Opinion and Video
By Raheel Raza
Hate Fest in Canada, Times Square
Al Quds Day demonstrators in Berlin, Germany where Hezbollah symbols are banned but not the entire organization (Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Where is the outcry against this hate fest?
You might expect to see signs calling for the massacre of Jews on the streets of Tehran or Gaza City. But last Friday, May 31, 2019, they showed up in downtown Toronto in the presence of 100 police officers who did nothing to stop them.
Similar sentiments were expressed in New York's Times Square the same day (see video below).
What was the occasion? The Al Quds Day hate fest, held annually on the last Friday of Ramadan.
Al Quds, or Jerusalem, Day was initiated by the late Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, ostensibly to express support for the Palestinians and oppose Zionism and Israel.
The day is "celebrated" in a number of countries around the world, replete (as was Toronto's) with flags of Iran and its Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah.
In the West, this hate fest used to be held on government properties, but some governments, aware of the day's content, have balked, so the organizers have moved the location to the public sphere — usually in front of the US Embassy.
This is where the 2019 Al Quds Day rally was held last week in Toronto, where event organizers take their cues from the Muslim Brotherhood playbook of hate.
Most of the participants are bused to the location to raise their voices in support of Palestine, but numerous times we have sneaked into the rallies and asked the participants if they knew what the actual issues are. Not surprisingly, we found they have absolutely no idea as the majority are Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian Muslims as well as ultra-Left stooges.
Last year, my husband and I were accosted by one of the Hezbollah flag bearers who is also an Islamist spokesperson in Toronto. We were met with the vile hate being spouted about eradication of Israelis (we got in on video and put it on our website).
There is no doubt that Al Quds Day is very little about Palestinians and much more about hate for Israel and Jews. This year again there were blatant calls for destruction of the State of Israel with signs alluding to an historical massacre of Jews.
This by the way was done with 100 police officers in attendance, who did nothing to stop this hate fest.
In a letter written following the event, Michael Levitt, the Liberal MP for York Centre, said he was "greatly concerned" by this year's rally and condemned "the blatant anti-Semitic incitement towards Jews and Israel that takes place at this event every year."
In a diverse country like Canada where myriads of faiths and cultures live together, we work hard at co-existence and keeping communities together. It takes mutual respect and tolerance plus a total condemnation of hate, wherever it's coming from, to make that happen.
Imagine an annual parade being held against Muslims. What part of "Islamophobia" will that fall under and what would be the government's reaction?
As Muslims we are embarrassed and concerned by this total anti-Semitic hate fest. We have spoken out against this before, and will say it again. There is no place for hate!
As Canadians, should we follow the agenda of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iranian regime who use ordinary Muslims as pawns, or should we focus on our relations with each other, which needs a lot of work?
Watch the hate-filled footage from Al-Quds Day participants in Toronto:
Germany 1933 or Europe 2019? You Decide
Hamas and Hezbollah Flags on London Streets?
'Al-Quds' Counter Protesters Threatened With Arrest in Toronto
Raheel Raza
Raheel Raza is ​an adviser to Clarion Project. ​She is an award-winning author, journalist and filmmaker on the topics of jihad and sharia. She is president of The Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow, and an activist for human rights, gender equality, and diversity.