By Doğan Akman
On November 4, 2020 in a lecture at the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC),Texas, Pakistani-American Scholar Sheik Yasir Qadhi discussed the responses of Islamic scholars to the recent beheading of French high school teacher Samuel Paty.
He said that no reputable scholar would permit vigilante attacks such as these, and that a death sentence for a blasphemer may only be carried out by an Islamic Court in an Islamic land. He further stated: ”Even in the lands of Islam, you don’t have the right to act as judge, jury, executioner[;]You cannot enact vigilante Justice. It is not something that is allowed. How much more so then, in the lands that are not the lands of Islam. When we are a minority, there is simply no argument to be made that this is something that would be allowed.”
In the course of his lecture, Sheik Qadhi took the opportunity to take a shot at MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) which he described as an “Islamophobic hate group”. However, he then proceeded to make this most statement about the clergy that hold the opposing view: “MEMRI...finds obscure and unknown Islamic scholars who express support for such acts and presents their view as mainstream Islam,”
https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/61826/texas-based-islamic-scholar-yasir-qadhi-no also at Epic’s YouTube channel; Sheik Qadhi’s own YouTube channel, and at MEMRI TV clips.
In Canada
A fortiori, one should expect that the learned scholar would apply the same principles to the cases of the anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-palestinian faithful in Canada engaging in vigilantiasm against the members of the Jewish community who in assembled groups exercise their freedom of speech peacefully.
In accordance with these principles, these vigilantes must have their threatening and inciting behaviour and the personal injuries and damages they caused, adjudicated by the Canadian courts under the provisions of the Criminal Code and civil law.
Most regrettably, those in Canada who have been inflicting “vigilante justice” during and in the aftermath of the war launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad against Israel and Jews, are either not aware of the principles enunciated by Sheik Quadhi or simply choose to ignore them. Robert Spencer, Toronto:Nazi flag at “Palestinian’ pro-jihad rally, Jihad Watch, May 17,2021, https://www.jihadwatch.org › 2021/05 › toronto-nazi-fl see also:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/pro-israel-protest-montreal-palestine-1.6028966 May 16, 2021; Hana Levi Julian, In Canada: Pro-Palestinian Violence Aimed at Jewish Demonstrators,May 18,2021 https://www.timesofisrael.com › canadian-police-use-tea...The Canadian Jewish News Staff, Weekend of violence seen at Canadian demonstrations as Mideast rocket attacks ramp up, https://thecjn.ca › weekend-of-violence-seen-at-canadian ; Robert Spencer, Canada: Pro-Jihad demonstrators vow armed operations againstZionists,Jihad Watch, May 21,2021.
What a pity. Considering that a number of those involved in the vigilante action immigrated to Canada to enjoy its rights and freedoms, personal security, and the mutual respect of their fellow citizens regardless of their religion and political views, they have ended up breaching these rights and freedoms, and thus have no call to expect mutual respect from fellow Canadians.