Canada opted out of a UN conference on Racism!!

[adnan_hsn]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/18/un-racism-conference019.html

I could only find the above link but if you search the web theres plenty of news on this topic. So whats your views on this?

[Leon]

From what I've heard, this is a continuance of another conference where some nations wanted to define Zionism as racist and the Israeli and American got very mad and walked out.  They are expecting the same thing to happen again so Canada, US, Isreal, Germany and I think Australia have already pulled out.  IMO it's a mistake.  If they are not there, they can not influence what happens.  If they are there, they can protest what they don't agree with and have it on the record.

[adnan_hsn]

From what I've heard, this is a continuance of another conference where some nations wanted to define Zionism as racist and the Israeli and American got very mad and walked out.  They are expecting the same thing to happen again so Canada, US, Isreal, Germany and I think Australia have already pulled out.  IMO it's a mistake.  If they are not there, they can not influence what happens.  If they are there, they can protest what they don't agree with and have it on the record.

Exactly. But then some people cant handle the truth, thats their problem. And a symbolic walkout of the conference by some will make them look even more stupid.

[Leon]

Reminds me of the half-Olympics back in 1980 and 1984

[adnan_hsn]

Is anyone else interested to say something about this? Sorry, I know I have posted another non-immigration related topic.

[New2Canada]

Interesting issue. Despite my pro-palestinian bias, i am in agreement with US and Canada. Both US and Canada don't have official religion. If one wants to condemn zionism, then they should condemn all these countries that are religious in nature in the middle east. Condemning Zionism makes Israel looks like a monster without looking at the other aspect of all these middle eastern countries that discriminate minority religion (thats racism too). However, countries like Norway and UK do have a national religion (i think), so they shouldn't have too much to say.

Ahmadinejad is another reason to walk out of the meeting. I think most sane people would be okay if others condemn zionism but not from a leader of a country where the B'hai people are so wildly discriminated that they cannot get a government job, they have to pretend to be of another religion, etc.

Thats my two and a half cents.

[adnan_hsn]

If one wants to condemn zionism, then they should condemn all these countries that are religious in nature in the middle east.

Last I checked Zionism refers to an expansionist ideology. So which other state in the Middle Easy currently seeks to expand its borders into its neighbouring and their neighbouring states apart from the 'state' of Israel?

[New2Canada]

Syria....believes in the greater Syria lol. A lot of middle eastern countries already occupy other lands, like Iran and Iraq with Kurdistan, etc.

Zionism is not an expansionist ideology. Zionism is first of all Jewish nationalism which was initially coined by Nathan Birnbaum. It is different from general territorialism or expansionism. It resulted in those but is not defined as those.

But then again, i see you missed my point. What I was trying to say is that Israel's Zionism is as bad as other middle eastern countries' religious state ideology. These religious states prosecute minority religions. We shouldn't condemn one without condemning the other because both are equally bad.

You get people like the president of Iran who will shout from the roof top about Israel while killing people of the Ba'hai faith and then you get some uninformed people who would join him in shouting from the rooftop.

[Leon]

Yeah, they are all bad over there.  Loads of crazy politics and human rights issues going on.  The UN should be kicking their ass for it, not letting them give speeches about it.

[Maaties]

Leon - I agree on that, politics is crazy. I guess its something thats hard to live with but also hard to live without.

New2Canada - interesting perspective.

[aghijan]

Yeah, they are all bad over there.  Loads of crazy politics and human rights issues going on.  The UN should be kicking their ass for it, not letting them give speeches about it.

Leon,

It seems you are a racist too. If you believe in democracy, you must say every one must be given a chance to speak their minds, the same way westerners pave the way for Israel to commit massacre in Palestine.

I have never seen Iran or Iraq occupied lands, but I do see foreign soldiers killing inocents in the name of spreading democracy.

[New2Canada]

remember kuwait and iraq!
kashmir is occupied!
Kurds believe they are occupied by both iran and iraq (to name a few).

Iran is occupying an island that belongs to little Bahrain!!! (and actually wants the whole of Bahrain as a province).


This is just in that region, there is, of course, other occupations around the world like Darfur, Morocco and Western Sahara's conflict, etc. It really depends on whose context.

[Leon]

Leon,

It seems you are a racist too. If you believe in democracy, you must say every one must be given a chance to speak their minds, the same way westerners pave the way for Israel to commit massacre in Palestine.

I have never seen Iran or Iraq occupied lands, but I do see foreign soldiers killing inocents in the name of spreading democracy.

Free speech to say what exactly?  The president of Iran has publically denied that the holocaust ever happened.  Hello?!?  It's documented, it happened.  Even the Germans who did it, don't deny that it happened.  In my opinion, the UN does not need to support anybody's "free speech" to spout such nonsense.  If that is racist so be it.

You are not really being any less racist when you are lumping all "westerners" together as paving the way for Israel to do whatever.  How is the average westerner doing that may I ask?  A lot of people in the western world side with Israel, a lot side with Palestine and a lot think they are both stupid and would just like them to stop and make peace already and a lot actually don't care anymore because it's gone on for the last 60 years or so and no end in sight.  I used to strongly side with Palestine when I was younger but they are not entirely innocent either.  Every time a suicide bomber gets on a bus in Israel and blows up a bunch of women and kids, they give the Israeli army another excuse to go kill a bunch of them and then repeat, repeat, repeat.  I am very fast starting to fall into the last group, the one that just doesn't care anymore.  Let them stop when they feel it's time but hey, somebody has to stop first.

[New2Canada]

Yeah, they are all bad over there.  Loads of crazy politics and human rights issues going on.  The UN should be kicking their ass for it, not letting them give speeches about it.

Leon,

It seems you are a racist too. If you believe in democracy, you must say every one must be given a chance to speak their minds, the same way westerners pave the way for Israel to commit massacre in Palestine.

I have never seen Iran or Iraq occupied lands, but I do see foreign soldiers killing inocents in the name of spreading democracy.

As a FYI, democracy doesn't mean given a chance to speak their mind. For example, in the US, one cannot go around saying that a certain race should be killed or be sent out of the US. In India, Mahatma Gandhi's descendant was taken to prison for saying what amounted to be racist against muslims. These are both democratic countries.

[adnan_hsn]

Syria....believes in the greater Syria lol. A lot of middle eastern countries already occupy other lands, like Iran and Iraq with Kurdistan, etc.

Zionism is not an expansionist ideology. Zionism is first of all Jewish nationalism which was initially coined by Nathan Birnbaum. It is different from general territorialism or expansionism. It resulted in those but is not defined as those.

But then again, i see you missed my point. What I was trying to say is that Israel's Zionism is as bad as other middle eastern countries' religious state ideology. These religious states prosecute minority religions. We shouldn't condemn one without condemning the other because both are equally bad.

You get people like the president of Iran who will shout from the roof top about Israel while killing people of the Ba'hai faith and then you get some uninformed people who would join him in shouting from the rooftop.

Honestly I dont know where you 'collect' your facts from. Just look at your intellect. I;m not going to comment on this one cuz you are not even sure who are you comparing againt who.