Now that the Quran burning-ruckus has subsided, everyone can go back to living their lives, especially us Canadians. Because nothing racy EVER happens in Canada, for no where is more tolerant in the world than Canada.
So then is the following event just a misunderstanding, or just the tip of the iceburg?
Nathan Rehburg, a Nova Scotian, was recently charged with an account of hate crime. Evidence and accounts show that Rehburg had burnt a cross in front of the house of Shayne Howe and Michelle Lyon. Shayne is of African descent. The connection to the American Ku Klux Klan is almost immediately made.
Rehburg defense is claiming that it was not a racial thing, but rather he had done the act because Lyon had supposedly slandered one of Rehburg’s family members of possessing a sexually transmitted disease. He does however admit that the evidence seems to be overwhelmingly pointing to a hate crime and he is prepared for any punishment that may come with his action.
Racial or not, it seems that burning a cross or any religious or significant symbol in this day and age takes a certain bit of stupidity and rashness; perhaps a combination of the two. This was the second hate crime incident in Canada in less than a week. Maybe we need to abandon the thin shawl of perceived tolerance and take a better look at ourselves. Maybe we would learn something shocking enough that we would make us change for the better.
For more information: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/11/09/ns-hatred-nathan-rehberg.html