Saima Jamal's response to Ezra Levant's slander
Dear readers, the SUN News commentator Ezra Levant has leveled untrue claims against me, through a false narrative that involves no context and by removing key words from my statements on Facebook. His history of smear tactics to instigate hate among his followers against peace activists and anyone he disagrees with is well known. His followers have targeted my gender, ethnicity, and religion in an online intimidation campaign of threats and personal attacks.
The first untrue claim against me and other organizers of the Gaza Peace Rallies this past July in Calgary was that these were “pro-Hamas protests.” However our press release clearly called on both sides to stop their unjustified attacks against civilians. In it, we recognized that “attacks against Israeli civilians are equally abhorrent”. Furthermore, we forbade signs and paraphernalia that endorsed Palestinian political parties. The aim of the rallies was to call for an immediate ceasefire. Our press release clearly said so.
Levant also took a Facebook post I’d made out of context to make it look like I was belittling anyone injured in an altercation that occurred on the fringe of the crowd during the second rally of July 18, 2014. I was shaken by the violence and apologized on TV to those who sustained injuries, even though I had no involvement with the incident. Days before, rally organizers had asked the Calgary Police Service to send some officers because we had seen threats on Facebook from known provocateurs with a history of disrupting LGBTQ Pride Parades. To infer that I condoned the outbreak of violence is not supported by fact. Levant took my quote where I referred to these known provocateurs, Merle Terlesky and Jeff Willerton. However, he removed their names and deleted my reference to this past context when he displayed my post on his show “The Source,” leaving viewers with the impression I had laughed about the violent incident. None of my past events had achieved such a large crowd (police estimated 1000 people) and my comment was in response to another comment that mentioned the size of the rally. I had written bahahaha and agreed such overwhelming support should discourage Terlesky from disrupting any future rally be it for Gaza, environmentalism or LGBTQ rights.
Levant insinuated I am anti-Semitic and a terrorism supporter. Those who know me know this is false. This is a slanderous invention on Levant’s part. I have been told that Levant makes slanderous claims against people knowing they lack funds to legally clear their name. His public slander seeks to damage my livelihood and reputation. In fact, I have been vocal against terrorist groups like Boko Haram; indeed just weeks before the Gaza peace rallies, I proudly attended a rally against ISIS. Furthermore at all five Gaza rallies, we had volunteers to ensure no displays of anti-Semitism. Judy Shapiro of the Calgary Jewish Community Council was interviewed on local CBC television about the July 18, 2014 rally. She said though she saw signs that were offensive she saw nothing anti-Semitic.
Levant’s insinuation that I’m anti-Semitic is hurtful and I warmly thank those in the Calgary Jewish community for their support. Rabbi Howard Voss Altman of the Temple B'Nai Tikvah consoled me by telling me, “please know that Ezra Levant and his followers do not stand for or represent Calgary's Jewish community. He is a rogue actor and represents only himself and his followers. I am ashamed of his hateful rhetoric. That being said, Ezra has seized on this conflict for his own publicity-seeking purposes”. I hold my relationship with the Calgary Jewish community dear and continue to be part of their events and shared interfaith councils.
Furthermore, the Calgary YMCA had presented me with a peace medal in Nov 2014 which under the influence of Levant's insinuation along with some very unprofessional and bizarre behaviour in part of the YMCA caused them to revoke citing the fight in the rally which I had no participation in and had no way of preventing since the Calgary Police had a drop in communication even after one of the rally organizer had called for their assistance a week before the rally. Calgary's peace activists and concerned citizens rallied strongly against the Y and denounced this revocation. The Y met with me and other peace activists and apologized for the way they conducted this business. After this, I have decided not to waste time on this but to move on with our community work.
- SAIMA JAMAL
The first untrue claim against me and other organizers of the Gaza Peace Rallies this past July in Calgary was that these were “pro-Hamas protests.” However our press release clearly called on both sides to stop their unjustified attacks against civilians. In it, we recognized that “attacks against Israeli civilians are equally abhorrent”. Furthermore, we forbade signs and paraphernalia that endorsed Palestinian political parties. The aim of the rallies was to call for an immediate ceasefire. Our press release clearly said so.
Levant also took a Facebook post I’d made out of context to make it look like I was belittling anyone injured in an altercation that occurred on the fringe of the crowd during the second rally of July 18, 2014. I was shaken by the violence and apologized on TV to those who sustained injuries, even though I had no involvement with the incident. Days before, rally organizers had asked the Calgary Police Service to send some officers because we had seen threats on Facebook from known provocateurs with a history of disrupting LGBTQ Pride Parades. To infer that I condoned the outbreak of violence is not supported by fact. Levant took my quote where I referred to these known provocateurs, Merle Terlesky and Jeff Willerton. However, he removed their names and deleted my reference to this past context when he displayed my post on his show “The Source,” leaving viewers with the impression I had laughed about the violent incident. None of my past events had achieved such a large crowd (police estimated 1000 people) and my comment was in response to another comment that mentioned the size of the rally. I had written bahahaha and agreed such overwhelming support should discourage Terlesky from disrupting any future rally be it for Gaza, environmentalism or LGBTQ rights.
Levant insinuated I am anti-Semitic and a terrorism supporter. Those who know me know this is false. This is a slanderous invention on Levant’s part. I have been told that Levant makes slanderous claims against people knowing they lack funds to legally clear their name. His public slander seeks to damage my livelihood and reputation. In fact, I have been vocal against terrorist groups like Boko Haram; indeed just weeks before the Gaza peace rallies, I proudly attended a rally against ISIS. Furthermore at all five Gaza rallies, we had volunteers to ensure no displays of anti-Semitism. Judy Shapiro of the Calgary Jewish Community Council was interviewed on local CBC television about the July 18, 2014 rally. She said though she saw signs that were offensive she saw nothing anti-Semitic.
Levant’s insinuation that I’m anti-Semitic is hurtful and I warmly thank those in the Calgary Jewish community for their support. Rabbi Howard Voss Altman of the Temple B'Nai Tikvah consoled me by telling me, “please know that Ezra Levant and his followers do not stand for or represent Calgary's Jewish community. He is a rogue actor and represents only himself and his followers. I am ashamed of his hateful rhetoric. That being said, Ezra has seized on this conflict for his own publicity-seeking purposes”. I hold my relationship with the Calgary Jewish community dear and continue to be part of their events and shared interfaith councils.
Furthermore, the Calgary YMCA had presented me with a peace medal in Nov 2014 which under the influence of Levant's insinuation along with some very unprofessional and bizarre behaviour in part of the YMCA caused them to revoke citing the fight in the rally which I had no participation in and had no way of preventing since the Calgary Police had a drop in communication even after one of the rally organizer had called for their assistance a week before the rally. Calgary's peace activists and concerned citizens rallied strongly against the Y and denounced this revocation. The Y met with me and other peace activists and apologized for the way they conducted this business. After this, I have decided not to waste time on this but to move on with our community work.
- SAIMA JAMAL