Juno News - December 23, 2021


“I pray everyday for Justin Trudeau. I pray that he will resign” (Ft. Rev. Majed El Shafie)


Episode Stats


Length

18 minutes

Words per minute

168.51363

Word count

3,168

Sentence count

214

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

7

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Majid Al-Shafi is a human rights advocate and founder of One Free World International, a group that fights for the freedom of religion around the world. He is a survivor of religious persecution and uses his firsthand experience as a survivor to help others.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.440 Christians remain the most persecuted religious group on the planet.
00:00:04.600 Canadians should pause and think about those around the world who would like to celebrate Christmas this year but cannot.
00:00:09.940 I'm Candice Malcolm and this is The Candice Malcolm Show.
00:00:16.720 Hi everyone, thank you so much for tuning in to The Candice Malcolm Show.
00:00:19.960 I hope everyone is having a wonderful break.
00:00:23.000 I hope that you are getting together, able to gather with your loved ones this Christmas.
00:00:26.680 I know for so many Canadians, they couldn't do it last year.
00:00:29.480 We couldn't travel. We had heavy-handed measures in place where many of us couldn't go to church.
00:00:34.140 We couldn't pray and we couldn't have loved ones over to our house.
00:00:38.140 We were stuck in the bubble situation so you could only be gathering with people in your bubble
00:00:43.400 according to government edicts in various jurisdictions around the country.
00:00:47.520 I think that gave us a little bit of a taste of what it might be like to be a Christian in other parts of the world.
00:00:53.220 We take our freedom of religion so much for granted that sometimes it's even hard to wrap our heads around
00:00:59.340 the idea that so many Christians around the world cannot celebrate Christmas.
00:01:02.980 They can't.
00:01:03.980 And we often hear about persecuted religious groups and I don't know that people always connect.
00:01:09.340 The fact that many if not most of the world's persecuted religious people are in fact Christians.
00:01:15.760 So I want to get into that a little bit on the show today.
00:01:18.540 I have a wonderful guest joining me.
00:01:20.600 My guest today is Majid al-Shafi.
00:01:23.220 Majid is a human rights advocate and the president and founder of One Free World International.
00:01:28.740 Majid's human rights journey, his own human rights journey, began in Egypt when he was forced to flee
00:01:33.600 after being tortured and sentenced to death for his conversion to Christianity.
00:01:38.080 He eventually made it to Canada and has since decided to devote his life to helping others.
00:01:42.600 He uses his firsthand experience as a survivor of religious persecution to help others.
00:01:47.180 One Free World International, his organization, is one of the leading organizations advocating for
00:01:53.340 religious freedoms and minorities around the world.
00:01:55.720 They have 28 branches and countries all over.
00:01:58.720 They've helped individuals in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Cuba, India and Bangladesh to name a few.
00:02:04.340 So Majid, it's such an honor to have you on the podcast today.
00:02:07.420 Thank you so much for joining us.
00:02:08.960 Thank you for having me.
00:02:10.060 Thank you.
00:02:11.260 So can you tell us a little bit more about your organization and what specifically you do?
00:02:16.000 One Free World International is a human rights organization focusing on the freedom of religion
00:02:21.600 around the world.
00:02:23.280 We have branches in more than 28 different countries.
00:02:26.540 We're the lead organization in Canada when we're dealing with the freedom of religion issues.
00:02:32.840 Basically, our organization fighting in the front lines, focusing on four different parts,
00:02:38.780 which is, or four different missions, which is basically risking missions to get the persecuted Christians
00:02:46.580 out of the critical situation, humanitarian aid, and advocating on their behalf and helping them
00:02:55.580 resettling upon their arrival to Canada or North America in general.
00:02:59.340 Just to understand, and for everybody to understand, there is one persecuted Christian every three
00:03:06.580 minutes worldwide.
00:03:08.060 Just last year, over 165,000 Christians were killed for their faith.
00:03:12.740 More than 200 to 300 million persecuted Christians worldwide.
00:03:16.160 They don't make it to the news, to the ministry news, and they don't hear their stories, sadly.
00:03:21.280 We would like to focus on other minorities, but not Christians, for some reasons.
00:03:28.820 That's our media.
00:03:30.120 In One Free World International, we care about every minority.
00:03:32.880 We care about every human being that's facing persecutions, not just Christians, but everybody.
00:03:37.480 The situation, One Free World International was created and exists, because I used to be one of them.
00:03:47.060 I was Muslim converted to Christianity back home in Egypt.
00:03:51.060 I was arrested severely.
00:03:53.720 I created human rights organization there.
00:03:56.160 I was arrested.
00:03:57.000 I was tortured severely.
00:03:59.000 I was tortured for seven days in the Egyptian prison.
00:04:02.120 They hang me upside down.
00:04:04.180 They took my nails off.
00:04:06.060 They cut me with a knife in the back of my shoulder.
00:04:09.140 I put salt and lemon in the open wound.
00:04:10.900 They crucified me.
00:04:12.200 They released three dogs that they didn't attack me, because God was with me.
00:04:16.020 I saw God in the midst of persecution.
00:04:19.340 And I know that God exists, and as He dies for us, we will live and will die for Him.
00:04:25.660 So One Free World International did not exist because this is my job.
00:04:29.800 It exists because that's my calling upon my life.
00:04:32.000 So when I founded One Free World International, to fight for others that used to be in the same position like myself.
00:04:37.700 Wow, that's such an incredible story, Majee.
00:04:41.020 Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
00:04:43.840 So can you walk us through the state of Christians, specifically in the region that you came from, in the Middle East?
00:04:50.840 Because when I think back to countries like Egypt, you know, hundreds of years ago, thousands of years ago, they were a place of different groups living side by side.
00:05:01.180 I know there was once a sizable Christian population in Egypt.
00:05:03.940 There was once a sizable Jewish population as well.
00:05:06.440 So what has happened to Christians and other religious minorities in Egypt and the broader Middle East, and why?
00:05:15.260 Well, in reality, the majority of Egypt was Christians, actually.
00:05:19.800 In the 7th century, when a Muslim leader by the name of Umar ibn al-As, he entered Egypt and he forced most of the Christians to convert to Islam.
00:05:27.820 And there was around 30 million Christians at the time, you know, I mean, now we are less, we are maybe 10% of the population of Egypt.
00:05:38.900 So this is something that happens all around the Middle East, where the Muslim extremism like to take over and and basically punish the minorities and for them to convert to Islam or killing them or punishing them in another way is to force them out.
00:05:54.060 We saw this in Iraq, we saw this in Egypt, we saw this in, in Iran, we saw this in many countries around the world, that they are based Muslim countries.
00:06:06.960 And today, we see this happening in Afghanistan.
00:06:11.840 Today, we see Taliban took over and the first thing the Taliban is doing is basically hunting down the Christians, hunting down the Hazaras, hunting down the women and children, especially women that want to receive education.
00:06:24.240 We see them hunting down the minorities. 1.00
00:06:27.720 But Christians really is the canary in the coal mine. 1.00
00:06:31.380 The minute that you see persecution happening to the Christians is immediately mean that every other minority will be persecuted as well immediately, and especially as well, the minority female minorities, the right will be taken away immediately as well.
00:06:45.240 So we see this happening in Afghanistan and one free world international preparing a mission in a matter of few days to go there and the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
00:06:54.060 In an order to help with the refugees and to help with the persecute Christians to get out of Afghanistan if this is necessary. 1.00
00:07:02.820 Wow, that's incredible.
00:07:04.540 I know Afghanistan was all over the news earlier this year and the sad story of the Taliban taking over.
00:07:09.760 I want to ask you, though, with all of this persecution happening, with all of this horrible treatment of Christians, you mentioned that it doesn't really make the legacy media.
00:07:20.200 When we in Canada hear about refugees, we're often hearing about Muslim refugees that are being forced out of Muslim-majority countries, but we don't often hear about the treatment of Christians.
00:07:31.560 So I just wonder why is it that the Canadian government and the legacy media in Canada and the U.S. and throughout Europe and the West, why don't they focus on the plight of Christian people in this region?
00:07:43.640 I think it's a white guilt. I don't know if this is a politically correct statement to me, but I'm not really politically correct. I believe it's a white guilt. 0.73
00:07:53.240 So basically, the West and Canada and the United States and so on, they are countries that build on a Christian and Jewish values, according to our Bible.
00:08:06.620 And I don't understand why Christians is not something like when our Canadian government speaking about minorities in Afghanistan, they never mentioned the Christians.
00:08:18.020 And I think it's really quite rubbish politically correctness that in our Canadian society and the politically correctness, just to make it clear, it's not just in Canada, it's in the United States, it's in England, it's in most of Europe and Australia and so on.
00:08:32.220 I think it's a cancer in our Western society. We have to speak the truth. We have to be proud of who we are. We have to understand that, you know, there is no race can be blamed for every crime on Earth.
00:08:47.600 You know, we have to move forward and politically correctness is the very cancer that will destroy our Canadian fabric and our Western fabric.
00:08:57.120 And I think we just need to get out of that and face the truth and speak the truth.
00:09:00.660 I really appreciate that. I love Canada and I wish that more of our political leaders would be patriotic and proud of Canada.
00:09:08.520 Yes, we have errors in the past. We've made horrible mistakes. There's been bad policies and bad leaders.
00:09:13.960 But fundamentally, we're doing something right.
00:09:16.940 And just the very fact that people are still coming from all over the world to come to Canada, they're fleeing persecution to find safety in Canada.
00:09:23.620 And that's a sign, a good sign.
00:09:27.420 So I wanted to ask you as well, because I remember when ISIS was sort of ravaging Syria and Iraq and they were committing genocide against the Yazidis in the Sinjar Mountain region.
00:09:40.300 And your group played a leading role, a pivotal role in helping those Yazidis, specifically Yazidi women who were the victim of slavery.
00:09:50.240 You helped them escape a tremendous, tremendous story, helped them resettle in Canada.
00:09:54.360 I'm wondering if you could tell our listeners and our viewers a little bit about how you helped the Yazidis and what you did for those women.
00:10:01.700 Well, when I just entered in Yazidi territories and Sinjar Mountain and so on, and all of these areas, they was taking them more than seven thousand years.
00:10:13.620 They raped them. They used them as a sex slaves. 1.00
00:10:16.980 It was the most horrible crime that we witnessed in our modern history.
00:10:24.260 Falling in front of our eyes on the TV and the social media.
00:10:29.220 And it was horrible genocide.
00:10:31.700 And our our organization was on the ground immediately.
00:10:36.700 We was able to rescue more than 600 years.
00:10:38.700 We was able to help resettling much more families here advocating on their behalf with the Canadian government, the Canadian government that the liberal government that refused to recognize this as a genocide three times in our Canadian parliament before the UN recognize it as a genocide is the most horrible thing.
00:10:57.700 And here the Canadian government receiving more than 40,000 Syrian refugees and only 900 Yazidis.
00:11:04.700 I mean, it's just.
00:11:06.700 It is based on politically correct, purely politically correctness and and voting system, you know, the Yazidis is a small little group, so nobody care about their voting voices. 1.00
00:11:19.700 But, you know, when we are dealing with the 40,000 Syrians, you know, you're you're satisfying the Muslim community, per se, or you are getting them to. 0.97
00:11:28.700 To vote for you once they are the three years mark and so on, I think we have ready to focus on the most vulnerable minorities.
00:11:37.700 And to bring them here, you know, we're talking about, you know, Yazidis Christians, Bahá'ís, Ahmadiyyas, Uyghurs, Falun Gong, Tibetians, we are talking about many minorities that deserve to be here to be rescued.
00:11:52.700 And Canada is the land of the free is the land of the refugee and the temple of human rights. 0.98
00:11:59.700 And I really encourage our government to do more for the minorities instead of being politically correct.
00:12:06.700 Isn't it funny, Majid, Justin Trudeau is more than happy to say that Canada commits genocide.
00:12:13.700 He even said that Canada is currently committing genocide against First Nations peoples.
00:12:18.700 And yet when there is overwhelming evidence of a genocide happening committed by ISIS, one of the most despicable organizations we've ever seen.
00:12:27.700 For some reason, to your point, there was three votes and they said no three times.
00:12:34.700 I know you sort of alluded to the idea of voting blocs and, you know, trying to appease a broader population of Arab Muslims.
00:12:43.700 But, I mean, can you help us understand why the Canadian government, the federal government, Justin Trudeau, the, you know, the feminist, the person who's supposed to be the champion of refugees, why he wouldn't recognize these awful crimes as being what they were, which was genocide?
00:13:00.700 I think Justin Trudeau is the only one can answer this question.
00:13:05.700 But from my understanding and from what I've been reviewing and just my humble opinion anyway, I think if he did, he will upset maybe some some sectors in the Muslim religion or from the Muslim community.
00:13:18.700 Because ISIS, of course, standing for the Islamic State and we understand that that this is maybe would not be politically correct.
00:13:26.700 Maybe there is the international obligation for Canada to do more. So he was worried about that. Maybe he was worried to upset you.
00:13:33.700 Of the Muslim countries as well. I cannot really understand our prime minister, per se, I, the Bible said, pray for our prime minister, pray for our government and we I do this daily.
00:13:47.700 I pray for Justin Trudeau daily. I pray that he will resign quite honestly, just, you know, that's my prayer.
00:13:52.700 The Canadian government, we have to understand something, the Canadian government have to listen to Canadians.
00:13:58.700 And we become the silent minority, sorry, the silent majority.
00:14:04.700 The Canadian government have to understand and any government, I don't care if you are liberal or conservative or or green or NDP or whatever you are.
00:14:13.700 Listen to your people, you know, don't worry about politically correctness right now.
00:14:17.700 This is how the beginning of a disaster of picking away our rights, we see what's happening in Brexit.
00:14:23.700 We see what's happened in when Donald Trump won the election in the White House.
00:14:29.700 It was the silence majority, you know, and many people will blame the right, the extreme right wing for, for, for stuff like this.
00:14:37.700 I tell them no blame the left, that they just keep choking us and choking us and not listening to our voices.
00:14:44.700 That now we become the majority that become forced to be silenced.
00:14:49.700 And, and, and I advise everybody, listen to us. There is no left and right.
00:14:54.700 We are all Canadians. We're all in the same boat.
00:14:57.700 Listen to our voice and see the true pain of the people.
00:15:00.700 And then you will really become the champion of the people.
00:15:03.700 Well, amen to that, Majeed.
00:15:05.700 A final question for you. So, so you, you come from Egypt.
00:15:09.700 I'm not sure how long you've been in Canada for, but I'm wondering, you know, it's Christmas and so many Christians around the world have slightly different traditions and, and, and things that they do to celebrate.
00:15:21.700 So I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about you, your family, your community.
00:15:25.700 What, what specifically do you do to celebrate Christmas?
00:15:28.700 Well, Christmas is the most sensitive time of the year for the Presque Christians.
00:15:33.700 And many people doesn't know that, but the attacks on Christians actually increases tremendously during Christmas time.
00:15:40.700 So think about that while you are going around the tree, Christmas trees and gifts under the trees and Santa Claus.
00:15:47.700 And I pray and I bless everyone enjoying Christmas with your family.
00:15:51.700 Please enjoy it as a precious, precious, precious time.
00:15:54.700 But from December 24 until January 7, which is the, the, the, the, the, the Christmas, you know, this is the period that Chris has been attacked severely.
00:16:05.700 And just last year, I think 26 countries, uh, Christmas was attacked during Christmas ceremonies and 26 countries, especially in Nigeria, Egypt, North Korea, uh, uh, uh, Iran, uh, in, in many, many countries.
00:16:21.700 That it's a long list of countries, uh, that'd been attacked Sudan.
00:16:25.700 So we are expecting attacks during this time.
00:16:28.700 So the majority of time during Christmas and new year and all the way to January 7, we really, our organizations are just focusing on monitoring the situation around the world and presenting as much help as possible as we can.
00:16:40.700 Okay.
00:16:41.700 Well, I, I said that was the last question, but I did have one final, final question.
00:16:45.700 Majid for our viewers, for people watching who, who, who really feel concerned, deep levels of concern and want to help.
00:16:54.700 What, what, what can, what can we do to help support the work you do and help support your organization?
00:16:59.700 Well, basically the first thing I will ask is a prayer.
00:17:02.700 And, and I know that everybody say that, and some people mean it, some people, they don't.
00:17:06.700 Prayer really make a difference more than you can ever imagine.
00:17:09.700 I saw miracles happens because prayers and people, when they pray, God, listen, really listen.
00:17:15.700 And he sees our heart.
00:17:17.700 The second thing, just go on our website, onefreeworldinternational.org or OFWI.org.
00:17:24.700 Uh, just go on our website.
00:17:26.700 Uh, you found donation, uh, uh, section, give to the organization.
00:17:32.700 This is Christmas season, and I'm not shy or ashamed to say, give.
00:17:37.700 And instead of buying silly gifts, uh, and just throwing it in the garbage later on, give the gift of life.
00:17:44.700 Give, give the, give to the people so we can able to help them, uh, to rescue them and be able to make a difference.
00:17:52.700 Don't wait for a miracle.
00:17:53.700 Be one.
00:17:54.700 Thank you.
00:17:55.700 That's wonderful.
00:17:56.700 Well, thank you so much, Majid.
00:17:58.700 It's, it's an honor to have you on.
00:18:00.700 Um, I, I hope that I, I encourage listeners to go and, and, and find that website.
00:18:05.700 One World International.
00:18:06.700 We'll, we'll provide a link and, uh, give what you can.
00:18:09.700 Majid, Merry Christmas.
00:18:10.700 God bless you.
00:18:11.700 Thank you for all the work that you do.
00:18:12.700 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
00:18:14.700 God bless you all.
00:18:15.700 All right.
00:18:16.700 Thank you so much for tuning in.
00:18:17.700 I'm Candice Malcolm, and this is The Candice Malcolm Show.
00:18:20.700 Some of theICE Malcolm Show.
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00:18:29.700 My brain is DUA.
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00:18:37.920 Everyone, I ask you guys at home.
00:18:47.020 I just want to lower my tie