Persona non grata

Quebecois, prejudiced? Big surprise...

El Hattab has said, "I think that the criminalization of the State of Israel is the cancer of the 21st century." He has traveled extensively in Israel and the West Bank, knows members of the Palestinian Authority, and maintains friendships with both Jews and Arabs in the area. He has read widely in Jewish literature and history, enthusing that "I am richer for it." He thinks the Jewish state has accomplished miracles and "I want my Muslim brothers to understand this."

Wouldn't you think that a Muslim intellectual of such open-mindedness, prestige, learning and deep understanding of both the Muslim and Jewish worlds would be of interest to the media? He spoke today at the Université de Montréal but not a single media outlet in Quebec wanted to meet with him or interview him. Indeed El Hattab characterized the media's snubbing as a "boycott." A few weeks ago I wrote a column about the silence of the francophone media on the Islamists in their midst. When will the media in Quebec get a grip on the single most important issue of our time?

Point de Bascule comments:

Les médias francophones nous présentent habituellement des musulmans intégristes, des islamistes à la Tariq Ramadan qui cherchent à islamiser la modernité, des enturbannés qui se prennent trop au sérieux ou des bouffons pathétiques à la Said Jaziri.

Pour connaître Morad El Hattab, un jeune philosophe musulman français laïc présentement en visite à Montréal, il faut lire le National Post... Honte à vous médias francophones ! Des penseurs comme El Hattab sont rares, il n’y en a pas au Québec. Vous devriez vous faire un devoir de nous faire connaître ceux qui viennent nous voir.

Translation:

The Francophone media are always eager to introduce us to Islamic fundamentalists, like Tariq Ramadan who seeks to Islamize modernity, or the turbaned Muslims whom they tend to treat with overwhelming solemnity, or pathetic buffoons like Said Jaziri.

To learn about Morad El Hattab, a young secular Muslim philosopher from France currently visiting in Montreal, one would have to read the [English language daily] The National Post... It is a disgrace for the French-language media! Thinkers of El Hattab's sensibilities are rare; there is none like him in Quebec. You should have made it your responsibility to acquaint us readers with those who come to see us.