Published in the Toronto Sun, 25 April 2024
While the keffiyeh may be a very practical item in a desert environment, it has become a toxic political symbol in recent months. Since the 7 October terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, the keffiyeh has become a symbol of antisemitism and support for the destruction of Israel, regardless of how often its proponents insist it’s simply a show of support for the Palestinian people of Gaza.
I have a very simple solution to Speaker Ted Arnott’s Keffiyeh ban: If you were wearing a keffiyeh before 7 October, you should be encouraged to refrain from wearing it in the Legislature, given the current connotation that it presents, but not prohibited. If you weren’t wearing a keffiyeh prior to 7 October, you are clearly making a toxic political statement and should be prohibited from wearing it in the Legislature. A very Canadian compromise, even though I agree with a total ban, as the rules of the Ontario Legislature ban the wearing or displaying of any items that makes an overtly political statement, including lapel pins or signs.
Despite the fact that the keffiyeh has long had a political meaning, it’s taken on a darker connotation since 7 October, similar to the swastika in the 1930s, which went from being used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, to a symbol of the ultimate evil that was the Nazis and fascism (real Nazis and fascism, not as a synonym for Conservative).
The keffiyeh has gone from being a rather benign object, one even worn by early Jewish migrants to Mandatory Palestine in the 1920s, as they saw it as part of the authentic local lifestyle, to an icon of solidarity with the Palestinians in their fight against Israel, a fight whose end goal is the destruction of Israel and the extermination of Jews.
There’s a reason why we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of people wearing a keffiyeh and it’s not a nice one. I do wonder how many of them could point to the Gaza Strip or Israel on a map, even if we gave them GPS coordinates.
(We agree with this assessment)
Sources: Palestinian keffiyeh – Wikipedia, Speaker of Ontario legislature stands by keffiyeh ban | Toronto Sun, Premier Ford jumps into debate on wearing keffiyehs in legislature | Toronto Sun.
