Faith McGregor is happy with the outcome of the Human Rights Tribunal that dealt with her complaint against Omar Mahrouk that began last June.
Mr. Mahrouk is Muslim and he owns a barbershop for men. This business allowed him to be a productive citizen in Canada and at the same time, honour his belief system -- he doesn't touch women who are not related to him. What a perfect match for him. Business and religion in sync for him.
Not good enough for Faith. As tolerant as she might be, she wasn't going to tolerate a barber shop-for men-refusing to attend to her needs.
Haircuts are not essential services. On a whim Faith entered his shop. She could have walked two steps to the left or two steps to the right and been welcomed. But not Faith. She had a point to make.
She said Friday, after the agreement was signed, ending the trauma for Mr. Mahrouk, "I probably wasn't as stressed out as he was because I think there was more at stake for him...I'm satisfied with it."
Really, it was more stressful for him? That is the extent of her compassion, sympathy and empathy. She had nothing to lose. Nothing. Because of her sense of entitlement and definition of tolerance I (everyone has to include her) she was allowed to cause harm to another. Mr Mahrouk is relieved. He had everything to lose.
But as Canadian citizens, we have lost.
That Ms. McGregor came out of mediation with anything less than a sense of shame is to me intolerable. As a taxpayer, I helped cover her cost of humiliating a man for working for his family, while honouring his religion and doing nothing to harm her. Nothing.
If this is secularism, and humanism and tolerance - we are in a sad state of affairs.
Shame on Ms. McGregor. Shame on The Human Rights Tribunal.
Too bad the Office For Religious Freedom wasn't around last June.