Working site on citizenship and multiculturalism issues.
2014/01/30 Leave a comment
For those of you in the Ottawa area and who haven’t seen this play yet, highly recommended. Works as both a well-crafted play as well as capturing an immigrant perspective. Runs until February 8 at the NAC.
Theatre review: Kim’s Convenience is a funny and generous play.
2014/01/30 Leave a comment
From an economic and business perspective:
Audet is one of the few business leaders in Quebec who have spoken out against such a charter. A recent poll has found that 60 per cent of Quebecers supported the secular charter, which would forbid public employees from wearing visible religious symbols including hijabs, turbans, kippas and larger-than-average crucifixes.
“I can’t help but think that the charter of Quebec values’ bill is a bill that’s harmful to our economy, and ultimately, our ability to pay for social programs that our elected members will want to favour, regardless of which party is in power,” he told the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.
But Premier Pauline Marois has said the charter doesn’t worry foreign investors who might be interested in setting up shop in Quebec and recently announced in London that two companies would be heading to Montreal to do business…..
Local chamber of commerce president and CEO Michel Leblanc said his organization is also against the values charter.
“It’s creating the impression that Quebec is a closed society to immigrants,” he said. “We want to attract immigrants whether it’s for work or investment. If we can’t attract immigrants because of the charter, it’s going to harm Quebec’s economy.”
2014/01/30 Leave a comment
An interesting piece about Saudi Arabia and how some of the new generation of thinkers are questioning Saudi Salafism, a mini-reformation so to speak:
These writers and many others long for a new liberation theology that frees people from political oppression that is deeply rooted in religion. They represent a new generation of Saudi intellectuals who are prepared to challenge Salafist dogma, especially those aspects that have allowed absolute government to pacify society, criminalize civil and political activism and isolate people from the decision-making process. They challenge the meaning of concepts used by official Saudi religious scholars to “domesticate” the population and ensure its acquiescence in showing obedience to rulers and avoiding dissent and chaos.
These Saudis have not abandoned Islam but are searching in its history and interpretations for ways to challenge Saudi Arabia’s political stagnation and religious dogma. They all cherish the freedom to discuss and debate openly and reach out to audiences beyond the limited circles of the educated and intellectuals. Yet, they are denied this opportunity as a result of traditional Salafist resistance and the government’s fear of the new discourse they are attempting to propagate. The Saudi government is frightened by these revisionist approaches to religion and their potential consequences, especially if they empower a young generation tired of rehearsing old religious ideas.
If real political change needs an intellectual framework, then this new generation of writers is definitely contributing to the debate that may in the future lead Saudis to endorse a revisionist liberation theology. All they need at this juncture is a group of dedicated activists who can put their ideas into action.
2014/01/30 Leave a comment
Heather Mallick, who usually writes to the left on issues, has a good column on the Himmler letters and the nature of evil:
The truth is that evil exists, that it has to be confronted, and people will do anything not to. We don’t like hard truths. When I hear about murder, I’m curious about what built the killer. Tell me about child abuse, blows to the head, adolescent shocks and adult lies. Don’t tell me we can treat conditions that we can’t even yet identify because psychology is still a young science. What makes a person evil?
If there’s a thread that runs through all these histories, it’s a bizarre attachment to family. We see it all the time, mothers speaking kindly of their serial-killer sons, siblings defending the indefensible, the idea that everyone has something lovable in them and only families can see it. But is it true, even if Heinrich had pet names for Marga and Hedwig, even if evil has its apologists?
Here is the verdict of Katrin and her co-author in a new book about Heinrich: “These letters show the deformation of normality, violence masquerading as harmlessness, cold-bloodedness that goes along with ostensible care, and the unswerving moral certitude even while committing mass murder.”
Why Himmler letters deserve closer study: Mallick | Toronto Star.
2014/01/29 Leave a comment
Good commentary by Amira Elghawaby:
The trouble for diverse communities is that cases like York alarm society at large that hard-won gains will be clawed back to appease a tiny minority with unreasonable demands. The impression is that our legal frameworks are not prepared for the onslaught.
These fears play right into the xenophobic justifications for limiting the freedom of religion of others, as displayed in the whole values charter debate in Quebec. “A lot of people have been afraid to speak out against unreasonable accommodations made to religious groups by public institutions … and who are now saying, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” commented Parti Québécois minister for democratic institutions Bernard Drainville following the York incident.
What we’ve had enough of is the sensationalizing of the give-and-take that is expected in any multicultural, diverse society. On the ground, we are all expected to read the rules, understand their spirit and come to logical solutions grounded firmly in universal principles.
York University’s administration has done us all a disservice by skipping its required reading.
Lost in the York U furor: Accommodation isn’t a trump card – The Globe and Mail.
2014/01/28 Leave a comment
I am not sure that greater attention to employment equity means that each and every group will argue for parity. That hasn’t been the case at the federal level, and there is something out of whack when senior management, in any organization, is monolithic:
Albertans really are colour-blind, most of ’em. They can afford to be. The province is an affluent land of individualistic, relatively independent farmers, entrepreneurs and non-union workers. But the broaching of racial grievance is not vexing only to those who are racists simpliciter. When well-meaning people hear the mayor talk about how there are not enough women and minorities in the upper ranks of Calgary’s government, they know perfectly well that, as soon as it does recruit some women and minorities, questions about minority women will follow. And then individual ethnic groups will start agitating for parity. And, before long, everybody is plunging into a thicket of mutually irresolvable claims and ad-hoc affirmative-action programs, with no one ever explicitly mentioning “quotas,” while overall institutional quality is neglected.
This is not what the mayor is proposing, but then, no one ever proposes such a thing explicitly. Nenshi’s complaint about city hall is obviously valid on its face—and yet the validity is quite irrelevant to the fears it will tend to arouse.
Nenshi’s diversity problem – Blog Central, Canada, Colby Cosh – Macleans.ca.
2014/01/27 Leave a comment
Good commentary on the Quebec Charter and related politics from Paul Wells:
It’s fun to notice, in public hearings on the proposed charter, how few of witnesses’ complaints would be addressed by the law. Once head scarves and big crucifixes are banned in the provincial workplace, the law’s supporters will wonder why bus drivers still wear them, or the guy at your corner store. Two witnesses this month became a YouTube sensation by wondering aloud why Muslims pray funny. State-endorsed recrimination isn’t easy to stop. Or, as Marois no doubt prefers to see it, it’s a growth market.
Why it’s possible to imagine a Marois majority – Editor’s Picks, Inkless Wells – Macleans.ca.
2014/01/27 Leave a comment
Some interesting commentary by Rick Salutin on secularism and post-secularism:
That’s the real argument for post-secular tolerance: not just that it’s right but that everyone feels better; you’re no longer stifled by the monolithic, exclusive nature of an identity that, back home, defined and determined who you were, totally outside your will; here, in the Canadian blender with no dominant force, other possibilities jostle with it. Slowly, everyone gains access to new resources and the freedom to try them.
If not a definition, what about rules — or, as Captain Jack Sparrow says, guidelines. Here’s one for religion’s post-secular role, with thanks to Alia Hogben: in political discussions, no one may quote God. Why? Because it cuts off debate and tries to restore the pre-post-secular status quo. It’s like Godwin’s law about Internet debates: whoever mentions Hitler first loses.
This poses a challenge to religious people: they must find ways to make their point without quoting God. It forces them to express themselves in ways accessible to unbelievers. Not everyone will agree, but it’s easier than banning believers from the political arena totally — which will just alienate and frustrate them while depriving others of the benefit of their insights.
Besides, religion isn’t going to go anywhere. It’s more likely that other components of the post-secular public square, like Marxism, Ayn Randism, atheism, humanism or even, God willing, neo-liberal economics, will depart first. The point isn’t that religion in its many versions has answers that others don’t, but it’s one resource among others.
Excerpt: Divine Interventions, an ebook about religion and government | Toronto Star.
2014/01/27 Leave a comment
Good article by Kady O’Malley on the government’s approach to ethnic media, part of their outreach to ethnic communities. Strong comments by Madeline Zinick, Canadian Ethnic Media Association chair and Omni TV vice-president (one of the main TV stations offering program in numerous languages):
“Generally, those journalists who are aggressive, and who like to do analysis and be challenging to the PM or any politician, more and more, they aren’t enjoying this kind of cattle call gong show approach,” she told CBC News.
According to Zinick, before the holidays Harper, who skipped his annual Christmas reception for the parliamentary press gallery, was the guest of honour at what his office billed as an “intimate family event” in Toronto, to which key “media leaders” were encouraged to bring members of their families in lieu of a TV crew.
“No cameras, no photos, no audio … you can’t report it in any way. Everyone had to wait in the holding area until Harper and his wife [Laureen] appeared, and there were no questions, just individual photos.”
Given those restrictions, Zinick says, “Why go and waste your time?”
Previous governments also courted the ethnic media (as do all political parties). However, previous governments did not spurn the national media to this extent by limiting media access.
Not all ethnic media outlets keen to pose with PM – Politics – CBC News.
2014/01/27 1 Comment
Interesting story about the UNESCO exhibit on Jewish history in the Mid-East, caught up in the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Historical narratives are powerful, and both sides want to ensure that the historical narratives reinforces their political position. Denial of the Jewish presence and history in the Mid-East has antisemitic overtones, just as denial of the Palestinian narrative has anti-Arab overtones. And while Canada played a role in reversing the UNESCO decision:
Ultimately, however, it was likely the United States who had the better clout in having the exhibition reinstated. On Jan. 17, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power disavowed any assertion that the Paris show would compromise John Kerry’s peacemaking efforts.
“UNESCO’s decision is wrong and should be reversed,” she said in a statement cited by Reuters. “The United States has engaged at senior levels to urge UNESCO to allow this exhibit to proceed as soon as possible.”
Four days later, the cultural agency reversed its decision, writing in a statement that “the exhibition has not been cancelled but postponed.”
“People, Book, Land” is now set for a June 11 opening.
Click image for book purchase
