“Conservative MP Michael Cooper made comments deriding “goat herder cultures” during a discussion about Islam’s compatibility with Canadian democracy when he was a law student at the University of Alberta a decade ago, according to two lawyers who have come forward to talk about the incident. The lawyers allege the comments were made during a heated discussion in a seminar on multiculturalism and the minority rights section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with Cooper arguing that some cultures were incompatible with Canada’s ‘Judeo-Christian values.'”
MP Michael Cooper is still being beaten down–now over comments he made a decade later–all because he recently ‘offended’ a Muslim man during a Justice and Human Rights Commons Committee hearing, despite being well justified in his so-called ‘offensive’ arguments. Opposition Conservative leader Andrew Scheer threw Cooper out of that committee after a confrontation with Faisal Khan Suri, because Scheer was concerned that the Conservative Party might look “Islamophobic” to its Trudeau-Liberal counterparts. Well that ship has already sailed. Trudeau has long dismissed the Conservative Party as “Islamophobic” for merely asking valid questions about repatriating returning Islamic State fighters. Trudeau thinks they can be an “extraordinary powerful voice” for deradicalization . That should have been enough of a clue.
Even though Scheer dismissed Cooper from the Committee, believing that it would calm the “islamophobia” brigade, the gesture did not work. Suri wanted more. He demanded that Cooper should be thrown out of the Conservative Caucus. Yet the most virulent leftists and Islamic supremacists gave “witness” before the Commons Committee without challenge and incident. For example:
- Iqra Khalid–read more about her jihadist connections HERE.
- Bernie Farber — a social justice warrior with contempt for who he calls Chrisitan “bible-thumping, ultra-Conservatives “. He also bullied a Toronto rabbi into revoking a signed contract to rent space at Beth Tikvah Synagogue for a Canadians for the Rule of Law Teach-In.
- Mustafa Farooq from the infamous NCCM-CAIR.CAN. Read all about the organization’s unsavory profile HERE. And, last but not least…
- Jasmin Zine, who made a loud and embarrassing scene at the Canadians For the Rule of Law (CFTRL) Teach-In Conference during my panel presentation, where she was rude, disruptive, screaming out of control and continued to scare people as she circled the parking lot in her vehicle afterwards. She was physically removed from discussion due to her uncooperativeness, violation of her terms in acquiring a ticket and her general bad behavior; but she lied about the incident. She later screamed that she was “assaulted” when no such thing happened nor were there any followup charges to corroborate her defamation and slander against Canadians for The Rule of Law. Robert Spencer wrote about Zine’s lies concerning the CFTRL discussion and her “long history of Islamophobia propagandizing HERE .
So now Friends of the “Islamophobia” Brigade continue to attack Cooper. It is ludicrous that Cooper continues to be singled out, even after he apologized upon removal by Scheer which he should not have done. He did nothing wrong. When Cooper used the description goat herders while he was a student, he was specifically referring to cultures that were “incompatible with Canada’s ‘Judeo-Christian values” as he stated. He could have instead referenced them as: human rights abusing, women-hating, murderous, supremacist cultures that commit the most vile acts even against children. But Cooper opted for “goat herder cultures”. An appropriate response to him might be to instruct more sensitivity to those who might be offended by the term, and move on.
It is the very practices instituted by such cultures that gave rise to the Zero Tolerance For Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, that was tabled by former Conservative government and came into law. But then after the Trudeau election win, mention of “barbaric cultural practices” was removed. Liberal Senator Mobina Jaffer deemed the bill to be “insulting to cultures in Canada” and argued:
“Can we reasonably call terrorists barbaric? Yes. Are certain acts against humanity barbaric? Yes. Would any reasonable person agree with these points? Yes. Do I agree with these points? Yes,” she said at the time.
“The issue here, frankly, is the pairing of the words ‘barbaric’ and ‘cultural.’ By pairing these two words, we are instead removing the agency from the individual committing an action that is clearly wrong and associating it instead with a cultural group at large. We are implying that these practices are part of cultures and that these cultures are barbaric.”
Her arguments were seemingly well intended but wrong. Barbaric cultural practices are sanctioned by governments such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and a range of other human rights abusing countries that do not recognize equality between genders, races and the like. As part the culture of these societies, abusive practices are institutionalized and accepted as the norm. In Islamic states, such practices are sanctioned by Islam. This is also what Cooper was referring to in his “goat herding cultures” reference. To some, he will be deemed offensive, but to offend is not a crime (yet). Under no circumstances should concern about verbal offences trump concern about victims. We see it routinely now among Western virtue-signalers, which feeds a corrupted and continued degradation of ethical reasoning. It demonstrates just how easily manipulated and ill-equipped the West is in dealing with the nefarious elements of foreign societies and immigrants. Friendly immigrants are not so easily offended; it is the agenda-driven ones who are, and who take offense to the level that we see here in the Cooper case. Hurt feelings followed by punishment is characteristically Islamic.
“Contacted by CBC News this week, Cooper denied the allegation and said the incident was being mischaracterized.” It certainly is, and hopefully he would not apologize this time. Andrew Scheer missed a golden opportunity to show Canadians that as a leader, he is capable of withstanding the “Islamophobia” brigade, which is driving sharia values in every corner of Canadian society.
Canada and other Western nations, have evolved into accepting societies. In an era of multiculturalism, racism and intolerance, the battle against intolerance is no longer mainly a white person versus visible minority phenomenon. The biggest threat to tolerance, pluralism and human rights today is by Islamic supremacists who devalue the worth of all infidels and democratic constitutions–of which free speech is its cornerstone. The continued haranguing of Cooper is another assault on Western free speech. It is also intended to further beat down the federal Conservatives into dhimmitude which will split the vote among conservative-patriotic Canadians in the upcoming Fall elections.
“MP Michael Cooper disparaged ‘goat herder cultures’ in 2008 law class discussion, lawyers claim”, by Evan Dyer, CBC, June 18, 2019:
Conservative MP Michael Cooper made comments deriding “goat herder cultures” during a discussion about Islam’s compatibility with Canadian democracy when he was a law student at the University of Alberta a decade ago, according to two lawyers who have come forward to talk about the incident.
The lawyers allege the comments were made during a heated discussion in a seminar on multiculturalism and the minority rights section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with Cooper arguing that some cultures were incompatible with Canada’s “Judeo-Christian values.”
Contacted by CBC News this week, Cooper denied the allegation and said the incident was being mischaracterized.
“I recall that there was a seminar class, and there was some heated discussion around a paper that had been presented by one of my classmates,” he said. “And I do recall, along with other classmates, certainly participating in the discussion. It was, after all, a seminar class where there was vigorous debate around any number of legal issues.”
Cooper said he has little recollection of his comments during the discussion. “I do recall suggesting that Canada was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. And I recall that some members of the class didn’t take kindly to that comment. But again, there was a lot of back and forth, a lot of vigorous debate, and then that’s all that I recall.”
The lawyers making the allegations — both former classmates of Cooper — are Balqees Mihirig, who now practises law in New York City, and Brock Roe, who practises in Saskatoon.
Mihirig and Roe both said they were motivated to come forward after reading about Cooper’s controversial comments during a Commons justice committee meeting on May 28; Cooper rebuked a Muslim anti-racism activist who was testifying before the committee.
Mihirig and Roe said the University of Alberta incident happened during an advanced constitutional law class in late 2008 near the end of a seminar on the Charter of Rights — specifically, the sections dealing with multiculturalism and minority rights.
‘Goat herder cultures’
“Mr. Cooper had much to say about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and it was generally not positive. I frequently found myself challenging his statements,” Mihirig writes in a letter describing her recollection of events. “It was unpleasant, and negatively impacted my experience at law school. One such exchange became particularly heated after Mr. Cooper, declared Canada to be a ‘Judeo-Christian civilization’ that is incompatible with ‘goat herder cultures.’
“His comments occurred in the context of a discussion on section 27 of the Charter, which upholds multiculturalism as a principle of constitutional interpretation. Completely unprompted, Mr. Cooper made it a point to not only denigrate multiculturalism, but also to attack non ‘Judeo-Christian’ people.
“He never apologized back then, and his recent remarks provide little assurance that he has renounced such views. After ten years, his words from that class still disturb me, and I am saddened that despite his position as an elected member of Parliament, nothing seems to have changed.”
Speaking to CBC News about the incident, Mihirig said she “interrupted and challenged Mr. Cooper. And I asked him how dare he say something like that. And at that point, the class descended into chaos and we were dismissed. The class ended.”….