Welcome, the ethnic cleanser

Moshe Feiglin, notorious member of Israel's Likud party, favours us with a visit this week. Feiglin, who has supported expelling Israel's non-Jews from the country, was recently banned from Great Britain. Considering Britain's large Muslim population, that government's action is understandable considering that Feiglin is an ethnic cleanser and the ethnics he wants to cleanse are Muslims.

Feiglin hopes to establish a theocracy in Israel, governed by Jewish law. A settler who graduated from a religious school, he believes the Bible, interpreted literally, should form the basis of Israel’s legal system. And he isn't exactly a fringe politician, having garnered almost a quarter of the votes in last year's election for Likud's leadership.

Bringing the message of ethnic exclusion to our multicultural country will no doubt offend many Canadians. Some will complain we have let in a racist. But is Feiglin a racist? Well, in a New Yorker article, he was quoted as saying, “You can’t teach a monkey to speak and you can’t teach an Arab to be democratic. You’re dealing with a culture of thieves and robbers. Muhammad, their prophet, was a robber and a killer and a liar. The Arab destroys everything he touches.” He isn't a fan of Arabs, certainly. In any case, what do you call someone who believes only people of his race have a right to citizenship in his country?

Despite Feiglin's hateful philosophy, we shouldn't ban him from Canada. If we are to err, best we err on the side of freedom of speech. Even racists have a right to speak their fevered minds. Anyway, I understand he's only here for a short visit.