White Poppies, Red Poppies? Just Chill.

Remembrance Day has become a day surrounded with subjective symbolism. People should feel comfortable with the choices they make and the symbols they choose when marking this time of the year. Often these symbols just come down to what they mean personally. Freedom means that people have the ability to think and act of their own accord. Attacks on others about the perceived disrespect certain symbols show do more to destroy the meaning of the day than the symbols that people choose to adopt, in my opinion. Let's all mark a historic event without anger or frustration over who chooses what symbol. Let us all mark it in a way we each feel most comfortable personally.

Of course, the main issue at the forefront now, as in every Remembrance Day since Remembrance Day began (as Armistice Day) is around red vs white poppies (Yes, the white poppy has been around as long as the red poppy, a fact which some people aren't aware of). If you ask me, it isn't an issue of red vs. white...it's an issue of personal choice. They aren't at war with one another. Plenty of people wear both together. Everyone just needs to chill out and not worry about what others are wearing. It's their choice. It's their personal message. It isn't your choice. It isn't something you are forced to wear. You don't even have to like it. But when I see people on line threatening to beat up people who wear white poppies, which I see every year without fail, I just shake my head. That is completely unnecessary. Don't threaten violence over this (as is the case in exhibit A, below) . It isn't cool. It isn't appreciated. It isn't nice. Chill out. Let freedom ring, don't forget the past, look to the future.

Homophobic Hate Preacher Siraj Wahhaj coming to Winnipeg

Winnipeg has a vibrant and bright Muslims community. There are a lot of good people in the Muslim community that have found a home in this city. And it's wonderful to have a diverse community to celebrate and enjoy. It's wonderful to go around this city and see people from the four corners of the earth, representing all races, ethnicities, cultures and religions.

BUT, I have a big problem with the idea of Siraj Wahhaj coming to Winnipeg to the Winnipeg Grand Mosque on November 10th. Why? Well, although many right wing conservatives attach on to any scrap of evidence that he is associated with terrorism, my concern is his extreme homophobia. It is difficult to get the truth on terrorism connections when a Google search brings up every right wing blog out there that would connect anyone who is Muslim to terrorism. I'm not saying he doesn't have dubious connections or radical ideas in this direction, but I am saying that I don't know. There is talk about some connection to the first World Trade Center bombing, but I can't find much clarification that isn't heavily biased to know for sure.

What I DO know is that he did this lecture which can only be described as extremely homophobic and, in my mind, extremely concerning. In this lecture titled "Masculine Women and Feminine Men" which is readily available on YouTube, the man makes it very clear his disgust in homosexuality, as well as feminism and whatever else he is extremely angry and shouty over. At this point, I encourage you to watch the whole video below to see exactly what he has to say:

Now, I don't think he should NOT come to Winnipeg, necessarily. BUT, I believe that this is a man with some disgusting ideas that deserves to be met with protest. I believe that he should not just come quietly into our community and slip out without people knowing what this man stands for. It is obvious from his statements that he is an extreme right wing ultra social conservative religious man. I have a problem with social conservatism to begin with, especially when it becomes mixed with religion. His statements against LGBTs are not only offensive, but misguided, based on fallacies and religious dogma, prejudiced, reek of a sense of moral superiority, are extremely divisive, and, given his fire and brimstone approach, pretty damn scary. Oh, sure, he redeems himself at the end of this ranting to say that violence should not be done to LGBTs. Great, wonderful! BUT, using extreme rhetoric to fire people up first off, and then toss in a call for non violence makes it pretty darn hollow.

Here are a few points that I wish to make. First off, why is this man coming to Winnipeg? Apparently, this is a big deal with tickets expected to go fast, and apparently he is well loved and influencial and blah, blah, blah. Well, whoa now, this guy, who rails on about gays and how horrible homosexuality is and how there is no place for it in Islam and never will be, etc. etc., is someone that people in this community are looking up to?? And wish to bring him here as a representative of Islam??

Further more, on the poser for the event, he is called "One of the most influential Muslims in the History of North America". Oh great, that doesn't make me feel very good. Here is a guy who spreads horribly homophobic views who is one of the most influential Muslims in the History of North America?? That makes this lecture and these views all that much more repulsive and dangerous.

Here is the deal. As I have said before in previous posts on similar subjects, there are so many good, forward thinking, liberal Muslims out there. This guy doesn't do Islam many favours with his over the top, hateful rhetoric. And the fact that he is being welcomed, open armed into our community as a great man leaves me quite unsettled. Obviously, he is free to come. But, I do wish more knew about some of the things this guy has said. I mean, imagine if the Westboro Baptist Church folks were coming to Winnipeg. The outcry would be tremendous. Given Siraj Wihhaj's remarks, I'm not seeing a whole lot of difference between him and Fred Phelps.

Remember back when Anne Coulter came to Canada and the outrage she caused? And, it caused outrage for good reason. She is a vile, horrible woman who has made a pretty penny off of being a vile, horrible woman spreading far right wing ideas. Well, again, I can't see much difference between the lecture embedded above, and the disgusting rhetoric of Anne Coulter.

So, come to Winnipeg Siraj, but I hope that you are met with protest and serious questioning as opposed to just open, loving, adoring arms of people blinded by your influence and whatever greatness they seem to see in you. I hope you understand the danger of your statements and how not just damaging, but how cruel they are. What is different about the rhetoric you used and the rhetoric of a school yard bully? None. None at all. I want you to know that. I want all of these eager people who are snatching up tickets to see you to know that you aren't the great, wonderful man that people seem to think you are. But, you will probably be showered with love and gratitude and your disgusting, deplorable side will be ignore, and you will carry on your merry way to the next engagement where the same garbage will happen again and you will remain unchallenged in your false, dangerous ideas. 

Abdul Qadeer Baksh: A Sick, Homophobic, Ideal World

Yo, Abdul Qadeer Baksh, you are a jerk. Recently in a BBC interview (highlighted in this article from Pinknews.com), you cowardly and cruelly stated that in a perfect society, homosexuals would be punished. Allow me to call you an asshole, because that is what you are. Since you stated this, you've slimed around and tried to justify your horrible statements by saying that you think this is how things should be in some utopian society and that you don't want to see it in the UK, necessarily. Here is the deal, I don't care. You said it and in doing so, you have implied that there is something wrong with being gay. Here is the bottom line...THERE ISN'T!

Now, the usual garbage has ensued, "Freedom of speech! My opinion!". Want to hear my opinion? You are a DICK. You are free to your misguided and warped opinion, but you are also accountable for your ridiculous statements. Your religious dogma is dangerous. It doesn't even matter what religion this is connected to. It's religious dogma, and it's extreme. You hold an extreme view that people that are doing NOTHING wrong, would be punished in a perfect society. That, my non friend, is spreading hate. You can try and worm your greasy little self out of this by your usual tactics of turning everything into a grand Islamophobic attack on your religion.

Here is the problem. You are in a position of power. You have influence. You are the chairman of the Luton Islamic Center in the UK. People look up to you. People listen to you. Now, here you are, on the record saying that in an ideal society, gays would be punished (Gawd only knows what you are saying off the record, or behind the walls of your Islamic center). Great, thanks so much for spreading hate. LGBTs have fought LONG and HARD against the very garbage you are spewing forth. And all you can do is hide behind your religion, like a coward, and trying to justify such inflammatory rhetoric in every way you can, trying to make you look like some open and tolerant guy who has been misinterpreted and misrepresented. You aren't. It's clear. There is no mistaking this. You have an extreme view, and it is one that needs to be fought against so that we can have peace and equality in our societies, where LGBTs don't feel marginalized or threatened by such rhetoric. It's the same kind of world you keep fighting for everytime you scream "Islamophobia!!!" when someone says something about your religion you find offensive. Here is a tip: If you are going to scream Islamophobia at the drop of a hat, try not being a big, cowardly homophobe.

As far as I can see, you are creating your own hole, making your religion look completely intolerant and barbaric when saying that in a perfect society, an Islamic state, people would be punished for their sexual orientation. And then you wonder why there would be a backlash against your views or your religion? I'll give you a hint....you and your view of your religion is insanely sick.

Fortunately, there are wonderful, smart, progressive Muslims out there who not only don't share your views but see people like you as an embarrassment to the religion and as someone who just makes it harder for good Muslims out there. You are letting your brothers and sisters in Islam down, and creating bitterness and anger towards your religion. Good work, sir. Consider that the next time you scream about the horrors of Islamophobia.

UPDATE: Since writing this, I have been tweeting him and others and watching his tweets. Today, he said this brilliant bit in regards to LGBTs: "nobody hates them or wants them killed .. We want them fixed and saved." Fixed and saved? Seriously dude? The one that needs fixing and saving is you....and your disgusting homophobia, and your vile sense of moral superiority. I should add in ignorance as well. Fixed? First off, there isn't a "fix". Second of all, there is no NEED for a "fix". There is NOTHING wrong with being gay. It is a normal, natural state of being, period. It is not an illness or disease. It is not immoral or wrong. There is no need to fix this. Another tweet? "maybe therapy or some way to help them change". What? Why? Therapy for WHAT?? Change?? WHY?? He just keeps digging himself in deeper and deeper.

I have to add that one thing that makes me angry is that while I am tweeting and fighting against his homophobia, the only people that have joined me or right wing conservatives, including EDL and BNP types. I am firmly left in my values and ideology. Why am I the ONLY leftist taking on this guy? Where are my fellow lefties on this! 

Egyptians slaughter Egyptians, and Somehow, it is America's fault?

Today has been a brutal and bloody day in Egypt, as the military rulers who ousted the democratically elected leader of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, slaughtered Muslim Brotherhood supporters who have built protest camps. It ended in up to 240 death (more, many more if you believe some reports).

Now, as I do, I have been reading the comment sections on news stories, on Facebook, and various tweets. What I see is something that infuriates me. Somehow, this has turned into yet another reason for too many in the MENA to blame America for everything. Apparently, far too many people today say that the "American backed military" slaughtered unarmed, peaceful protesters. How dare the US back this military!

Okay, wait....isn't this the same military that had thousands upon thousands of people in Egypt flowing into the streets in support for, when ousting Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from power? And, when anyone dared call what happened a coup, anti-Morsi folks would scream, "It's not a coup, it's a continuation of the revolution! The Military is on our side and doing what we want them to do!" CNN in the states made the mistake of calling it a coup and had angry Egyptians picketing their studios and organizing an online campaign to tell them it wasn't a coup. The hash tag #notacoup was used in social media by people furious that an obvious coup was being called a coup.

Interestingly enough, the US has been blamed for supporting Mohamed Morsi and backing the Muslim Brotherhood. What? Say that again? Yes, frankly, too many rather disillusioned folks seem to believe that the West is on the side of the MB. What? You know what the great mistake the US made was? Working with the democratically elected president of Egypt. The people put Morsi in power, and the US reluctantly went to work with him because it was the will of the people. They didn't exactly embrace Morsi, and when asked, Obama even said that Egypt wasn't necessarily an ally as a result of Morsi taking power, which got Obama in hot water with many Republicans in the US who feel that Obama ended up losing Egypt as an ally under his watch.

So, the US and other "Western" governments worked with Morsi. Then, bam, Morsi gets overthrown by the military in a coup that wasn't a coup. Now, Morsi supporters are blaming the US for supporting the military. Well, yes, the US has a long history of working with Egypt's military, and understandably so. Egypt is the world's most populated Arab country. It is a major powerhouse in the MENA, and stability there is vitally important for the entire region, if not the world. It is advantageous for the US to have a good working relationship with whatever government is leading Egypt.

And then, today happens. After Morsi was overthrown to the cheers of millions of Egyptians, the military that they were so excited about, who they felt was working for them turned around and slaughtered a few hundred Morsi supporters. Oddly enough, I have seen little online comments or commentary from those folks who cheered for the military just a few weeks ago. But, what I do see over and over is that the military that is killing these people...is backed by the US. Wait...hello....remember how the military taking power was the will of the people and the continuation of the revolution? YOU put these guys in power. YOU validated their power grab by showing support. YOU wanted these guys! Look what you got! Don't start blaming any other entity or country for this. This is all you guys.

I'm not saying the US is some innocent nation that has never done wrong. In fact, I used to be highly cynical and distrusting of the US, particularly when it came to Middle East politics. Then I moved to the Middle East and saw how the US (and of course Israel) is used as a scapegoat and a way to manipulate emotion. If a group doesn't like another group, aligning them with the US or even worse Israel, is a huge insult and makes that other group look bad. It's too often crying wolf.

Scapegoating the US for BAD domestic decisions does not help anyone or anything. Take responsibility! If you said you were happy the military took power, ADMIT IT and stand by what you said. Don't turn around and put the blame on the US or anyone else.You facilitated this just as much as anyone. It wasn't the US that caused all of this. It was Egypt. It wasn't the US that killed anyone today, it was the anti-Morsi, pro-Military backed Army that slaughtered those people, no one else.

"People Like You Give Faggots a Bad Name": Straight Pride?

Oh the fun I have on social media. Today, I was on twitter. What a blast that always is. My focus today is on  the issue of "Straight Pride". It's the time of year for LGBT Pride parades and festivities around the world to take place, sometimes even in defiance of society and governments of the country they are being held. I support Pride events. I see the value in them. It is an opportunity for people to say "Hey, fuck you, I am NOT staying in the closet!" and rightly so. It's a chance to go out, have fun and show support for LGBT's who have faced so much discrimination, persecution and ill treatment all over the world! This concept of Pride seems completely lost on many of those calling for Straight Pride, and that is highly frustrating.

So, in my scrolling through tweets I run across this one guy on twitter, a "hip hop" DJ or rapper or whatever, from Toronto, a dude called Kadeem who appears to goes by the name Madniss, though he is Bruce Wayne on twitter. His comments were, first "Gay float at caribana? I'm not trynna hate on homosexuals but naaaahh bro none ah dat," followed by "If there's gonna be a gay float at caribana then I'm calling for a straight pride parade then. That's what I call #EqualRights". Oh, the whole straight pride thing pisses me off, so I gave it a go. My response was a snarky "One float is devoted to LGBT, and the rest are heterocentric. Congrats, you got a straight pride parade. Idiot". In hindsight, I shouldn't have made the last second decision to add "Idiot" to the end, but it was definitely in my brain, so I added it. His response was "People like you give faggots a bad name." Then he blocked me.

Well, this leaves me angry and feeling far less bad for using the word "Idiot". The use of the word "faggots" suggests that he doesn't exactly get the whole gay pride thing, failing to see that a statement like that is EXACTLY why gay pride is so important. Maybe he could have an "Idiot" pride day, seeing as I used that term, and that was derogatory. That would be interesting.

A follow up tweet read "I don't have anything against homosexuals. Caribana is the one thing that reminds me of back home and the gay stuff just makes it weird." So, basically, YES, you do have a problem with gays. That's like saying "I'm not a racist, but I really hate it when black people show up at basketball games".

Here, clearly, is a kid that doesn't get it. And the impression that I get is that he is a newer Canadian, possibly a first or second generation. I'm not against immigration. I believe in an open Canada that can be home to many people from all over the world. I do, however, hate that ideas such as homophobia are imported into a country where LGBT rights have been fought hard for. In Canada, of course, LGBT's have the right to marry, and I am proud of that, but there are still many issues facing LGBT folks in this nation that need to be tackled. So, more people coming in with homophobic ideas doesn't help the situation. That's not saying this kid doesn't have a place in Canada or that he should go home. I am just saying that we don't need more homophobia, from anyone! We need an inclusive Canada. That includes space everywhere for LGBT's!

Now, his wasn't the only comment denouncing gay pride, using a term like "faggot" or trumpeting this grand need for a "Straight Pride" event. There is no shortage of that. But, our brief interaction left me feeling angry, frustrated and disappointed. It left me feeling that, with all the progress made, there are still people such as him who do see a problem with a float placed in the parade by members of the LGBT community. It leaves me sad that, with so much progress being made within the younger generation who seem to be much more open to understand LGBT issues, there are still young folks with ideas like these. Times are changing, but the fight is still on. Sorry Kadeem, but you ARE part of the problem.

The Doha Rants: Y Village, Doha

Okay, so, I have this going through my head and I thought I would write it down.

So, for three years we lived in Qatar. I've sorta covered that in past posts, though not much. Anyway, it wasn't my favourite place to be for a number of reasons, but the insane racism was definitely high on the list of issues that I had with being there.

Now, for the last stint of our time in Doha, Qatar, the company we were associated with decided that they would move us into a place called Y Village, a compound near Aspire Park, owned by Ramco. Now, this place was pretty nice, aesthetically anyway. It had the look and feel of a resort as a opposed to a compound which, well, was okay I guess. It was just a cold, not very friendly place in the end really. All looks, no substance, as most things are in Qatar. Completely devoid of character, completely devoid of everything that makes a true community.

Anyway, the number one complaint that I have about the place is what I see as their racist, discriminatory policies which shouldn't come as a shock in a region that, in my mind, defines the term racist. Now, there are some people in the compound who have live in nannies and maids. This alone is part of the culture that really got under my skin. Having a human servant on hand to raise children and do the chores? Not my favourite idea. But, regardless, it is the reality of living in Qatar. And to be fair, we did have a wonderful person who came to clean for us every two weeks, and babysit every other week. We really appreciated her help and she was a great person and we were so grateful to have her in our lives.

So what bugged me is that the facilities, like the pool and the clubhouse were OFF LIMITS to nannies on their spare time. Excuse me? These people who are such a big part of our lives, who live ON the compound, and who work hard, and they are not allowed in the pool?? These people are part of the community! They are part of families! They live there just like anywayone! So, hold on a second, what's the problem here. Well, these can easily be explained. Most domestic workers in Qatar are from countries like the Philippines (like most in our compound), Malaysia, Nepal, etc. Why could they not use the facilities? Basically because of their nationality. Because of their nationality, they are identified as domestic help and as such should not be in the public areas. Sound bad? Yes, that's because it is. But that's par for the course in Doha.

And it made me mad. I won't mince words about that. I sent the management an email over this. I heard no reply. I sent another one because I was also angry about another issue, which was that people just kept showing up at our door at weird hours to do little jobs that no one told us about that didn't seem to need to be done. So, in this second email, I was a little more angry. I used swear words. Oh yes I did. And I meant them, dammit. Boy did I. I was angry about these people showing up, but more angry that not only their racist discriminatory policies were in place, but that when questioned they didn't even bother to respond.

Well, turns out I rubbed some people the wrong way, and guess what. The company we work for got in trouble over this. Excuse me? Come again? This place that we were moved into has a racist policy, I call them on it, and the company has to face the music because I used swears or whatever it was that got things going? Now, should I have sworn in the email. Well, of course, that is up for debate. It probably shouldn't have been done, and I will admit that, although it did a good job of helping to express the anger I felt. But, was it wrong? Probably. But, what happened? Instead of racist policies being put into question, the big deal became swear words. And that's the kind of culture it is in Qatar. And, yes, I am glad to not be in it anymore, thanks for asking.

You know what, that place was horrible as far as I am concerned. I was completely disappointed and disgusted by Y Village. With these restrictions in place, it created a prison for several people we knew and cared for. It meant that they were second class citizens in our community who did not share the same rights and privileges we had merely because of their race and their jobs. This left me with a sour taste in my mouth that sticks with me to this day, even though we have been out of that country for 1 year now. I still can't believe I lived in a place like that. I feel rather sad, a bit ashamed and disgusted that I lived in a place with a policy like this. It mad me feel like I was also living in a prison, knowing that members of our community had restrictions placed on them and there was NOTHING I could do about it, and that the company that we worked for was completely indifferent about, even though it is a Canadian company. That will lead me to more posts. Just the idea that this company should be operating in a country like Qatar to begin with needs to be question. 

When Comedy Gets Weird: A Rant Against Douches

Okay, so, I've been doing this comedy thing that I haven't actually blogged about for some reason. Well, now I'm blogging about it here, so I can't say I haven't blogged about it anymore.

Here's the deal. I like doing comedy, right? By comedy, I mean the stand up kind...in front of people. I'm what one would call an amateur. And by amateur I mean that I am still actually working my way up to a level where I could be called an amateur. I am sub-amateur shall we say. But, I'm working on it, and I think I have improved from the first dark days of trying out comedy.

But, let's cut to the core of what I want to write about here. Tonight, at an open mic night that I regularly attend, was the first time I got truly pissed off and angry about a situation that happened. And by angry, I mean....well, angry. Now, this open mic that I regularly attend is a good, fun open mic. The people there are supportive, nice, easy going and the all important supportive. That part is so important that I put it there twice in the same sentence.

So, tonight, for some reason, this guy shows up at the open mic event who I had never seen before though apparently he has done comedy a time or two. Now, as far as I am concerned, when it comes to open mic, the more the merrier. It's always great to see new people come out and take part. Hey, that's where we all started, right? You have to start somewhere. And even if you are crappy, heck, you gave it a shot and you deserve credit for that.

But, then we get this guy. How do I best describe him? Well, I have to say that I really hate the word douche or douche bag. It's just not a very nice word that kind of makes me want to gag. I usually stay clear of it. It's just too unpleasant. However, in this case, I think it's perfectly warranted. We shall call this guy Douche McDoucheFace Douche Bag Double Douche. Yes, this is how poorly I saw this pretentious, self loving, backward hat wearing, cocky little wiener McDouche head!

What pissed me off was this. He had with him this group of his little douche bag buddies who obviously came along to support him. It was obvious because they were completely disinterested in any of the other comedians as they played pool and chatted loudly. Now, seriously, it is a bar, and I don't have a problem with people doing their bar things while comedians are on stage. These are things that we can't control and have to work with. BUT, Mr Douchey Douche himself wasn't even paying attention to a word we said. Everytime I looked over, he had his back to us, laughing with his friends, hanging out and just basically ignoring everyone on stage while his douchey buddies carried on as if nothing was happening on stage. And Mr. Popularity McDouche did have a lot of friends there, for some reason. Did he text everyone he knew to come out, cheer him on and blatantly ignore everyone else? Sure seemed like he did.

And then his name was called to come on stage. And the room fell silent. The pool tables cleared and crowd gathered around. And this is the point where I wanted to throw beer bottles. You fucking fucker fuckfaces! You ignore everyone else throughout the night....in fact, talk OVER everyone all night, and then when your little douche bag of a friend get's on stage, then you rally around him. FUCK!

Look, whether you fuckers care our not, all the rest of the comedians there work hard week in and week out, trying to become better comics, working to create a weekly event that is enjoyable and fun for all. Everyone is welcome and support is given. It's a great comedy night in the city for that very reason. Please, please, respect what we are trying to do. This little douche and his friends did NOT respect what we do, or us for that matter. And it made me angry.

And this is where it got weird.

The obviously slightly inebriated little douche had some kind of spiritual awakening in front of our very eyes which was about the farthest thing from comedy one can possibly get. I wanted to laugh, but it was just too weird to laugh at. Apparently, he is in the middle of some kind of spiritual crisis and he decided to turn the stage into a pulpit, telling us how wonderful Jesus is. Oh really? Oh that's interesting. You are half drunk on a stage after being a douche to all the comedians present and then all of a sudden you are some kind of Jesus follower? Which part of Jesus' teachings say "Thou shall go to the bar and make a mockery of a comedy open mic, get drunk and have thy douchy friends treat the other comics like background noise."?

Dude, you aren't a Christian. You are a Douchian.

So, yes, I was angry. I was very angry in fact at the disrespect I felt every comedian was shown. It was uncalled for, mean spirited, immature, childish, ignorant, arrogant and horrible. Now, if the guy shows up again and is let up on stage, you know what, if he wants to do comedy, hey that's cool. If he actually tells a few jokes and at least acts like he's trying, that's cool. If his friends don't treat the rest of the folks there like scum, great. I will support him. I believe in supporting other comics. It's a hard thing to do to get up on stage and try to piece together 5 minutes of material with the hopes of entertaining people. It really is. And I support my fellow comics, because I know it is a challenge for each and every one of them. So, making a complete mockery of everything we all try to do by being a complete douche just pisses me off. But, if you want to tell jokes and work at it....you have my support, whether I like your material or not.

Moral of the story....don't treat your fellow comics like shit, and tell your douchy friends to do the same.

ADDITION: Oh, and I forgot one of the best parts of it all. After the douche leaves the stage and all his friends surround him and shower him with love, he and all his friends LEAVE. There was still another comedian who went up, and he was good! But, no, they couldn't even be bothered to stick around. Another slap in the face. Just a sad display.