It is about an imam who made hurtful mistakes that he could not adequately explain. But it is also about the slipperiness of language — especially in a climate of viral misinformation, polarized debate and geopolitical conflicts that have found fresh battlegrounds in Canada.
Elkasrawy’s prayers were undeniably problematic, but they were also distorted to fit a certain narrative that gave his words added potency amid rising anti-Islamic sentiment. In a controversy that hinges on his words, a central question was never fully investigated:
Did Elkasrawy really say Jews were filth? Did he really call for them to be killed?
According to several Arabic experts contacted by the Star, the answer is no.
“I’ve learned a personal lesson throughout this entire process,” Farber says. “Do not take anything for granted. Not even words.”
Translation is not an exact science. Words are like prisms, refracting different shades of meaning. A good translation is one that captures the right hue. ...
But such stories contained a glaring oversight: this was not at all what Elkasrawy said.
Ayman Elkasrawy prefers not to speak at all, whenever he can help it. At about six feet and 285 pounds, the bearded and bespectacled 32-year-old has an understated presence for someone who looms so large.
He speaks softly and hesitantly; in the presence of strangers, he tends to fade into the background.
“I’m not so good at being social,” he says. “The more you talk, the more you make mistakes.”Pastorius note: I WOULD IMAGINE SO.
Bernie Farber
The Vlad Tepes Blog notes:
It goes on for pages and pages of insubstantial apologia, raising the name of Bernie Farber several times, a far far left wing Jewish fellow who speaks at lots of events where the multicultural narrative has to be pushed on Canadians.VLAD TEPES BLOG ANALYZES THE PRAYER: "LET'S SEE IF IT'S A MISTRANSLATION, OR NOT?"
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