[ April 19, 2024 ]
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Busy days for AFDI in the court. Today, the Boston jihadi who plotted to behead me pleaded guilty for terror-related crimes, and tomorrow we are in court in Canada to fight Edmonton Transit Services for their removal of our bus ads showing photos of Aqsa Parvez and six other women who were honor-killed.
Court hearing Friday September 23 for human rights group: ads against “honour killings” banned from Edmonton buses
Story continues below advertisementThursday, September 22, 2016
EDMONTON: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF.ca) will argue for the free expression rights of AFDI, a human rights group, in the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton this Friday, September 23.
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In October 2013, Edmonton Transit Services (ETS) ran — and then pulled — bus ads showing photos of Aqsa Parvez and six other women. The ad stated, “Muslim Girls Honor Killed By Their Families,” and continued, “Is your family threatening you? Is there a fatwa on your head? We can help: go to FightforFreedom.us.” Edmonton Transit pulled the ads after (then) Councillor Amarjeet Sohi phoned the manager of Edmonton Transit to complain about the ads.
So-called “honour killings” occur when a woman is considered to have sullied the family’s honour through some sexual indiscretion, or even perceived immodesty. Her killing is a means to restore the family’s honour. Aqsa Parvez was only 16 when she was strangled to death for refusing to wear a hijab. Aqsa’s brother and father felt that not wearing a head scarf dishonoured the family, so they killed Aqsa in her own home in Mississauga, on December 10, 2007.
After Councillor Sohi complained, the (then) manager of Edmonton Transit ordered the ads pulled without seeing them. The advertising contract itself was between the non-profit American Freedom Defense Initiative (“AFDI”) and Pattison Outdoor Advertising Group, the latter of which contracted separately at the time to handle ETS’ advertising. AFDI defends freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, individual rights, and the equality of all people before the law.
In June 2016, Justice Donald Lee ordered the City to answer questions about a pro-Islamic ad that previously ran on Edmonton buses. That ad had stated, in part, “ISLAM: The message of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.” The City has now acknowledged the placement of such ads on ETS buses.
“The Supreme Court has specifically held that governments must be neutral and there is nothing neutral about permitting pro-Islamic ads, while removing an ad because it was deemed to be anti-Islamic,” stated Calgary lawyer and Justice Centre president John Carpay.
“As our Supreme Court has held, freedom of expression is fundamental to a free and democratic society. Free speech facilitates those who advocate for change, in the hope of improving their lives, or all of society. To be meaningful, expressive freedom must include the right to communicate controversial and unpopular messages,” added Carpay.
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28 Comments
7 years ago
When dealing with edmonton city council and its minion dhimmi, you are dealing with particularly stupid fools. Best of luck, the verdicts in Canadian courts are normally decided before the trial or hearing, if they are a human right issue that offends the easy offended, especially muslims.
7 years ago
Reply to
Zaba
Then it will be necessary to arrange to “neutralize” pc, by whatever means is available.
7 years ago
Reply to
Zaba
Literally!
Is the ad. false or libellous in some way?
London campaign having a hard time!
7 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
Naw, we pretty much always win out for free speech in Canada. Libtards and SJWs keep trying to push the envelope and get their feels over the law, but our laws have held up well. When Mark Steyn and MacLeans Magazine were sued by 3 human rights tribunals in our provinces (kangaroo courts), Steyn and MacLeans not only won all 3, but the loophole that Islamist whiners tried to sue them on was closed up, so no one could be sued again on similar grounds after. It’s the same as America though, the victory comes by winning in the libtard court of public opinion, like all those blm cases that are later proven to be shams where the police were justified, but liberals never know and never care because the press does their lying spinning thing and obsures the facts.
7 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
I think our free speech laws are pretty sound here too, we just don’t have a 2nd Amendment that makes them as clear cut as America. We’re definitely doing better than Europe though. What puts us all under fire is not the soundness of our laws, it’s the damn pc culture where people either self censor, esp. if they are white, or they are hunted down by far left fascists who club them w/ some sort of ist or ism. It’s only works if you let it though…
D
7 years ago
Reply to
Mahou Shoujo
Gender Apartheid is a problem in many Muslim cultures.
It takes on many forms, including honor killings.
Liberals didn’t have a problem acknowledging that South African culture had an Apartheid problem in the 1980s, but they refuse to acknowledge that Gender Apartheid is a problem in many Muslim cultures.
7 years ago
Reply to
TD
Liberals are the most ignorantly bigoted creatures on earth, by choice, they are a deserving candidate for extinction.
7 years ago
TRANSLATION
“Honor killing” …..male supremacy murder
7 years ago
It is beyond stupid that Canada can defend barbarians against criticism from non barbarians, but refuse to defend non barbarians against criticism from barbarians. If it is Islam then it is right, if it is not Islam it is wrong.
7 years ago
By banning the ads, it becomes clear that they all support “Honor Killings” and the removal of “Women’s Rights.” Cowardice always reigns supreme, it’s well beyond Political Correctness. Edmonton city council and the bus company represent the usual spineless, cowering scum we are so used to encountering. They should be ashamed of their willingness to surrender our rights and freedoms.
7 years ago
Best of luck AFDI!!! Look forward to hearing the outcome, and hopefully good news.
7 years ago
I back AFDI 100% on these bus ad campaigns, especially those trying to free women from the oppression of Islam. If we let the ones that see the chance for freedom be killed, we lose one of our strongest weapons in the fight against the scourge of Islam. Gotta’ hit the “Donate” button on this one.
7 years ago
Good luck in Edmonton, Pamela.
7 years ago
According to the Canadian CBC News, Ottawa will work together with Soros on issues of refugees and immigration.
Another nail to the coffin.
..
7 years ago
Reply to
Maranatha
Quite a wonderful program that the absent PM has established. Import thousands of Muslim economic immigrants and dump them on the Provinces. Importing Muslims and openly refusing Christians. The same Provinces who can’t afford to fund their own existing Health and Education and now are forced to try to take care of the Liberal cast-offs.
A model where Canadians are being forced to go to emergency departments because of the shortage of doctors. Have you been to a Blood Lab lately, a place where instructions are primarily in Arabic, Chinese and Punjabi and Canadian is way down at the bottom if at all?
A model where immigrants can wear masks at the Citizenship Ceremony, a model where the official RCMP uniform is now a pink hijab, a model where there are dedicated phone numbers in many cities where Muslims can complain about being “offended” about some imaginary thing.
This is the same Soros who funds The Nation of Islam, Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist organizations. who are paid to riot in America.
Trudeau is importing terror to Canada.
7 years ago
Reply to
Jacob Peters
Line up all English speaking countries in the world and you can instantly pick out the Canadian, eh. That would also include a lot of people from the northern States. It’s easy to recognize an Aussie or a Brit. We speak what is likely the easiest version of “English” to understand.
7 years ago
There is no right to free speech in Canada. Truth is no defense in any human rights case. Canadians rights are only protected if government decides to protect them. Welcome to Canada.
7 years ago
Awaiting eagerly the result.
7 years ago
Reply to
Sunshine
Me too … considering the number of high profile cases of “honour killings” we (Canada) had before the election, I believe the ads on the buses were addressing a problem that will get worse now that there are laws protecting the religion of peace from any scrutiny as it’s called “Hate Speech”. Plus our media is corrupted by liberal politics so they won’t report a lot of religious criminals that they were reporting before the election.
7 years ago
Councillor Amarjeet Sohi obviously approves of honor killings. In Canada, we refer to that as murder or even execution. There have been many instances in Edmonton where Punjabi women have “jumped” from balconies to save the honor of their families. How many of these “honor killings” has he participated in or approved of? What a disgusting “person”.
7 years ago
Reply to
ninetyninepct
Yikes, I wonder if they’re importing a popular method of female “suicide” in Pakistain?
I once saw a sign held by a muslum in Pakistain:
“First Kashmir, then the Punjab.”
7 years ago
Good luck with the emonton city council case!!
7 years ago
By: Ryan Tumilty Metro Published on Wed Oct 05 2016
An Edmonton judge has found the city was within its rights to pull bus advertisements that an anti-Muslim group purchased in 2013.
The American Freedom Defence Initiative (AFDI) bought the ads on city buses, which encouraged Muslim girls who felt their families were interested in honour killing and were threatening them to contact the initiative through their website or a hotline.
The city contracts Pattison Outdoor Advertising to sell space on shelters and buses, but the deal with the city allows the city to remove ads they find objectionable.
When the city pulled the ads in 2013, following an outpouring of public concern, AFDI filed a legal challenge arguing their constitutional rights to free expression had been infringed.
Justice J.J. Gill ruled against that and said the hotline victims could call appeared to be little more than a platform to connect people with anti-Muslim views.
He said the city has a right to pull advertisements that might make people feel unsafe on the transit system.
Gill also argued the ads when taken with the website they directed people to showed “extreme anti-Muslim views.”
“I have no doubt that many Edmontonians and Canadian in general, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, would find the positions advanced by the AFDI … to be offensive, discriminatory and demeaning.”
Gill ruled the ads were akin to “dog-whistle politics” meant to camouflage their true intents.
“The AFDI’s advertisements might reasonably be viewed as a ruse to further what appears to be one of its true objectives, which is to target Muslims.
City spokesperson Jennifer Laraway said Edmonton is pleased with the ruling and will take the same stance with any similar cases if they should come up in future.
“The City of Edmonton affirms its position that we will not stand idly by if anyone perpetuates negative stereotypes, fear or hatred towards any one particular group.
7 years ago
When the City of Edmonton pulled bus ads criticized as being anti-Muslim three years ago, it was justified in curtailing the advertiser’s freedom of speech, a judge has ruled.
The American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) sponsored transit ads, which included the text, “Muslim Girls Honor Killed by Their Families” and “Is Your Family Threatening You? Is there a Fatwa on Your Head?”
The ad featured a logo for SIOA (Stop Islamization of America) and a link to FightforFreedom.us, which warns about the “encroachment of Islam on western civilization.”
The ads were mounted on five buses in late October 2013, but were taken down after eight days following a complaint made to Edmonton Transit by then city councillor Amarjeet Sohi. The cost of the ads, $2,500, was refunded.
AFDI took the city to court, arguing that the removal of the ads violated its right to freedom of expression under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Jay Cameron, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms that represents AFDI, argued in court last month that it is unreasonable not to take the ad at face value and that the text that appeared is not hate speech.
AFDI also argued that the city removed an opportunity for Muslim women to escape victimization.
But Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench Justice John Gill agreed with the city that removing the ads was justifiable.
“I conclude that, to the extent that the city’s policy infringed on AFDI’s freedom of speech, the benefit of doing so far outweighed the deleterious effects,” said Gill, in his written decision.
“AFDI purports to offer a help line to victimized Edmonton Muslim women which would link them to a New York-based organization advocating some extreme anti-Muslim positions.”
It was doubtful this would be helpful to Muslim women in Edmonton. “On the other hand, I have no doubt that many Edmontonians and Canadians in general, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, would find the positions advanced by the AFDI, including its SIOA initiative, to be offensive, discriminatory and demeaning.”
Mustafa Farooq, vice-president of public policy for the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council, a non-profit anti-discrimination group, applauded the ruling, saying the ads alarmed many in the community.
“People felt disgusted and not just Muslims,” Farooq said. “People from many faiths felt that this was so ignorant and they were unhappy to see that kind of rhetoric in Canada and in Edmonton especially, where Muslims have been living for over 100 years.”
He said the ads also sent the wrong message to women facing domestic violence. “Telling them to call or visit a website that propagated hatred is not the right approach. The right approach is to call 911.”
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