Classy Move
Around two weeks ago, the United States government denied a Visa to a far-right Hindu Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.
Why did they deny him the visa? He was complicit in the 2002 communal riots that killed thousands of innocent Muslims, because he refused to use the state's police forces to prevent the murders and most probably, he had a hand in the organization of the riots himself.
The United States government made this move, seemingly, out of principle and out of respect for human rights.
They made this move even though it was met with harsh criticism from Indian politicians of all stripes.
Fortunately, we have a very simple contrast to be made with the Canadian government...
When the Canadian government pulled the Canadian ambassador out of Iran, in protest of the killing of a Canadian citizen (Zahra Kazemi), they did so by telling the Iranian government that it was only a temporary move and that the ambassador would surely be back, shortly.
And as they promised, the ambassador was reinstated a few short months later... right after senior cabinet ministers learnt of the documented rape and brutal murder that the Canadian citizen was put through.
Our government is simply incapable of offending human rights abusers.
Apparently the approach that involves treating them like everybody else has been perfectly successful.
(And remember, this approach has nothing to do with Canada as a whole, it has everything to do with our government - a government that will most probably and hopefully be shortlived.)
UPDATE: Hindu nationalists have turned their genocidal ways towards attacking American companies in response to the rejection of the chief minister's visa.
Why did they deny him the visa? He was complicit in the 2002 communal riots that killed thousands of innocent Muslims, because he refused to use the state's police forces to prevent the murders and most probably, he had a hand in the organization of the riots himself.
The United States government made this move, seemingly, out of principle and out of respect for human rights.
They made this move even though it was met with harsh criticism from Indian politicians of all stripes.
Fortunately, we have a very simple contrast to be made with the Canadian government...
When the Canadian government pulled the Canadian ambassador out of Iran, in protest of the killing of a Canadian citizen (Zahra Kazemi), they did so by telling the Iranian government that it was only a temporary move and that the ambassador would surely be back, shortly.
And as they promised, the ambassador was reinstated a few short months later... right after senior cabinet ministers learnt of the documented rape and brutal murder that the Canadian citizen was put through.
Our government is simply incapable of offending human rights abusers.
Apparently the approach that involves treating them like everybody else has been perfectly successful.
(And remember, this approach has nothing to do with Canada as a whole, it has everything to do with our government - a government that will most probably and hopefully be shortlived.)
UPDATE: Hindu nationalists have turned their genocidal ways towards attacking American companies in response to the rejection of the chief minister's visa.
posted by Japnaam Singh at
8:13 PM
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