Canadian Muslims encounter increasing hostility

2013/10/14 Leave a comment

Haroon Siddiqui of The Star on polls showing different levels of distrust for different ethnic and religious communities, similar to the earlier poll posted on BC attitudes (British Columbians grow more wary of other religions, interfaith marriages).

While some of this is normal (negative attitudes tend to prevail regarding more recent communities), the gaps are still startling.

We didn’t have such polls 50 years ago when the minorities that were likely viewed with suspicion included Jewish Canadians, Italian Canadians and the like.

Canadian Muslims encounter increasing hostility: Siddiqui | Toronto Star.

Filed under Immigration, Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with ,

The meaning of martyrdom: Ways to bear witness

2013/10/11 Leave a comment

On martyrdom in various religions.

The meaning of martyrdom: Ways to bear witness | The Economist.

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British Columbians grow more wary of other religions, interfaith marriages

2013/10/10 1 Comment

The respective rates of “comfort” with interfaith marriage are not surprising:

  • 66% comfortable with Christians
  • 53% comfortable with Buddhists
  • 40% comfortable with Jews
  • 36% comfortable with Hindus
  • 28% comfortable with Sikhs
  • 17% comfortable with Muslims

The article would have benefitted from actual intermarriage rates compared to attitudes, as overall intermarriage rates have generally increased, albeit from a small base.

Attitudes are not limited to the “mainstream;” as the article notes, many within communities also want their children to marry from within the community, either to preserve their faith, pass it on to children, or at least theoretically have fewer compatibility issues.

Douglas Todd: British Columbians grow more wary of other religions, interfaith marriages.

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France slides right on immigration

2013/10/10 Leave a comment

The continuing slide to the right in France’s immigration and integration policies, likely to be counterproductive in a country that has largely failed in integration.

What seems lost on the republicans, however, is that as coercion takes the place of persuasion, young Muslims are showing even greater fervour for their faith than their parents. But with a population of five million Muslims expected to near seven million in a decade or so, few politicians appear willing to defy public opinion by abandoning the stick for the carrot….

As Dominique Reynié, director of the Foundation for Political Innovation, observed in Le Monde: “Twenty years ago, Valls’s remarks on the Roma would have come from [Front National founder] Jean-Marie Le Pen. In 2010, president Sarkozy’s remarks were shocking. In 2013, worse language emanates from the Socialist Interior Minister. Almost 80 per cent of French voters agree with him. President Hollande shows his de facto support. It is a testimony to the rightward slide of the [political] landscape. All of France is hardening.”

France slides right on immigration – The Globe and Mail.

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Pluralism accommodated: Canada’s religion, state relationship

2013/10/08 Leave a comment

An interesting overview from a former military chaplain on how Canada, and the military, have addressed multiculturalism and pluralism from a faith perspective. Silent on the recent cuts to the chaplain program that disproportionate hit on non-Christian religions.

With decades of real life experience in peace, peacekeeping, and war, the chaplain branch has developed a strong expertise in religion/state affairs. The focus of the chaplain is service to all members and their families. Chaplains provide services that include pastoral counselling, advocacy, the promotion of spiritual wellbeing, and facilitating the faith requirements of everyone. In order to provide leadership to the Canadian military and to complete their mission in operational theatres, commanding officers turn to chaplains for their understanding of ethics, deep-seated conflict, and world religions. Chaplains work together in effective teams regardless of their gender, rank, sexual orientation, creed, or cultural background. This is a group of religious professionals who are long past any effort to proselytize people from one faith group to another, acknowledging such activity as arrogant and ineffective. To ensure the highest quality of service the chaplain branch has a sophisticated training program for their vocation, an advanced system of professional oversight, internal monitoring/promotion of well-being of chaplains, a code of ethics, long-term planning mechanisms, and well-designed accessible manuals.

Pluralism accommodated: Canada’s religion, state relationship | hilltimes.com.

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Le dérapage intégriste de Charles Taylor | Le Devoir

2013/10/08 Leave a comment

This opinion piece suggests that  UN and international organization staff have more of a common mindset – secularism – than Canadian and other societies. The international organization elite may be more uniform than they think. Interesting.

Not to mention the unique focus on Muslim fundamentalism, not other religions.

Le dérapage intégriste de Charles Taylor | Le Devoir.

Filed under Charte des valeurs québécoise, Interculturalisme, Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with , ,

Why Ottawa’s right to procrastinate on the values charter – The Globe and Mail

2013/10/07 Leave a comment

Tom Flanagan on the Quebec values charter and why one needs to let the internal QC debate take its course, which will likely end up reasonably. A stronger position in favour of provincial, rather than individual rights than many.

Given the tenor of QC debates to date, and just how poorly the proposed Charter has been received, he is largely right, although it was necessary for all federal politicians to lay down some markers.

Why Ottawa’s right to procrastinate on the values charter – The Globe and Mail.

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The Promise and Peril of Pope Francis – NYTimes.com

2013/10/07 2 Comments

An interesting reflection by Ross Douthat of the NY Times on religion in the West, how the centre is “hollowing out,” with the more orthodox, traditional or conservative tendencies becoming relatively stronger. Some interesting longer-term implications for many religions:

But the test of his [Pope Francis’] approach will ultimately be a practical one. Will the church grow or stagnate under his leadership? Will his style just win casual admirers, or will it gain converts, inspire vocations, create saints? Will it actually change the world, or just give the worldly another excuse to close their ears to the church’s moral message?

The Promise and Peril of Pope Francis – NYTimes.com.

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I’m sorry, but we have to talk about the barbarism of modern Islamist terrorism – Telegraph Blogs

2013/10/07 Leave a comment

Hard to argue against this harsh critique of modern Islamic-inspired terrorism and the weakness of relativism in condemning it for what it is: senseless, aimless, barbaric violence.

What we have today, uniquely in human history, is a terrorism that seems myopically focused on killing as many people as possible and which has no clear political goals and no stated territorial aims. The question is, why? It is not moral masturbation to ask this question or to point out the peculiarity and perversity of modern Islamist violence. My penny’s worth is that this terrorism speaks to a profound crisis of politics and of morality. Where earlier terrorist groups were restrained both by their desire to appear as rational political actors with a clear goal in mind and by basic moral rules of human behaviour – meaning their violence was often bloody, yes, but rarely focused narrowly on committing mass murder – today’s Islamist terrorists appear to float free of normal political rules and moral compunctions. This is what is so infuriating about the BBC’s refusal to call these groups terrorists – because if anything, and historically speaking, even the term terrorist might be too good for them.

I’m sorry, but we have to talk about the barbarism of modern Islamist terrorism – Telegraph Blogs.

Filed under Radicalization, Religion Tagged with , , , ,

Canadian anti-Muslim sentiment is rising, disturbing new poll reveals – Macleans.ca

2013/10/04 Leave a comment

Another in a series of polls that demonstrates discomfort with Islam, not entirely unexpected given the number of domestic and international stories on terror-related incidents, plus the normal discomfort with more recent waves of immigration.

And not surprisingly, while the hijab is largely accepted in English Canada (65%), in Quebec the figures are reversed (63% oppose allowing public servants to wear the hijab). But opinions converge less on the niqab than I would have thought; while 90% in Quebec would not allow the niqab in public sector workplaces,  only 62% shared that view in English Canada. I suspect should a co-worker show up in a niqab in English Canada, the reaction would be less tolerant.

Canadian anti-Muslim sentiment is rising, disturbing new poll reveals – Canada, Capital Read, Editor’s Picks – Macleans.ca.

http://www.angusreidglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Canadians-view-non-Christian-religions-with-uncertainty-dislike.pdf

Filed under Hate crimes, Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with , ,

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