i can't tell if this article is being disingenuous on purpose or not...

the reason that the background of the accused is presented in the story is because the culture the accused was raised in is widely perceived by westerners as being unacceptably permissive of sex with minors. there is plenty of evidence to support this narrative, as well. the story, from this perspective, is that the incident is an example of a refugee bringing a moral value system into the country that is considered to be incompatible with canadian values.

we can discuss whether this is accurate or not. but, to suggest that it's irrelevant to the story is absurd. if this is the line the government is adopting, it should expect a reaction. that is horribly tone deaf.

these discussions are necessary. value systems are not interchangeable. non-western cultures and customs exist. our laws are not rooted in a universal morality, because that is something that doesn't exist.

if you bring in thousands of people from a culture that has different attitudes towards sex with children, you have to put programs in place to deal with it. you can't just expect that they'll leave their culture at the door.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/syrian-refugee-west-edmonton-mall-sexual-assault-reaction-racism-1.3973831