Last night’s speaker had claimed that democracy and Islam could never co-exist, as democracy worked on the assumption that anyone could be elected, and that could mean a gay person, a woman, or an atheist could, theoretically, become Prime Minister. That could never happen in an Islamic country under sharia law. When a Palestinian girl had objected, the speaker became incensed, and told her that she was immodest in her dress, and should be respectful of him. Her forwardness should be punished. Pandemonium broke out when he added that God would never permit her or any of her “gay friends” to rule in her native land, which had not yet descended to the level of the godlessness that afflicted the lands of the infidel West .
“He really did say that, then?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“Was this fellow some sort of imam?”
“Apparently not. He’s a sessional lecturer at a college in Quebec. I found a letter from Isaac Shapiro’s dad in my mailbox this morning. Isaac said it was about last night, but I haven’t read it yet. By the way, what’s that in your hand?”
“This? Oh, a picture from a library book.”
Bill bent down. “Of Mohammed, I see. Are you thinking of converting?”
Back in his office, Jim Leland examined the picture on his desk. As it was not crumpled, he assumed the girl had wanted it for herself. The illustration was of a handsome Middle Eastern man addressing a group of similarly-clad followers. He was not haranguing them, his brow was not black as thunder, the scene was of a respectful audience listening to a wise man, a prophet, even. There was a knock at the door. It was Chris Cheam.
“Ah, Chris. Thanks for dropping by. You’re on your spare?”
“Yes, I am. Is this about the WAC meeting?”
“In part, yes,” came the cryptic answer.
“Some bigwig at the Board got his knickers in a twist?”
“Men don’t wear knickers. At least, not yet. But, yes, although it was hardly a bigwig. I guess Bill has already filled you in?”
“He has.”
“The story has legs. I don’t want it in the papers. Remember what happened when CSIS came looking for Ahmed Zadani.” The former student, a misfit implicated in an abortive terrorist plot, had left the country before he was apprehended. “I wanted to ask you, as you have some experience in — in defusing ethnic tension, to tell me again what you did when there was conflict between the Moslems and the Christians over in Lakewood.”
“I don’t think the two situations are analogous,” answered Chris cautiously, “although they both involved extra-curricular activities, and yes, there was conflict, of a sort, and regrettably, of a religious nature.”
“So what happened? I forget.”
“Some well-meaning evangelical church offered to underwrite the cost of pizza for the Christian Club at Lakewood as a means of spreading the Word at lunch time. I was not in favour of it. A large contingent of boys, some Arabs among them, came for the free food, and sat there, acting disrespectfully, laughing and talking, and eating, of course, defying the kids to throw them out. It got out of hand.”
