has also bared witness to the only remaining Christian country losing that title. The 1932 Lebanese census put the Christian population at over 50%, which is actually small considering just 22 years earlier 70% of newborn Lebanese were Christian. Now, barely more than a third of Lebanon’s population are Christian. How can such a major shift happen in one century? 84.7% of emigrants from Lebanon since 1924 have been Christian. For over 40 years, the Christian birth rate has been under 30% of newborn Lebanese. These figures unmistakably foreshadow a fading Christian future in Lebanon.</p>
<p>The Middle East was not just the birthplace of Christianity. The region produced some of Christianity’s greatest monuments and enduring figures. St. Augustine himself was from modern day Algeria. Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, was the capital of Christianity and the bastion of the Christian world for over 1,000 years. But today, the plight of the Middle East’s Christians is harrowing. If these trends continue, the Middle East’s 12 million Christians are expected to halve by 2020. Aside from the discrimination and attacks they are forced to endure, they also bear the responsibility of protecting their faith from losing all connection with its birthplace. The importance of sustaining and protecting the mere 1% of worldwide Christians who remain there, cannot be understated. Why this plight is so rarely discussed while so much energy is spent scrutinizing the Middle East is a serious stain on our consciences. Why so much attention is directed towards the burning of a Qur’an, yet so little for the burning of a church is something our generation will eventually have to answer for.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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