From my brand new article at PajamasMedia on yesterday's verdict:

The Canadian Islamic Congress issued a statement on Friday evening, putting the best spin possible on the outcome.

"We are pleased that the tribunal acknowledged the article in question contained 'numerous factual, historical, and religious inaccuracies about Islam and Muslims' and that it attempted 'to rally public opinion by exaggeration and causing the reader to fear Muslims,'" said the CIC's lawyer Faisal Joseph.

Joseph added, "We hope that all news media will now take this opportunity to critically examine how Muslims are represented in their news and editorial coverage."

If you detect an unstated "or else" at the end of that sentence, you aren't imagining things. Two of the CIC members responsible for bringing the charges against Steyn and Maclean's were overheard at a meeting at a mosque earlier this year outlining their plan to fight "Islamophobia" by continuing to battle Canada's "Zionist-run media," regardless of the outcome of this particular case.

Having followed the Human Rights Commission cases of Steyn, Levant, and others closely enough to have just written a book about them, I wouldn't put it past the Canadian Islamic Congress to scold the B.C. tribunal for issuing its judgment on Friday, the Muslim holy day -- and adding that to their list of grievances, in their virtually inevitable appeal.

(Kathy Shaidle blogs at FiveFeetOfFury. Her new book about the Human Rights Commissions is called The Tyranny of Nice, and features an introduction by Mark Steyn.)