Segacs’s World I Know

A rally in Toronto today is aimed at persuading world powers to do more in Sudan’s Darfur region, where over 50,000 people have already been killed, and millions more are homeless and in urgent need of aid. And Jewish groups are lending their support:

Canadians for Action in Darfur, a coalition of more than 40 community groups, is planning a rally Nov. 7 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Queens Park.

The coalition, co-chaired by Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario region, and KAIROS, the justice wing of the Canadian Council of Churches, was formed to address the horrors being committed in the Darfur region of Sudan, said Simon Rosenblum, director of public policy and Israel affairs for CJC, and co-chair of the rally’s steering committee as a representative of CJC and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

[ . . . ]

Other community groups in the coalition include Ve’ahavta: the Canadian Jewish and Humanitarian Relief Committee; the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism; Oxfam Canada; Save the Children; and CASTS (Canadians Against Slavery and Torture in Sudan).

What’s going on in Darfur is yet more evidence of the UN’s inability to do anything about this crisis, which has been going on for months. I hope that Canada steps up to do more, at least on a political frame because it’s clear there’s very little we can do militarily.

The latest rumours that have been flying over the weekend include:

• He’s still in a coma
• He’s not in a coma
• He opened his eyes and spoke to doctors – this rumour was quickly dismissed
• Speculation that he’s dying of AIDS – again, completely unfounded
• His condition is unchanged, whatever that means
• Arafat is dead but French officials have been asked to withhold announcing it for 36 hours to provide time to make arrangements (that last one coming from a less-than-credible “news source”)
• France is kicking Arafat out because its hospital no longer wants to compromise its credibility by continuing to claim he’s alive (via Lynn)
• The latest is that he has liver failure and might be transferred to Cairo

The only thing that seems clear, amidst all the foggy evidence, is that Arafat wanted to achieve myth-like status by deliberately clouding the circumstances of his death.

A school district in Wisconsin will teach creationism in classes, claiming that it’s just as valid a theory as evolution:

Members of Grantsburg’s school board believed that a state law governing the teaching of evolution was too restrictive. The science curriculum “should not be totally inclusive of just one scientific theory,” said Joni Burgin, superintendent of the district of 1,000 students in northwest Wisconsin.

One of the key problems with many religions is their inability to accept natural facts and explain them. The Catholic Church maintained the Earth was flat long after it was proved that it was round, and that the sun revolved around the Earth long after the opposite was proved to be true. Millions of people today equate science and faith, believing them to be simply “alternate theories” of the same event.

This discounts the whole basis of science: proof, verifiable data, and a willingness to change theories in the face of new evidence. None of these are present in faith, which is a personal matter that has no place in public schools.

I think part of the problem in the evolution versus creationism debate is the word “theory” in scientific circles. A scientific “theory” is not just a guess. Science uses the term “theory” on the assumption that there is no such thing as fact, because new evidence could always emerge. But a theory is as rock-solid as it gets in science; it’s a conclusion drawn after experiments and supporting research. This leads many religious people to falsely assume that a scientific theory has equal validity to a faith-based one.

Personally, I don’t believe that these Wisconsin students will never understand that. I was educated in a religious school where creationism was taught over evolution, and I got over it. That doesn’t mean it’s right to mislead and falsely educate students just because of politics. Especially in public schools. It’s one thing for students to be taught that many people believe in creationism. It’s quite another for them to be taught that it’s as valid a theory as evolution. The politicos who made this decision should be ashamed of themselves.

Concordia University has had a change of heart. Reversing its initial decision to disallow the speech due to “security concerns”, now Barak will be allowed to speak on campus:

Backtracking on a decision that fuelled a furor over free speech, Concordia University in Montreal has agreed to invite former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to speak on its campus.

The university reached the decision after “extensive discussions” with Jewish community leaders, according to a press release yesterday. Concordia says it will welcome Mr. Barak once it can upgrade security in one of its buildings.

Federation CJA has applauded this decision, and I hope that the support that the university receives from the public will convince them that they are doing the right thing by allowing the former PM to speak.

Many students will be upset by this decision, and I can understand why. They don’t want more tensions, more headlines, or the risk of another riot. They just want the situation to calm down and go away.

But ultimately I believe that this is the right decision. I hope that the average student can understand the importance of defending free speech – not just for rioters, but for everyone.

If the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh had any kind of lesson, it’s that certain kinds of speech are very dangerous, because certain groups have ensured that this is so. Upon hearing that news, Damian had this reflection:

It’s worth remembering a scene in Martin Himel’s Global TV documentary, Jenin: Massacring Truth, in which a cartoonist for The Independent is asked about his cartoon showing Ariel Sharon eating a baby, and why he wouldn’t draw Arafat in such a manner. He responds, glibly, that “Jews don’t issue fatwas.”

Martin Himel, you will recall, was also behind the controversial documentary Confrontation at Concordia, about the 2002 Netanyahu riots.

The point here is that certain people are willing to resort to violence in order to shut down speech they disagree with. They cannot be allowed to succeed. Otherwise, they will grow bolder and bolder, until eventually the only speech permitted will be their point of view.

Concordia made the wrong decision at first. I believe that strongly. And their change of heart is a case of better late than never.

To all of you out there who may have written leaders or participated in the awareness campaign about this event, I believe you had an effect. Thank you.

To the students and alumni who will be upset or angered by this decision – including some members of a divided Hillel – please try to understand the larger implications of this decision, and realize that defence of free speech – while not always smooth – ultimately benefits us all.

And to anyone considering rioting: you may have thought you were victorious. This new decision proves you were wrong. If you disagree with Barak’s message, feel free to mount a peaceful protest. That’s what freedom of speech is all about. But I hope you think long and hard before resorting to violence again. That has absolutely no place in a free society.

With Arafat most likely brain-dead, in an irreversable coma, or already dead, we can expect a spate of whitewashed obituaries glossing over Arafat’s record and legacy and making him out to be some kind of people’s hero.

To counteract all that nonsense, Meryl has a roundup on pieces on Arafat’s true legacy.

Yasser Arafat was a mass-murderer and a terrorist. He lied to the entire world, promising peace while plotting war. He thwarted his people’s attempt for statehood at every single turn. He massacred Olympic athletes, hijaked planes, sent thousands of suicide bombers to blow up innocent Israelis, and murdered tens of thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese. His legacies consist of little other than terrorism and hatred, and that’s exactly how he deserves to be remembered.

Update: Irreverantly hysterical quote of the day from Meryl: “He’s no longer an Arafish, he’s an Aravegetable. And he’s going to be rotten soon enough.”

I had to post this Jerusalem Post screen capture, from 12:45pm ET, because I doubt we’ll ever see anything like this again:

This is even worse than trying to predict the US election winner.

If and when the reports of Arafat’s death are confirmed, Meryl’s making a $25 donation to Magen David Adom as part of her Dead Dictators Pool Matching Fund initiative. I happen to think that it’s an ironically appropriate way to mark the passing of a dictator who caused so many innocent people to need MDA’s services, and I plan on joining her in matching it. If you’d like to do the same, visit her site for details.

For Canadian readers, you can send your donations to CMDA. (And yes, contrary to the issues of a couple of years ago, it’s tax-deductible.)

Reuters, by the way, is calling this the “possible Arafat death”. It’s almost funny watching the reporters falling all over each other to get the contradictory news straight.

CBC is reporting that Arafat is dead.

I can’t say I will grieve for him or mourn him. He was a terrorist responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent people – including large numbers of his own people.

But this is as much the end of an era as the beginning of one. Palestinians are sure to mourn en masse, even the majority of them who hated the man. He’s the only leader they’ve ever really had. And his death creates an enormous power vacuum that’s sure to lead to Palestinian civil war. What the next 72 hours will bring is anyone’s guess.

Update: The various media networks can’t seem to agree yet even on whether Arafat is dead or alive. CNN says he’s in a coma in critical condition. Reuters cites Israeli TV in saying he’s “clinically dead”. But Ahmed Qurie is denying this saying he’s critical but still alive. One thing for sure: if he comes out of a coma after being declared dead, Arafat will have achieved the one thing still eluding him: godlike status.

Update #2: AP confirms that French media are reporting Arafat clinically dead, in an irreversible coma.

Update #3: Reuters now says he’s still alive, making Arafat the only man in the world who can be both dead and alive at the same time.

From a Gazette editorial on whether disgruntled US Liberals will try to move here:

No one can say whether a northward exodus of liberal Americans will materialize. After the dust of this hotly contested election settles, they will reflect on other priorities, including home, employment and family. But an influx of left-leaning Yankees might well invigorate the Canadian political scene. After all, if they became citizens, they would probably be natural Conservatives.

Meanwhile, Damian is amused by the idea that some of them could claim refugee status. Like him, I’d love to see them try.