by Sadat bin Anwar

There is a most interesting twist to the recent controversial story of a book sold in an Islamic bookshop in Canada that allegedly promotes “wife beating”.  The gentleman who claims to have made this accidental discovery while innocently browsing around the “Islamic Books and Souvenirs” shop in Toronto turns out to be a violent criminal offender.  According to a report last year in the Toronto Sun– the same newspaper that is now reporting Brazau’s repulsion at discovering the Islamic book– Brazau is a seven-time convicted violent offender. (See http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2011/01/28/17076041.html)

It seems that Brazau does not need any tips on violent behaviour from “radical Islamist” books. Brazau’s last conviction was for hitting a man named Alan Norris with his car.  Strange behaviour for someone who is highly offended at the thought of a man spanking a woman.

In a further irony and a detail that we just could not make up, it turns out that Brazau was also charged in the past for harassing a Muslim woman.  In that incident, he allegedly rode his bicycle close to the hijab-wearing lady and, according to the charge, continuously verbally abused her, calling her a terrorist and telling her to go back to Afghanistan.  The lady also stated that he told her that he is against Muslims.  The original Sun article reporting this did not make it clear whether Brazau was subsequently convicted for any charges relating to this incident or not.

So this is the good Samaritan women’s rights’ supporter who is now taking his story about an offensive Islamic book to the Toronto Sun.  And the Toronto Sun being the Toronto Sun has conveniently not made any observation or mention of Brazau’s past offences and charges– including one of harassment and abuse against a Muslim woman in hijab– even though it had mentioned that incident in a past report.

Canadian Muslims must get their heads out of the sand and wake up to the unfair and xenophobic campaigns that are being waged against them by Sun Media and their ilk.