Canadian Islamic Congress apologizes to Daniel Pipes "without reservation"

Submitted by Tarek Fatah (United States), Jul 20, 2005 at 16:48

The following was posted on the MuslimChronicle@yahoogroups.com list serve:

Friends,

Once more, the Canadian Islamic Congress has had an attack of the Foot & Mouth disease, giving our adversaries a cause for celebration, they never deserved.

It is embarrassing that the CIC and its VP, Wahida Valiante, would have to apologize to Daniel Pipes. Pipes has no love lost for Muslims. His words have caused immense pain among Muslims and instead of putting him on the defensive, the foolishness of the CIC has made it worse for all of us. In their apology to Pipes, the CIC submit:

"The Canadian Islamic Congress and Ms. Valiante apologize without reservation and retract remarks in the column that suggest that Dr. Daniel Pipes is a follower of Hitler or that he uses the tactics of Hitler or that he wants to ethnically cleanse America of its Muslim presence."

Not only that, the CIC also paid for Pipes' legal expenses and made a donation in his honour to a Canadian charity!

Unless the Muslim community speaks out against the conservative leadership of traditional Muslim organsiations, all of us will suffer because of their ego, narrow-mindedness, and foolishness.

Some of the men who run our mosques and organizations have been there for decades, ruling for tenures that far exceed that of any of the first four Caliphs!

Read and reflect.
Tarek Fatah

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