"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
Father God, thank you for the love of the truth you have given me. Please bless me with the wisdom, knowledge and discernment needed to always present the truth in an attitude of grace and love. Use this blog and Northwoods Ministries for your glory. Help us all to read and to study Your Word without preconceived notions, but rather, let scripture interpret scripture in the presence of the Holy Spirit. All praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Please note: All my writings and comments appear in bold italics in this colour
France admits waging ‘war’ in African state during decolonization – media
Macron has reportedly written to Cameroon’s leader admitting Paris’ role in the killing of pro-independence leaders between 1958 and 1960
President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged France’s responsibility for “repressive violence” during and after Cameroon’s independence struggle in an official letter to his Cameroonian counterpart, Paul Biya. The letter stops short of apologizing for atrocities committed by French troops in the Central African country.
The move followed a report released in January by a joint French-Cameroonian commission of historians that examined France’s suppression of independence movements from 1945 to 1971.
Macron, in the letter dated July 30 and made public on Tuesday, said the commission’s report “clearly highlighted that a war had taken place in Cameroon, during which the colonial authorities and the French army carried out multiple forms of repressive violence.”
“[The] war…continued beyond 1960 with France’s support for actions carried out by the independent Cameroonian authorities,” he wrote.
The president also accepted Paris’ responsibility for the deaths of four pro-independence leaders, Isaac Nyobe Pandjock, Ruben Um Nyobe, Paul Momo, and Jeremie Ndelene, killed between 1958 and 1960 in military operations under French command.
“It is up to me today to assume the role and responsibility of France in these events,” he stated.
The African country’s armed struggle for independence erupted in the 1950s, led by the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, which sought to end French rule and unite territories under British administration. Cameroon had been a German colony until World War I, when it was split between France and Britain, with the French-controlled area gaining independence in 1960 and the southern British Cameroons joining a year later.
In the letter, Macron pledged to open France’s archives, support further historical research, and establish a joint working group to implement the recommendations of the commission, which was launched in 2022 to address historic grievances and promote reconciliation.
In recent years, Paris has sought to confront its colonial-era abuses in Africa amid tense relations with former colonies. Macron has previously recognized France’s role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the 1945 massacre of tens of thousands of Algerians in Setif.
Birju Dattani, recently named the commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, announced Monday he is resigning from the post. (Birju Dattani/LinkedIn)
Canada's human rights commissioner Birju Dattani has resigned before ever officially starting the job, according to a post on his LinkedIn account.
Dattani agreed to go on leave last week — the day before he was set to officially begin his role — following complaints about past comments and actions of his that were called antisemitic by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
"I remain a steadfast believer in the Commission's work, mandate, and its importance to our democracy," Dattani posted on LinkedIn on Monday.
The complaints triggered a fact-finding mission initiated by Justice Minister Arif Virani and run by the firm Filion Wakely Angeletti LLP. They submitted their report to Virani on July 31.
"The findings speak for themselves," Virani said in a media statement. "I received Mr. Dattani's submissions in response to the report on August 1, 2024. I have accepted Mr. Dattani's decision to step down as Chief Commissioner. As I have said, maintaining the confidence of all Canadians in the Canadian Human Rights Commission remains my top priority."
Virani added that the search for a new commissioner will begin as soon as possible and the interim commissioner, Charlotte-Anne Malischewski, will continue to serve in the role in the meantime.
Virani's press secretary Chantalle Aubertin replied "no comment" when asked if Dattani was paid during his leave or received a compensation package after resigning.
CIJA has pointed out that Dattani used the name "Mujahid Dattani" in some of his online activities and speaking engagements, a name that was not covered by the initial Privy Council Office (PCO) background check.
The report's findings state that, "on a balance of probabilities and based on the totality of evidence," Dattani omitted the name Mujahid Dattani from his background check forms and omitted periods of unemployment.
The report does not offer advice on whether Dattani should continue in the role of human rights commissioner.
The report also says there is no evidence that Dattani is antisemitic.
"Based on Mr. Dattani's evidence, the scholarship that was reviewed and provided, we cannot find that Mr. Dattani harboured or harbours any beliefs that would be characterized as anti-Semitic or that he has demonstrated any biases (conscious or unconscious) towards Jews or Israelis," says a segment of the report cited by Dattani in his Aug. 1 letter to Virani.
Another excerpt of the report cited by Dattani says he has a "high degree of self-awareness and sensitivity" regarding the challenges faced by Canadian Jews.
Deputy Conservative leader MP Melissa Lantsman welcomed Dattani's resignation but said it came "way too late." (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman took to X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter, to call for an investigation into how Dattani was hired.
"A welcomed announcement — one that was made way too late. Antisemites should hold no position in Canada's government — especially one entrusting them to safeguard Canadians' rights and freedoms, including the right to worship and the right to free speech," she said.
Richard Marceau, CIJA's vice-president of external affairs and general counsel, said it's a "good thing" that Dattani resigned.
"The Jewish community had lost confidence in him to occupy that position, which is so important at this period where we're seeing sky-high levels of antisemitism," he told CBC News. "It was the right thing to do."
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said it is still reviewing the report.
"As we stated from the outset, we find that the witch-hunt against Mr. Dattani to have been utterly unacceptable, and motivated, as the 'context' suggestion of the third party report suggests, by political considerations about the ongoing conflict versus anything else," NCCM advocacy officer Fatema Abdella wrote in an emailed statement.
With a name like Fatema Abdella (Fatima being the daughter of Mohammed), I'm sure she is not the least biased when it comes to Muslims.
"We are disappointed that yet another racialized minority has had to go through national attacks on their person based on allegations of hate that turned out to be unfounded, and we are sure that the Government of Canada realizes the dangerous precedent that has been established here: it is fine to drag every appointee through the mud as long as they're brown or Muslim."
CBC has reached out to CIJA for comment.
A second name and social media
In Dattani's letter to Virani, he says he was raised Hindu but became Muslim in 2001 and adopted the name Mujahid. Dattani says that in 2017 he chose to again go by his given name of Birju Dattani, but Mujahid remains part of his identity.
Mujahid - an Arabic term that refers to one who engages in jihad.
Jihad - In non-Muslim societies, the term is most often associated with offensive warfare and violence.
Dattani says in his letter that he misinterpreted the intent of some of the boxes in the background check form and accuses the investigator of "glazing over" his explanation.
"We do not accept Mr. Dattani's suggestion that his choice of name was sometimes 'just whimsical'. Mr. Dattani was strikingly thoughtful in respect of what names he chose to use and when," the fact-finding report states.
Dattani used the name "Mujahid Dattani" in a handful of advertised speaking engagements in 2015 on the Middle East, as outlined in the report.
At one of these events, Dattani recalled a fellow panellist saying "we need a caliphate again." He said he told the investigators he could not remember who made the comment.
CIJA pointed to a blog post alleging that when he was an academic, Dattani posted articles on X that compared Israel to Nazi Germany. The posts and Dattani's account appear to have been deleted. CBC News has not independently viewed the alleged posts.
Dattani previously told CBC News that he shared the post, titled "Palestinians are Warsaw Ghetto Prisoners of Today," in order to generate conversation.
In his letter to Virani, Dattani states that he deleted his Twitter account eight years ago and would go back and provide more context on the intent of his posts if he could.
Dattani cited excerpts from the fact-finding report which say he "deliberately de-emphasized" and "made attempts to downplay" how his academic work was critical of Israel.
In his submission, Dattani criticized those statements as "subjective" and said they lacked evidence.
The report states that while Dattani's past involvement in advocacy and criticism of Israel would not necessarily have interfered in his ability to do the job of human rights commissioner, he should have been more forthcoming in the application phase.
"Mr. Dattani's efforts to downplay the critical nature of his work was concerning and, certainly, his failure to directly disclose this work deprived the Government of the opportunity to have a discussion with Mr. Dattani about what, if any, impact his scholarship and perspective would or could have if he were appointed to the role of Chief Commissioner," the report says.
Arif Virani, Canada’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, hired Birju Dattani as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). Then it came to light that Dattani, who went by the name “Mujahid” in his earlier academic years, was engaged in questionable activity.
In 2015, Dattani “spoke on a panel in the U.K. alongside a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic fundamentalist group that seeks to establish a new caliphate and opposes the existence of an Israeli state.” The member of Hizb ut-Tahrir was Adnan Khan, whose “writings were found amongst Osama Bin Laden’s papers by American special forces following their raid on his Pakistani compound in 2011.”
“In 2014, Dattani spoke on a panel at a Turkish university with Osama Qashoo, a member of the Mavi Marmara flotilla who was arrested four years earlier for trying to breach Israel’s naval cordon of the Gaza Strip.”
Dattani repeatedly lectured during “Israel Apartheid Week” at British universities about the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.
Dattani shared an article on Twitter entitled “Palestinians are Warsaw Ghetto Prisoners of Today.”
And Dattani’s earlier activities are reportedly “difficult to trace because he went by his middle name, Mujahid, during his academic years.” Mujahid is an Arabic word which means a jihad warrior for Islam.
Now that Dattani’s past has been exposed, the Trudeau government is opening an investigation of him:
The federal government announced it is opening up an investigation of Birju Dattani, the newly appointed head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), after allegations of anti-Israel activism.
“We have become aware of potentially troubling statements attributed to Mr. Dattani as well as events he participated in while he was a graduate student in London, England a decade ago,” Chantalle Aubertin, a spokesperson for federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani, told National Post in a statement.
“It is critical for the Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission to maintain the confidence of all Canadians and to be seen as an impartial and fair judge of matters before them.”…
Of course, Dattani has an unconvincing answer for every discovery about him that doesn’t reflect well on his own investigative abilities or personal and professional judgement. For instance: “He said he did share an article entitled ‘Palestinians are Warsaw Ghetto Prisoners of Today’ without comment, but added that he didn’t agree with the article’s claim.” Dattani also stated of his 2015 panel speech that “he was unaware of the other panelists’ affiliations and had never met them before.”
In a statement by Arif Virani at the time he appointed Dattani:
“The appointment of Mr. Dattani as Chief Commissioner comes at a pivotal time for the Canadian Human Rights Commission. He brings a wealth of both professional and personal lived experience to this role. Our government remains committed to the protection of all human rights in Canada, including the fight against racism, and to strengthening our country’s role within the international human rights system.” —The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
According to the Center For Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), “the government should have done a better job of vetting Dattani before making the appointment.”
The Trudeau government doesn’t have a glowing reputation about whom it hires to oversee its own stated values of human rights and diversity. In January, one of its diversity hires, Laith Marouf, who called Jews “loud mouthed bags of feces,” went on to launch his pro-Hamas Free Palestine TV. It emerged that Canada’s Diversity Minister Ahmed Hussen knew about Marouf calling Jews this a month before the controversy erupted.
The president of CIJA, Shimon Fogel, stated that CIJA was “deeply concerned” about Dattani’s appointment given that he “has directly associated with individuals and groups affiliated with listed terror entities and has a history of making highly troubling antisemitic statements.”
But Fogel also said:
If and when Mr. Dattani repudiates his past, CIJA would be willing to engage with him…Dattani must denounce his past positions and affiliations and make clear that his current perspective aligns with Canadian values and policy, including acceptance of the IHRA definition of antisemitism — a position adopted by the Government of Canada and most provinces, but which Mr. Dattani has opposed.
Yet the case of Dattani goes beyond CIJA’s possible willingness to take him at his word. Dattani’s “association with individuals and groups affiliated with listed terror entities,” as stated by Fogel, is a serious matter for all Canadians.
The question now is how deep the Trudeau government’s investigation will go.
That is, of course, an oxymoron! The words 'Trudeau' and 'deep' never belong together in the same sentence under any pretext.
PUBLISHED: 17:01 EDT, 24 April 2021 | UPDATED: 06:42 EDT, 25 April 2021
Scientists studying bat diseases at China's maximum-security laboratory in Wuhan were engaged in a massive project to investigate animal viruses alongside leading military officials – despite their denials of any such links.
Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal that a nationwide scheme, directed by a leading state body, was launched nine years ago to discover new viruses and detect the 'dark matter' of biology involved in spreading diseases.
One leading Chinese scientist, who published the first genetic sequence of the Covid-19 virus in January last year, found 143 new diseases in the first three years of the project alone.
The fact that such a virus-detection project is led by both civilian and military scientists appears to confirm incendiary claims from the United States alleging collaboration between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the country's 2.1 million-strong armed forces.
The scheme's five team leaders include Shi Zhengli, the WIV virologist nicknamed 'Bat Woman' for her trips to find samples in caves, and Cao Wuchun, a senior army officer and government adviser on bioterrorism.
Prof Shi denied the US allegations last month, saying: 'I don't know of any military work at the WIV. That info is incorrect.'
Yet Colonel Cao is listed on project reports as a researcher from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences of the People's Liberation Army, works closely with other military scientists and is director of the Military Biosafety Expert Committee.
Cao, an epidemiologist who studied at Cambridge University, even sits on the Wuhan Institute of Virology's advisory board. He was second-in-command of the military team sent into the city under Major General Chen Wei, the country's top biodefence expert, to respond to the new virus and develop a vaccine.
The US State Department also raised concerns over risky 'gain of function' experiments to manipulate coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab and suggested researchers fell sick with Covid-like symptoms weeks before the outbreak emerged more widely in the Chinese city.
Last month, Britain, the US and 12 other countries criticised Beijing for refusing to share key data and samples after a joint World Health Organisation and Chinese study into the pandemic's origins dismissed a lab leak as 'extremely unlikely'.
Filippa Lentzos, a biosecurity expert at King's College London, said the latest disclosures fitted 'the pattern of inconsistencies' coming from Beijing.
'They are still not being transparent with us,' she said. 'We have no hard data on the pandemic origins, whether it was a natural spill-over from animals or some kind of accidental research-related leak, yet we're unable to get straight answers and that simply does not inspire confidence.'
The documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday detail a major project called 'the discovery of animal-delivered pathogens carried by wild animals', which set out to find organisms that could infect humans and investigate their evolution.
It was launched in 2012 and funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The project was led by Xu Jianguo, who boasted at a conference in 2019 that 'a giant network of infectious disease prevention and control is taking shape'.
The professor also headed the first expert group investigating Covid's emergence in Wuhan. He denied human transmission initially, despite evidence from hospitals, then insisted in mid-January 'this epidemic is limited and will end if there are no new cases next week'.
One review of his virus-hunting project admitted 'a large number of new viruses have been discovered, causing great concern in the international virology community'.
It added that if pathogens spread to humans and livestock, they could cause new infectious diseases 'posing a great threat to human health and life safety and may cause major economic losses, even affect social stability'.
An update in 2018 said that the scientific teams – who published many of their findings in international journals – had found four new pathogens and ten new bacteria while 'more than 1,640 new viruses were discovered using metagenomics technology'.Such research is based on extraction of genetic material from samples such as those collected by Prof Shi from bat faeces and blood in the cave networks of southern China.
Such extensive sampling led to Prof Shi's rapid revelation last year of RaTG13, the closest known relative to the new strain of coronavirus that causes Covid.
It was stored at the Wuhan lab, the biggest repository of bat coronaviruses in Asia.
Pictured: Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province, during a visit by members
of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus
It later emerged she changed its name from another virus identified in a previous paper, thus obscuring its link to three miners who died from a strange respiratory disease they caught clearing bat droppings.
Prof Shi also admitted that eight more unidentified SARS viruses had been collected in the mine. The institute took its database of virus samples offline in September 2019, just a few weeks before Covid cases exploded in Wuhan.
I'm sure that was a coincidence!
A comment was made on social media after Colonel Cao published a paper on a fatal tick bite, saying he and Prof Shi 'can always find a virus that has never been found in humans', adding: 'I suspect this is another so-called 'scientific research' made in the laboratory.'
In recent years, China's military has ramped up its hiring of scientists after President Xi Jinping said this was a key element in the nation's march for global supremacy.
Lianchao Han, a dissident who used to work for the Chinese government, said Cao's involvement raised suspicions that military researchers who are experts in coronaviruses might also be involved in bio-defence operations.
'Many have been working with Western research institutes for years to steal our know-hows but China still refuses to share critical information a year after the pandemic has killed over three million.'
David Asher, an expert on biological, chemical and nuclear proliferation, who led State Department inquiries into the origins of Covid-19, said: 'The Chinese have made it clear they see biotechnology as a big part of the future of hybrid warfare. The big question is whether their work in these fields is offensive or defensive.'
What 'defensive' weapon has never been used offensively? It's really hard for military leaders to resist using a new toy.
