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Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech And The Twilight Of The West

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In "Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech And The Twilight Of The West," Mark Steyn details his recent misadventures with Canada's laughable "Human Rights" Commissions. After Maclean's, a Canadian news weekly, printed an excerpt from Steyn's America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, the Canadian Islamic Congress sued Maclean's for their "flagrant Islamophobia," demanding space in the privately owned magazine to print a response. Two of three Commissions agreed to hear the case, despite the plaintiff's arguments being written by five of Canada's least literate law school students.

Lights Out is primarily a compilation of Steyn articles from the past several years, with a fair amount of new commentary related to the "human rights" trials. The Maclean's articles cited as justification for legal action by the plaintiff are reprinted in full, followed by the plaintiff's complaints, followed by Steyn's concise destruction of said complaints. Far from the obnoxious partisan your average multiculti-cultist dismisses him as, Steyn relates international headlines and demographic stats in a way that's thoughtful, worrying, and humorous. There are Muslim populations in Western countries that are hostile to Western culture and laws. These populations are growing rapidly, while native birth rates hover at unsustainable levels. Are these issues we're allowed to discuss?

Steyn's stated purpose is repeal of the Canadian law that created the freedom-suppressing Human Rights Commissions. An ambitious goal, to be sure, but one that will gain momentum after a few hundred thousand Canadians have read Lights Out. If you care about free speech, order this book.

I wish I could believe that there was no cultural clash between the politically minded Muslims and the West. Or that the large numbers of Muslims immigrating into Europe, Canada, America and elsewhere were no different than the large numbers of Irish and Italians a century or more ago. But what I see with my own eyes tells me this is different. And this very valuable book by Mark Steyn can show you why, too. And it will show you why the left-wing multicultural movement is aiding and abetting the cultural suicide the West seems to want. You may have heard the saying that a mind can be so open that you brain falls out. Well, we see that characteristic being exhibited in far too many crumbling pillars of the Western tradition and those trying to help bring them down. To replace them with what? Darkness? Fantasy?

This is a collection of columns by Mark Steyn that chronicle his writings around the time that his boo, "America Alone" was in the news. Part of it was reprinted in "Macleans", an important Canadian magazine. Well, it turns out that Canada has a Human Rights Commission who used Section 13 in their Canadian Human Rights Code to go after anyone who dared speak their mind on issues that gave offense to groups the commission favors. What is particularly awful is that those accused never have the benefits of common law such as presumed innocence or the right to confront one's accuser. The Commission ALWAYS found those accused guilty. Unfortunately for them, Steyn and the publisher of "Macleans" decided to fight back.

The case was brought by Islamic activist Dr. Mohamed Elmasry who used three of his students to bring the charges. Steyn refers to this trio as the sock puppets since they said and did only what Elmasry put them up to doing. The first part of the book reprints the articles they claimed offended them, their claims about the offenses, and Steyn's reply. I found much of it very funny in a horrifying and exasperating kind of way. Sort of like a Kafka tale done by the Three Stooges.

Steyn's writings in this book address much more, though. You will get his sharp and witty attacks on the UK trying the appeasement route with their growing Muslim population and their demands for a separate legal system. I liked Steyn's pointing out that the hope that if we retreat just one more time the other side will be satisfied and stop pushing for more is folly.

I can't recount the whole of the book here. But I want you to read it. I think it is a terrific book on a vital subject. In any case, I like Steyn's writing and recounting of his travails in dealing with this Canadian Inquisition.

Strongly and fervently recommended.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

When reading Mark Steyn's latest book, "Lights Out" you cannot help but get the feeling that the western world has gone mad. We are our own worst enemies and if we lose our freedoms, and if our way of life is destroyed, it will be no ones fault but our own.

Steyn describes through his columns and other writings, his long battle with Canadian Human Rights Commissions in three different provinces in Canada. He was brought before the commission because of a law suit that claimed Steyn's book, America Alone incited Islamaphobia and hate. The publisher of the largest magazine in Canada was also included in the suit because they had printed an exert from Steyn's book. These so called arbiters at the CHRC decide what is permissible to say in a civilized society and what is not. Muslims in Canada have been helped by misguided Canadians to cause such economic troubles in both time and money, that even when the eventual suit is dismissed, the effect is to shut down any discussion of Islam, its culture, or anything to do with its religion.

Steyn is simply offering a clarion call for westerners to understand the threat posed by an Islamic cultural invasion into western society. When he quotes Imams hate speech, which is encouraging the deaths of infidels, it is Steyn who is accused of hate speech. The same thing is happening in Europe. When Geert Wilders made a documentary showing Imams preaching hate and giving direct quotes from the Koran that encourages murder, it is Wilders who has been accused of a hate crime in his own country, the Netherlands.

Western civilization is in great danger of extinction. In reality the threat is not so much from Islam as it is from carrying political correctness to ridiculous lengths. Multi-culturalism is being used to strip patriotism from our hearts. Liberals who say they care so much about minorities are using the law to help those who would abolish the law. We in the west are committing suicide with our feel good, self-righteous commissions and rulings. Once the Muslims take over in Europe, which if you read America Alone you know is coming, they will then move on the rest of the western world. We had better wake up before it is too late.

If you are concerned about free speech in the western world, and especially if you are not concerned, you will want to read this fascinating book.

I certainly did not think a country like Canada was in so much trouble before I moved to Canada many many years ago. What these so-called Human Rights Commissions/Tribunals do is scary. I did not have an iota of freedom in Iran and one of the reasons that made me move to Canada was lack of freedom in a country like Iran. One couldn't read a book or a newspaper freely in that god forsaken country. It is shameful that a first rate country like Canada treats thinkers and writers the way Iranian regime does. Did I expect to see the same thing in Canada before reading this book or getting to know Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn? NO... Absolutely NOT. It's not just Canada. The United Kingdom, Germany, France, The United States and most other western countries suffer from this leftist disease that is Human Rights Tribunal. Every thing is silenced under the disguise of avoiding creating conflict in the society. The purpose of such tribunals is to stifle the rights of majority in favor of the minority. A bright young author and editor like Ezra Levant has to go through so much hassle while bunch of Islamist terrorists roam freely across the country spreading their hatred through government funded tribunals. It's wrong and it is dreadful. I am disgusted by what is going on in this country with regards to freedom of speech and freedom of expression. This book (full of articles written by Mark Steyn) is chronicling the fight against the three Islamist sock puppets and their enablers in HRC. Read it and make it available to others too. 5/5

I met Mark once and got his autograph - "Jim, let's win!" - inside the cover of America Alone. I now scan the Net eagerly nearly every day for his latest essays, often classics that snare collectivist politicians with double meanings and metaphors. He almost makes it possible to tolerate Obama because in an odd way, Obama and his minions inspire Mark to be brilliant!
Lights Out is no exception as Steyn caricatures his life from October 2006 when MacLean's published clips from his America Alone and alerted Canadian Islam and the prissy leftists to his existence. A handful of Muslim students, the Canadian Islamic Congress, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission decided to examine Mr. Steyn's written thoughts. They needed several years and several lawyers. They also needed a case.
Canadian justice, unfortunately, is like that in much of Europe: free speech is an old hound's bark, to be muzzled unless it is toothless. In contrast, America and most Americans still resist nasty collectivist webs and it's legitimate for therapists to make sensitive folks tougher rather than silencing the rude folks around them.
Publishers, however, have interests in many countries and restrict publications in America if there is some chance for a law suit in London or Amsterdam. (Yes, Islamists have a reputation for "jurist shopping"!) Similarly, many academics and clerics in the United States now do the secularist thing and spout bland opinions but no children while Islam has conviction, enforced morality, and lots of hostile males. Islam, thus, wins often in our prisons and poor neighborhoods not on the basis of numbers but because of the absence of competing faiths. We are indeed "the hollow men."
Lights Out makes its long argument again and again and again and I am amazed at the number of subtle ways that people repeat the same stupid tactics. I suspect that Mark "chained" Lights Out as he lived it. Of course, he found a tool for revenge, self-therapy, and making a bit of money as he confused his critics. (I get the same thrill from writing conservative columns in Starbucks!)
Bottom line effect of Steyn's book: I'm glad for the United States Constitution and for those who wrote it. And I'm glad the Canadian legal apparatus finally had the good sense to be embarrassed!
Cheers to Geert!
James Brody, Ph.D.[...]

Whoever wrote the product description is obviously a liberal. Their political correctness stands out like a sore thumb, and does the book (and author) a disservice.

It reads: "In 2007, the Canadian Islamic Congress brought three suits against Maclean's, Canada's biggest-selling newsweekly, for running an excerpt from Steyn's bestselling book America Alone, plus other flagrantly Islamophobic columns by the author."

The rest of that review is equally arrogant, uninformed, and filled with errors.

Steyn's columns, articles and interviews are NOT "Islamophobic" in any way. The term 'phobia' denotes 'fear', but the word carries with it the subtext of bigotry; and Steyn as being hateful or intolerant. In fact, he is not, and after several years of legal wrangles, the Courts have found his writings are not hateful, intolerant or Islamophic. In fact the Courts have completely vindicated him.

Liberals always use sweeping terms as 'intolerant', hate/hater/hateful/hate literature, racist, sexist, etc. ad nauseum. They tolerate everything except intolerance to an opinion opposite theirs.

Steyn, like all authors who write exposés, has taken the time to thoroughly research every aspect of this book. This way no-one can ever accuse Steyn of making things up. So try as liberal progressives might, they cannot gainsay what Steyn has thoroughly researched and written.

This book is very good, I recommend it highly as I recommend all books by Steyn.

Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech And The Twilight Of The West

For those of you who are not aware, Mark Steyn was brought before three courts of Canada's Human Rights Commission for violating the human rights of some Muslim students and the Canadian Islamic Congress. You see, in Canada, your right not to be offended is more important than your right to speak your mind (except in the hypocritical cases Steyn has fun with throughout the book).

What was Steyn's crime? Maclean's magazine printed excerpts from his book America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It. This was a bestseller in America and Canada but if he was found guilty the books would be pulled from all Canadian bookstores and Maclean's would have to be minded by politically correct nanny censors. Steyn is continually amazed that "large numbers of Canadians apparently think there's nothing wrong in subjecting the contents of political magazines to the approval of agents of the state." (p. 4)

Steyn details the fight against these three cases. Along the way he generates lots of memorable quotes such as, "I don't want to get off the hook. I want to take the hook and stick it up the collective butt of these thought police." (p. 5)

So, Steyn includes offending comments from the excerpts that brought him to court. He also includes columns that were included as supporting evidence. As a bonus he includes commentary from the complaints and then writes rebuttals. Steyn gleefully quotes author Martin Amis who noted that Steyn's "thoughts and themes are sane and serious - but he writes like a maniac." (p. 106). How very true - Steyn whipsaws back and forth - sometimes darkly sarcastic, sometimes sad, sometimes like a little boy who is glad to point and call names. But, throughout all of it Steyn is right - dead on 100% right. We cannot let the freedom of speech to be compromised, especially not in the name of offending the religious sensibilities of a determined few (my own religious beliefs are assaulted almost daily on this site, TV and even in my classroom but I hardly am interested in shutting up those who offend me). To quote Steyn again, "What's so bad about disagreement that it needs to be turned into a crime?" (p. 182)

One of the most important books of our troubled times - as a bonus it's a joy to read!

Mark Steyn makes a good case. Western society creates "hate laws" in a wise effort to protect minorities and societal pariahs from predators, however when the same laws are twisted to create a forum for baseless accusations and a tool to quiet unwelcomed opinions, watch out!
Read "Lights Out", he is much more eloquent than I am.

Initially I was disappointed, since it was really a reprint of many of Mark's articles.

But I had actually not read most of them, and in fact his most well read ones, were NOT included. So my initial disappointment was one of those judging a book by its cover moments.

Additionally, at the end of each article that there was a complaint about, he included the official complaint about it, allowing the reader to easily see how ridiculous the complaints were! To the point, it looked like whowever wrote the complaint (Sock puppets?) did not even read the actual articles. Or if they read them, they were different ones than Mark wrote!!

And then he rebutted the complaints, which I found to be very effective.

A good read, well worth the purchase. Keep up the amusing work Mark!

Mark Steyn sort of gets under my skin with his tongue and cheek manner of writing, but his message is still critical during this time of a weakened Christendom, and a strengthening Islam. America is the West's last hope, and that hope is fading fast.