This news is from August but I just came across it. In Windsor, Canada a billboard showing support for Hezbollah's leaders outraged a number of people. I think I can see why.
It's a possible sign of encroaching Islamism, I suspect from some of our neighbors up North.
Members of the Jewish and Lebanese Christian communities in Windsor are outraged by the appearance of a billboard that appears to promote Hezbollah -- an organization the Canadian government considers terrorist.
"That organization is banned in Canada," said Harvey Kessler, executive director of the Windsor Jewish Community Centre. "How can that billboard be up in Windsor when it represents a terrorist organization which is banned under the laws of Canada?"
Located at the southwest corner of Marion Avenue and Wyandotte Street East, the billboard does not mention Hezbollah by name, but features a central image of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the controversial political and military group that represents Lebanese Shia Muslims and has clashed with Israeli troops for more than 20 years.
Printed in English on the left side of the billboard are the words: "Lebanese and Arab communities in Windsor city congratulate the Lebanese people for their steadfastness and endeavor to establish peace in Lebanon."
But Nabbout said that Arabic writing which appears on the right side of the billboard does not match the English translation. According to Nabbout, the Arabic writing makes a reference to fighting.
"What they mean by 'fight' is basically 'guerrilla' -- using arms and weapons," Nabbout said. "Basically, there is a very specific word... That is a definite difference between the Arabic and the English."
Contacted on Friday night, Mayor Eddie Francis said he was made aware of the billboard earlier in the day. Asked if he is concerned about its presence, Francis said: "The politics of Lebanon belong in Lebanon, not on the streets of Windsor." The Windsor Star
In a followup article the Windsor Star interviewed those who put up the billboard who seem bent to use freedom to destroy freedom.
"In Canada we want peace," said Hussein Dabaja, a Lebanese-born Hezbollah supporter. "We're not trying offend anybody. We have freedom of speech. It's a free country. We can do anything. Every Lebanese in Canada has somebody that died in Lebanon, the freedom fighters. Who is Hezbollah? Our brothers, our family, our parents, our friends. We came to Canada and they stayed there to fight."
Dabaja said the billboard was not meant to be an anti-Jewish statement.
"People who have something against the billboard don't like Hezbollah and they don't want peace," he said.The whole community is not going to let anybody take it down," said Dabaja. "It's going to stay up until the last minute. If someone comes to take it down, they're ready to fight for it, to protect it to be up there. We're not trying to offend anybody."
The billboard which was put up on a Friday was removed the following Monday despite threats that the billboard would not be allowed to be removed without a fight.
But questions still remain why any billboard company would allow a designated terrorist group to be the subject of a billboard. CBS Outdoors – the billboard’s owner, and a subsidiary of Viacom and CBS in America – may have helped the Jihadist agenda. You can see the CBS logo at the bottom of the bilboard.
What, in the heck were they thinking?
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