B.C. Human Rights Commission rejects complaint against Maclean's
Last Updated: Friday, October 10, 2008 | 8:14 PM ET
The Canadian Press
The B.C. Human Rights Commission has rejected a complaint that a Maclean's magazine article about Islam violated Canada's anti-hate laws.
It's the third time the complaint has been dismissed by various human rights commissions in Canada after it was filed by two members of the Canadian Islamic Congress, which claimed the piece by columnist Mark Steyn raised hatred against Muslims.
The article, titled The Future Belongs to Islam and posted on the Maclean's website in October 2006, discusses the global ambitions of young Muslims and suggests the West doesn't have the will to withstand the challenge.
In the B.C. complaint, the Islamic Congress claimed the writing suggests Muslims pose a threat to Western society, to democracy and human rights — a violation of the B.C. Human Rights Code.
But the provincial human rights panel dismissed the claim, saying the group failed to prove the article rises to the level of hatred and contempt.
In June, the Canadian Human Rights Commission also rejected the complaint, saying the views expressed aren't extreme, and a similar complaint filed with the Ontario Human Rights Commission failed when it ruled it didn't have jurisdiction to hear it.
