By Pete Vere

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON, July 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Syed Soharwardy, the Calgary-based Imam who launched and later withdrew a human rights complaint against Ezra Levant and the Western Standard for having published the infamous Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed, issued a statement today expressing deep concern over how Canada’s human rights commissions are treating Christians.

“In listening to the experiences of Bishop Henry and Pastor Boissoin, I realized how precious religious freedom is to our country and how easily freedom is lost,” Soharwardy said in a statement to SooToday.com.

The Imam cited the Alberta Human Rights Commission’s recent investigation of Bishop Henry as one of the main reasons for withdrawing his human rights complaint against Levant.

Soharwardy also stated that mutual-understanding between cultures “can only be accomplished in a society that respects freedom of expression, freedom of religion and all of our other democratic freedoms.”

Soharwardy is currently walking across Canada as part of a Multi-Faith Walk against Violence.

While he initially feared that ordinary Canadians might reject him for reasons of race or religion, he said that so far all of the responses have been nothing but positive.

“Canadians of all races, colours, religions, and ages have welcomed me, a Muslim man with brown skin, into their homes, their neighbourhoods and their communities,” Soharwardy said.

Canadians have simultaneously expressed to him a strong concern for ending violence in our society, and a strong concern for preserving civil liberties.

To read the full text of Soharwardy’s statement, please click here:
http://sootoday.com/content/editorials/details.asp?c=23988