Are.You.Canadian?

In Western society we have come, through some three centuries of discussion, to a general conclusion that our societies should be governed according to principles mostly derived from Christianity but modified in major ways by the enlightenment and subsequent thought.

Those principles are clearly not just expressive of the dogmas of Christianity. They are more broadly an expression of the conclusions that reason has drawn from the moral elements of that faith combined with independent thinking. No dogmas themselves, mind you.

To any thinking member of the Canadian community those conclusions represent what our society is today. Those who choose to come to Canada owe a duty to themselves to study those conclusions. If they then disagree with them they have every opportunity through public discourse to try to change the views of our society.

Adherents of Islam--or any other religion--cannot in that context insist that the dogmas of their faith are any less subject to doubt, to questioning, or to ridicule than those of any other. Their faith has no more immunity to contention within Canada than any other. Nor should it have anywhere else by our standards; if the religion be true it will conquer spiritually and temporally by virtue alone.

If any Muslims in Canada feel, all things considered, more pain over cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed than they do over Canadian soldiers being killed by fellow Muslims in Afghanistan, then I profoundly believe those Muslims should ask themselves: "Why am I in Canada?"

Update: Some thoughts perhaps along similar lines but with greater depth by Andrew Potter, housesitting for Andrew Coyne.

Posted by markc at February 16, 2006 11:43 PM | TrackBack