On Remembrance Day, Premier Philippe Couillard drew a parallel between the Islamic State and Nazi Germany. He also told the press that the Second World War had been a struggle against the Nazi regime and its “organized racism.”
La Presse highlighted that “the Premier has always been favorable to Canada’s involvement in Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State.” On November 15, the Toronto Sun evoked Premier Couillard’s “opposition to [Prime Minister] Trudeau’s position to shut down the combat mission” against ISIS.
During an interview with Dominic Maurais on CHOI Radio X on Remembrance Day, Mr. Couillard mentioned that he is the father and the father-in-law of two soldiers in the Canadian Forces. Mr. Couillard recalled the memory of the brother of his French mother who fought the Nazi occupation of France and was shot by the SS in the Alps after he was caught. Other members of his family were sent to concentration camps by the occupier.
Leading Islamists have openly acknowledged the affinities of their objectives with the Nazi program in the past:
Youssef Qaradawi, the spiritual guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, stated that Hitler had been sent by Allah to punish the Jews and he encouraged his supporters to pick up where Hitler had left off Al-Jazeera / MEMRI;
In his text To what do we invite humanity?, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan Al-Banna, presented Adolf Hitler as a model to Muslims looking for “success and fortune”;
In 2013, Tareq Hawwas (aka Tariq Al Hawas), a Muslim cleric who has been involved with the Qatar Foundation / Archive.Today in the past, said on Jews “if only Hitler had finished them off, thus relieving humanity of them” MEMRI / WebArchive – Archive.Today – JihadWatch. Also Politico / Archive.Today
On the other hand, Hitler himself had expressed his admiration for Islam. Albert Speer, the Minister of Armaments and War Production for Nazi Germany, recalled it in his Memoirs. Click on the image to view the excerpt from an English translation of the book:
Hitler had been much impressed by a scrap of history he had learned from a delegation of distinguished Arabs. When the Mohammedans attempted to penetrate beyond France into Central Europe during the eighth century, his visitors had told him, they had been driven back at the Battle of Tours. Had the Arabs won this battle, the world would be Mohammedan today. For theirs was a religion that believed in spreading the faith by the sword and subjugating all nations to that faith. The Germanic peoples would have become heirs to that religion. Such a creed was perfectly suited to the Germanic temperament. […] Hitler usually concluded this historical speculation by remarking: ‘You see, it’s been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn’t we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?’
We certainly concur with Premier Couillard regarding the opportune parallel that he drew between the Islamic State and the Nazi regime. However, we believe that freedom of expression is essential to fight the Islamic State and the Islamist threat in general. This is why we oppose the so-called “hate speech” Bill 59 which he introduced in June 2015.
This bill has been the answer of the Government of Quebec to a request by the Quebec Human Rights Commission for more powers to prosecute individuals who, in its evaluation, promote the “fear of the other.” Jacques Frémont, the head of the Commission, clearly told Radio-Canada in December 2014 that he intends on prosecuting those who are critical of certain ideas, and, in particular, “people who would write against […] the Islamic religion.”
Nazism was vanquished because proper actions were taken after this ideology was analysed and understood. Unless the doctrine and the concepts shared by Islamists can be freely discussed and analysed without fear of being sued for “hate speech,” the terrorist attacks will continue and the Islamist threat will grow.
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ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY POINT DE BASCULE
Author: Martin Croteau
Source: La Presse (Montréal), November 11, 2015
Original title: Jour du Souvenir: Couillard trace un parallèle entre l’EI et le nazisme / WebArchive – Archive.Today
(Quebec City) On Wednesday, Philippe Couillard drew a parallel between the armed group Islamic State (ISIS) and Nazi Germany while ceremonies commemorating Remembrance Day were taking place all over the country.
The commemoration of the Armistice that ended World War I has a special meaning for the Premier, who is himself the father of a soldier. According to him, we must “give a special attention” to the lessons emanating from armed conflicts.
He reminds us that the Second World War, the deadliest conflict in history, was a struggle against the Nazi regime and its “organized racism.”
“It’s difficult for young people to connect with this reality after so many years, Mr. Couillard conceded. But, if they look around with what happens with the Islamic State, with the terrorist threat, they can relate.”
The Premier has always been favorable to Canada’s involvement in Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State. Last year, he said that Quebeckers and Canadians would be naive to underestimate the threat posed by the terrorist organization.
Philippe Couillard will take part to a ceremony near the St. Louis Gate later this morning.
