Article content continued

Though Mostyn feels other Arabic-language newspapers in Canada have published offensive editorials, Al Forqan seems to go that much further by linking violence to the “sacred duty of jihad.”

“These are radical extremist positions,” Mostyn said. “It’s beyond offensive. It’s outrageous.”

Mostyn said though the December-January issue of Al Forqan is not as extreme, it also includes questionable content.

“This is not just a one-off in Al Forqan,” he said. “It’s an ongoing issue.”

David Robins, acting president of the Windsor Jewish Federation, sent a recent letter to members of the local Jewish community alerting them to the paper’s opinions.

“The Windsor Jewish Federation is very concerned about the report of this editorial that was published in Al Forqan,” Robins said. “We believe the celebration of violence in jihad poses a threat to the security of Windsor residents and undermines the values that make our community safe and diverse.”

Khalifeh said Al Forqan, which discusses a wide range of issues, has in the past condemned dictatorships in Iran, Syria and elsewhere. He said the paper simply promotes justice for Palestinians and a peaceful way of life around the world.

“There has been a conflict in Palestine for 60 years, but the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not about Muslims or Jews,” Khalifeh said. “It’s very complicated.

“Palestinians have the right to resist occupation, especially while the Israeli government is demolishing all the Palestinian houses and is building settlements, which is against the UN.”

He noted that many leaders around the world, including some Canadian officials, agree with the United Nations resolution that says the settlements have “no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

“We don’t support any terror attacks on civilians,” Khalifeh said. “But we do support all kinds of resistance.”