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http://osint.internet-haganah.com/archives/000967.html

March 29, 2007

Glorifying terrorism must be made criminal: House panel

The Ottawa Citizen Wednesday, March 28, 2007

A House of Commons committee has recommended making it a crime to "glorify" terrorism, a proposal critics fear would erode freedom of speech and alienate Muslims. The recommendation would bring Canada in line with a number of countries, including Britain and Spain, that have enacted similar legislation. In the British case, glorification is defined as "any form of praise or celebration." The offence is punishable by up to seven years in prison. The public safety and national security committee recommended that Canada follow suit. Specifically, it suggested amending the Criminal Code to make it an offence to "glorify terrorist activity for the purpose of emulation." But individuals charged under such a provision could argue it violates their freedom of speech under the Constitution, said Craig Forcese, an expert in national security law at the University of Ottawa… In recommending the anti-glorification provision, the subcommittee compared the incitement of terrorist activity to the distribution of hate propaganda by neo-Nazis during the 1960s. The incidents led to amendments of the Criminal Code to outlaw hate propaganda. But B'nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, recommended a separate provision to deal with terrorism. The subcommittee agreed, arguing that hate-crime measures protect "identifiable groups," while the anti-glorification provision would be designed to prevent acts leading to "large-scale destruction."… Meanwhile, some Muslim groups are worried that anti-glorification measures could unfairly target their community. "If an imam or any other religious figure glorified the Sept. 11 attacks, we have to speak out against that. The question is what is the definition of terrorism?" said Sameer Zuberi, a spokesman for the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations…

Posted on 29 March 2007 @ 12:47 GMT