Conservative Insider for an alert on Omar's press release rebuttal to a Canadian Coalition's press release. This appears to be Canadian Election Slander at its finest on the part of Canadian Coalition.So far the Canadian Arab Federation, who should go to bat for Omar has remained out fight. It is a travesty that mud slinging of this type is allowed in Canadian politics. Initially it appeared that several people and a tape were available. Now, the story changes and centers around one individual. What is the reputation of Canadian Coalition? Any more of our Canadian Cousins north of the border that would like to weigh in? The Bosun Locker deeply regrets printing a Canadian Coalition story that did not accurately reflect what happened. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had sparse coverage of the initial later proven false story in their Riding Talk section and has also drawn attention to the false reporting by Canadian Coalition. Perhaps their senior team of journalists should do a reality check on Canadian Coalition and discuss this smear campaigning in the "Reality Check" section of their website. "Reality Check" is supposed to to help you make an informed choices by separating what is "real" from what is campaign hyperbole. Canadian Coalition mislead the public in not separating Omar's comments from others and ended up discrediting their organization and those of us who printed their press release.
Here is the latest in the Mississauga News regarding this affair:
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Chris Clay
Dec 20, 2005
The Mississauga-Erindale federal Liberal candidate vehemently denies allegations he made pro-Islamic remarks during his victory speech at the nomination meeting earlier this month.
Omar Alghabra, 36, said the allegations were simply "not true" and were "false and inaccurate.
"I didn't say a thing about Muslims or Islam in my acceptance speech," said Alghabra, who took 488 of the 773 votes cast at the meeting Dec. 2.
"I don't agree with mixing politics and religion. Yes, I'm a Muslim, but I'm also a Liberal, a man and an engineer. The whole thing is untrue."
In a press release issued by the Canadian Coalition For Democracies yesterday, the organization alleges Alghabra said, "this is a victory for Islam. Islam won. Islamic power is extending into Canadian politics."
Erindale resident Sheref Elsabawy, who was at the meeting, said he was "shocked" to hear Alghabra make several pro-Islamic remarks.
Elsabawy, a 40-year-old senior network engineer and Coptic Christian who voted for Alghabra, said, "this was a big warning for us that we could be second class citizens (if Alghabra is elected). He has an agenda.
"I feel embarrassed to have endorsed Omar to the Coptic Christian community," said Elsabawy. "We don't support candidates because they're a Muslim or Christian."
Reached by phone in Ottawa, former Mississauga-Erindale MP Carolyn Parrish, who was at the meeting, said she didn't hear Alghabra make any religious or incendiary comments during his speech.
"I honestly can't say I heard Omar say that," said Parrish, adding she wished Charles Sousa had won the nomination.
"I don't think Omar made those comments and he's not the type of person to say something like that."
Alastair Gordon, president of the Canadian Coalition For Democracies, described his organization as a non-partisan, multi-ethnic body that supports a free and open democratic process locally and abroad.
He said religion should stay out of the secular world and that he would have been equally offended if similar remarks, which he admits to hearing second-hand from several sources, had come on behalf of any religion.
"In essence, the message was an expansionist, Islamic message," said Gordon. "If a Christian had said this, that it was a victory for Christianity and that Christians now had a voice in parliament, I would have gone ballistic."
Alghabra is running against Conservative candidate Bob Dechert, the NDP's Dr. Rupinder Brar and the Green Party's Adam Hunter in the Jan. 23 election.
You can go the Liberal Party of Canada Website to read Omar's biography, etc.
Here is Alastair Gordon, Canadian Coalition's correction. This lame correction was not visible at the mainpage of Canadian Coalition's website and only in their forum section:
Posted by Al Gordon on 10:35:05 2005/12/21
In Reply to: Liberal strategy a dangerous mix of religion and politics posted by CCD Press Release
Please note that 'Concerned Canadian' and others are correct about two inaccuracies in
the press release.
1. The date of the actual event was December 1 not December 2.
2. Witnesses to the event are consistent in saying that Omar Alghabra did not make the attributed comments as part of "his victory speech after winning the nomination" as reported in the press release. Mr. Alghabra is therefore correct as quoted in the Mississauga News: "I didn't say a thing about Muslims or Islam in my acceptance speech". By all reports, his acceptance speech was professional and uneventful. The attributed comments are reported by independent witnesses to have occurred as part of the general celebratory exuberance immediately following the acceptance speech. In addition, Mr. Alghabra made no attempt to distance himself from the statements made on the podium by Khalid Osman, which are reported to have occurred as presented in the press release.
(Bosun's comments: As far as witnesses, what started as six was narrowed to one. The tape that was alluded to did not materialize. The original press release alluded to unprofessional. Canadian Coalition should shout it out on the main page of their website that they got it wrong. Why did Canadian Coalition add "Mr. Alghabra made no attempt to distance himself from statements.....Did Khalid say it or not say it? Sounds to me that Canadian Coalition is not being crystal clear on this and is putting up some wiggle room to justify an earlier erroneous report.)
I would ask that anyone who wishes to repeat these corrections do so in their entirety, as a false picture could be painted by selecting only isolated passages. (Bosun comment, I printed it in its entirety, but, it still wiggles around. We need truth and fair and balanced reporting. Next time print six signed affidavits and produce a transcribed tape, or you will be just an uncreated and perhaps biased news source. Did you go to the same journalism school as our biased MSM?)
The public can judge whether or not these corrections result in any material difference. CCD regrets any confusion that may have been caused.
Alastair Gordon
Technorati tags: Omar Alghabra, Sheref Elsabawy, Canadian Coalition, Mississauga-Erindale, Liberal candidate , Opinion
1 comment:
As a reading of the CCD website's public forum will show, Al Gordon is a serial manipulator. His organization, the CCD, is an astroturf movement launched with the help of Tony Clement and other Conservatives. Gordon never misses an opportunity to slander his opponents: for example, a couple of years ago he wrote an article that was published in the National Post accusing the then Liberal government of advocating "Judenrein" - "cleansing of Jews", a Nazi term - in the West Bank. Why? Because, like virtually every other country on the planet, including the US, Canada doesn't recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank. He has similarly accused the Liberals of continuing the anti-Semetic policies of their pre-WWII forebears. Gordon preys on the fears of a small percentage of the Jewish community in Canada, encouraging them to believe that they are more or less race-traitors if they vote for anyone but the Conservatives. He's a sad, sick and twisted little man. www.canadiancoalition.com and www.canadiancoalition.org contain the proof of all these claims. You can also see how Gordon and his clique can't quite decide whether to cackle with joy or sneer with derision when a Canadian peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon in July 2006. Far from being able to say "whatever the causes, it was a tragedy that a Canadian soldier died" or "I support Israel, but I support my own country's troops even more", Gordon and co. go for cheap shots such as "well even if it was deliberate, could you blame Israel?" and "Kofi Annan is to blame". These are sick bastards.
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