Working site on citizenship and multiculturalism issues.
2013/11/12 Leave a comment
My excerpt, from the Anecdote or Evidence chapter, of my book, Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias: Resetting Citizenship and Multiculturalism, in The MacDonald-Laurier Institute‘s bimonthly publication, Inside Policy. Direct link to November issue (pdf, see page 30 for excerpt below):
2013/11/09 1 Comment
A good piece by Hussein Ibish on secularism and Islam, and how false definitions of secularism have been misappropriated, and that secularism offers, given the diversity within Islam and other religions, “religious freedom, religious authenticity, and religious meaning”:
What devout Muslims need to understand is that real secularism alone offers them something most of them seem to badly want: freedom. If there really is no compulsion in religion, only a secular society can provide that. Only in a secular system can Muslims be free to practice Islam exactly as they see fit. Any \”Islamic\” polity will of necessity be imposing a particular version or interpretation of Islam, which is an extremely heterodox set of traditions.
The claim that secularism is really just Christianity in disguise is manifestly false. The language is European, inherited from the Enlightenment. But both Western chauvinists and anti-Western demagogues badly misread the fact that although the specific language of modern human rights and freedoms is, for historical reasons, currently packaged in Western terms, this hardly means that they lack non-Western cognates, origins, or bases.
Since at least the 10th century, most Muslim societies have distinguished between political and religious authority, and it\’s absurd to claim that religious freedom originates only or even mainly as a concept from the Protestant Reformation. There are deep roots in both traditional and modern interpretations of Islam that lend themselves to political secularism.
2013/11/04 Leave a comment
Lysiane Gagnon, asking the question, if Quebec is worried about Muslim immigration, why do its selection criteria favour French competency, which means more immigration from the Magreb? Of course, the experience in anglophone regions and countries (e.g., Australia) suggests language is a key determinant of integration and success in the labour force; and language training is less effective than already having language competency. Selecting immigrants for “cultural suitability” has a long history in Canada of immigration restrictions, largely racist in origin (e.g., Chinese head tax, continuous journey clause).
Peut-être faudrait-il aussi penser à diversifier les sources de l\’immigration, tout en continuant à favoriser l\’immigration en provenance de la francophonie méditerranéenne qui a jusqu\’ici si bien servi le Québec.
Pourquoi ne pas penser, par exemple, aux Grecs ou aux Espagnols que la crise européenne pousse à l\’exil? Aux chrétiens du Moyen-Orient avides de paix? Aux Chinois, aux Vietnamiens ou aux Philippins qu\’on ignore sous prétexte que leur langue seconde est généralement l\’anglais… mais qui sont remarquablement «adaptables» ? Il s\’agit d\’une main-d\’oeuvre travaillante et flexible, qui accorde une valeur primordiale à la scolarité de ses enfants, et qui ne transporte pas de lourd bagage religieux (sauf les Philippins qui sont… catholiques!).
2013/11/01 Leave a comment
Imam Delic provides a good demographic overview of Muslim Canadians, as well as some general thoughts on what it means to be a Muslim in Canada. A bit overly general as, like with all religions, the challenge arises when one’s beliefs are in conflict with society:
To be a Canadian Muslim is to act according to the teachings of Islam within the adopted society.
By exploring core Islamic sources regarding the notion of Muslim identity and at the same time considering the texture and Canadian lifestyle, we can see that there is no contradiction for Muslims in taking up full citizenship and embracing Canada as their own country.
This is what is meant by the path of constructive integration of Muslims, as compared to the less constructive choices of assimilation and exclusion.
This is the path that will take Canadian Muslims towards new horizons of opportunities and help them express their beliefs openly while enjoying Canada’s democratic standards. Only as such they will be able to claim the Qur’anic title of honour — UmmatanWasata (A community of enlightened moderation).
Being part of Canadian society means facing reality, with all its challenges, head on. It means reforming themselves individually and collectively within the positive contexts of their adopted liberal democratic pluralist culture, while remaining faithful to the basic religious principles that define their core religious identity as Muslims.
Thus, when they settle suitably and reconcile effectively, they can productively live in harmony amid new environments and contribute to the well-being of all. This is a responsibility of both — Canadian Muslims as well as policy makers in Canada.
Canadian Muslims: The Highlight of A Mosaic – Americas – Politics – OnIslam.net.
2013/11/01 1 Comment
A good reminder of the risks of stereotypes and the complexity of women’s lives, context and choices:
There is no doubt that Western notions of human rights can be credited for the hope for a better world for all women. But I suspect that the deep moral conviction people feel about the rightness of saving the women of that timeless homogeneous mythical place called Islamland is fed by something else that cannot be separated from our current geopolitical relations. Blinded to the diversity of Muslim women’s lives, we tend to see our own situation too comfortably. Representing Muslim women as abused makes us forget the violence and oppression in our own midst. Our stereotyping of Muslim women also distracts us from the thornier problem that our own policies and actions in the world help create the sometimes harsh conditions in which distant others live. Ultimately, saving Muslim women allows us to ignore the complex entanglements in which we are all implicated and creates a polarization that places feminism only on the side of the West.
2013/10/31 Leave a comment
A more productive and focussed approach than the proposed Charter of Quebec Values, focussing on youth protection and police training. The official figures of only 17 cases since 1991 may be understated, and there may be more cases of intimidation and control that fall short of “honour crimes”. Given how much of this happens within families, like other family disputes, improving awareness is likely one way to reduce the risk.
Crimes d’honneur: Québec s’engage à agir | Jocelyne Richer | Politique québécoise.
2013/10/30 Leave a comment
A good discussion on freedom of speech and intolerance by Jackson Doughart. While I would not go quite as far as he does in his arguments, excessive political correctness is harmful to society. So enjoy your Halloween.
Doughart comes up with his own variation of Godwin’s Law:
Perhaps we need a construction of our own to fight back against the commonplace manifestation of the intolerance obsession. The industry of manufactured offense, after all, has produced a replete share of inanities, including the recent campaign to remove the imagery of Hallowe’en in schools because of its purported intolerance. This is a silly non-issue, but one which shows how the tolerance doctrine has become the universal solvent into which all public arguments are dipped. And as the case of Professor Somerville shows, the use of the bigotry label as a means of censoring disagreement is far from unimportant or ineffectual.
Enter what we might call Doughart’s Law, or the “reductio ad bigotrum”, which declares any person who accuses her political opponent of bigotry or intolerance as the loser of a debate. Once a person has been caught, the argument is over. Just imagine how much more congenial and effective public discourse would be if empty accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and so on, were off limits.
Jackson Doughart: Canada’s scary intolerance obsession | National Post.
2013/10/23 Leave a comment
A good update on the person who prompted one of the more significant reasonable accommodation cases before the Supreme Court, Gurbaj Multani, who insisted on his right to wear the ceremonial kirpan to school. The Court ruled in his favour, but imposed conditions (i.e., it had to be sewn into clothing). Needless to say, the proposed Quebec Charter sends a signal to citizens like Multani that they are not fully welcome or accepted.
Sikh student who won kirpan case now considers leaving Quebec
2013/10/18 Leave a comment
Not surprisingly, the Quebec provincial human rights commission comes out against the proposed Charter. As the provincial charter can be amended by a simple majority vote in Quebec’s Assembée nationale, not an insurmountable obstacle.
The federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms, on the other hand, is in our Constitution and is not subject to easy amendment (in practice, likely impossible).
Provincial human rights commission slams proposed Quebec values charter – Need to know – Macleans.ca.
Attaque en règle contre la Charte des valeurs
And more fall-out from the Janettes, this time from well-known Quebec actress and director Denise Filiatraut, who apologized for characterizing women who wear the hijab as “follies” (fools).
Propos sur les musulmanes: Denise Filiatrault s’excuse
And naive and paternalistic commentary by Fabienne Larouche in Le Devoir, who, while advocating a strong secular approach, nevertheless wants a gradual process of integration and emancipation.
Naive, as many who wear the hijab are second-generation immigrants, and thus to assume an automatic “emancipation” from the hijab across generations runs against experience. Looking at any old photos from before the 90s in most Muslim countries, one sees much less wearing of the hijab (see any university graduation photo – the contrasts are striking:
Ces femmes ont hérité d’une culture. Elles sont venues ici pour comprendre ce que notre culture à nous pouvait leur offrir de mieux. Donnons-leur du temps pour changer, s’adapter et permettre à leurs filles de s’émanciper comme les nôtres, mais sans oublier que cette émancipation est inévitable et que nous resterons inflexibles sur cet objectif. C’est tout.
But more fundamentally, this assumes that the only form of emancipation is not wearing the hijab; participation in politics, the workforce, other engagement with broader society is ignored. And such participation is a more important indicator of integration than the head covering worn by men or women.
2013/10/15 Leave a comment
Yet another libel case against Ezra Levant for comments he made against a Muslim Canadian lawyer. While I am not a fan of much of Ezra’s commentary (he has a tendency towards “jihad” against anyone who he disagrees with), these kinds of debates and controversies are best handled in the court of public opinion rather than be the courts.
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Multicultural Meanderings 