The old tactic of asking for a cease-fire in order to regroup when getting pummeled may not work this time for the Canadian Islamic Congress.
The following press release (see below) just landed in my inbox: Apparently, the Canadian Islamic Congress is going to announce that it’s seeking some kind of plea bargain with Maclean’s magazine in regard to the human-rights complaint against Mark Steyn’s famous 2006 article. One imagines it will be some variation on the CIC’s previous demand that Maclean’s publish a lengthy rebuttal by Muslim activists.
Maclean’s would be insane to agree to any sort of settlement with the CIC. I realize that’s easy for me to say - it’s not my time or money at stake here. But a group of illiberal ideolgogues tried to censor speech they didn’t like by filing a human right’s complaint. They’ve been taking a beating in the court of public opinion, widely ridiculed, and exposed as individuals who believe that Canada should adopt their beliefs, rather than the other way around. And now they have the chutzpah to hold a press conference offering Maclean’s a settlement? I can only wait in breathless anticipation for the proposal, and the response from Steyn and Maclean’s that will surely follow.
UPDATE:
Some, of course, disagree. They see a capitulation by Maclean’s as a perfectly reasonable response to being threatened. Notice the spin - they never wanted to file a complaint - but were forced to because hateful Islamophobes wouldn’t turn over complete editorial control of their privately owned magazine. It’s almost like he has a personal stake in the outcome of the fight against the human rights commissions. ./snark
My impression of these young people? They are citizens. They are young and idealistic. They are law-abiding people. They should be able to live free from defamation of their deeply-held beliefs, just like anybody else. And all that they were after, really, was what anybody else would be after in similar circumstances – a chance to say this was wrong, this was unfair, and why.
That’s not at all: I also came away convinced that they did not want to bring a human rights complaint – they were forced into doing so by Maclean’s obstinacy and its unwillingness to give them some equal time.
