Canada giving $1.2M for religious freedom in Nigeria, Central Asia – Politics – CBC News
2013/08/27 Leave a comment
Seem like reasonable projects to fund.
Canada giving $1.2M for religious freedom in Nigeria, Central Asia – Politics – CBC News.
Islamic scholars experience diversity of Muslim practices at U of T summer program | Toronto Star
2013/08/26 Leave a comment
Interesting account of the El-Tawhid Juma Circle Mosque, a LGBTQ-friendly mosque, where women can lead prayers and men and women can sit together. An illustration of the diversity of Islam, although such centres are very much the minority (and not surprising, easier to start in countries like Canada).
Will be interesting to see over time whether the Muslim Canadian population follows the trend of other major religions with more faith centres open to more inclusive policies or not.
Islamic scholars experience diversity of Muslim practices at U of T summer program | Toronto Star.
Des manifs s’organisent contre la venue de prédicateurs islamistes | Fabrice de Pierrebourg | Montréal
2013/08/26 Leave a comment
Another illustration of the diversity of Islam in Canada, and appropriate that demonstrations take place to signal what is acceptable discourse in Canada.
The freedom to discriminate
2013/08/24 Leave a comment
An interesting and thoughtful piece, questioning the general principle that taxpayer funds should not support organizations that discriminate in their hiring practices.
The challenge with allowing such discrimination is that while the author and others may be comfortable with their particular charity and religion, would they be comfortable with other charities and religions imposing their beliefs on their staff while using taxpayer funds (e.g., not allowing gays, unequal treatment for women, only hiring within your own community)?
The secular, human rights-based approach, is more appropriate for government funding of services; it does not mean that faith-baith organizations cannot contribute, as many do, but that they do so in a context of an open, non-discriminatory society.
But a useful raising of a different perspective.
Charte des valeurs québécoises: Articles
2013/08/23 Leave a comment
Another series of articles on the proposed Charte des valeurs québécoises.
First, confirmation that the government plans to go ahead, and leak is likely more than trial balloon:
Quatre conditions pour un accommodement raisonnable
Secondly, a piece by Jocelyn Maclure, quoted in a CBC interview earlier, speaks strongly of the risks and dangers of such a rigid, exclusionary approach, and notes the false assumption that the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights allow every form of accommodation, where the reality is different:
Charte des valeurs québécoises – Le jeu dangereux du Parti québécois
And from the English media, Farzana Hassan, former president of the secular Muslim Canadian Congress, a harsh critique, particularly interesting how consistently strong the MCC has been on secularism:
More xenophobia from PQ’s Marois
And a few pieces on some of the broader ethical and rights issues involved from professors of religion and ethics: Ian Henderson and Margaret Somerville:
The state cannot decide what is a religious symbol
Op-Ed: Quebec bans religion from the public square (I do disagree with her definition of ‘freedom from religion’; religious freedom applies to all, whether they are believers or non-believers, the issue is whether or not the government allows people this freedom.
On the federal political level, interesting to see how this plays out. One leader has been clear and categorical against it (Trudeau, the same week as his marijuana revelations), the Prime Minister has ducked the issue but the real Minister for multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, issued a strong tweet, and the NDP and official opposition leader has also ducked, saying he will await the actual bill before commenting. Not inspiring leadership that.
Charte des valeurs québécoises – Some articles of interest
2013/08/22 Leave a comment
Some good articles today on the ongoing controversy about the leaked draft Charte des valeurs québécoises.
First, interview Jocelyn Maclure of Laval University on the appropriate balance between secular government and religious freedom of expression, essentially taking a position similar to the Bouchard-Taylor Commission:
Q&A: Quebec’s religious garb debate intensifies – Canada – CBC News.
A good analysis in La Presse about all the steps the PQ has not taken in preparing its draft and the implications for the debate and positioning, namely need for public consultations, trying to change the vocabulary from laïcité to valeurs, going far beyond Bouchard-Taylor in banning religious symbols for all government employees (not just those in authority), and how opposition parties are lined up (Liberals against, CAQ has yet to pronounce itself officially but appears to have some reserves, Québec solidaire against), and lastly it will be challenged in the courts.
Charte des valeurs québécoises: un chemin semé d’embûches
A good opinion piece by Lionel Perez – Maire de l’arrondissement de Côte-des-Neiges -Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (one of the most diverse areas of Montreal), on the need for an open definition of laïcité, laïcité inclusive, not the narrow, exclusionary approach of the draft proposal:
La laïcité inclusive est une valeur québécoise
And Martin Patriquin of Macleans on some of the likely effects on employment opportunities for immigrant and new Canadian women, as well as how the politics are playing out:
Surely you’re not comparing Pauline Marois to Vladimir Putin?
Charte des valeurs québécoises – Une fuite mal reçue | Le Devoir
2013/08/21 Leave a comment
In what can only be seen as playing to xenophobic tendencies, inspriré à la française, the Parti Québecois’s leaked proposal for a Charter of Quebec Values, that would exclude any government employee in any function (e.g., hospitals, schools, garbage collection, the list is endless) from wearing any religious sign. Laicisme extrème.
Rather than addressing the political reality of Quebec feelings of vulnerability through the more nuanced approach of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission’s laïcité ouverte (see Rapport Bouchard-Taylor – Pourquoi la laïcité ouverte ? | Le Devoir) , where the only those government posts where government neutrality must be explicit (e.g., law enforcement, judges, President of the Assemblée national), the PQ went for an exclusionary, divisive approach.
Encouragingly, whether it was a trial balloon, all opposition parties in the Assemblée nationale have spoken against it as have many Quebec commentators (in English Canada, when we poll people about comfort level with religious signs, discomfort increases with the degree of religiosity expressed, but people have largely come to terms with this as part of living in a diverse society). Expect of course that other views will also come out, as is normal in any public debate, and we shall see whether the PQ succeeds in making this a wedge issue.
And of course, no such law would survive challenge under any human rights legislation in Quebec or Canada, not to mention the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Lots written on this and a selection of articles below for those interested.
Charte des valeurs québécoises – Une fuite mal reçue | Le Devoir.
Opinion Quebec’s Putinesque idea to ban religious garb from public workplaces – Globe and Mail
L’interdiction des symboles religieux serait une erreur, selon Charles Taylor, La Presse
Turbans, hijabs, kippas face restrictions in Quebec, Macleans
Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks: Multiculturalism ‘Has Had Its Day’
2013/08/19 Leave a comment
Although it starts off with the usual mischaracterization of multiculturalism (or the European interpretation to be charitable) as separate and parallel communities, Lord Sacks fundamental messages are strong and positive ones about the balance between one’s personal identity and participation in broader society:
- Don’t impose your views on the majority population;
- Be ‘bilingual’ – be able to negotiate your civic and faith or other identities: “you know you are Jewish and you’re English and you have to negotiate that, which I think is actually good for the soul, because it forces you to realise that actually society and life is complicated. It mustn’t and can’t be simplified.”
- Recognize that being a minority will at times be uncomfortable (e.g., antisemitism, other forms of discrimination).
Could have been more about the role of the majority in accommodation, as all groups play a role in making diverse, multicultural societies find that balance between particular and general identities.
Accommodements: la CAQ suivra les traces de Bouchard-Taylor | Jean-Marc Salvet | Politique
2013/08/19 Leave a comment
Encouraging. The Bouchard-Taylor Report was a voice of reason in Quebec debates, laicisme-ouvert was a reasonable way to find a balance between personal expression and respect for the neutrality of the state, limited to when the state was in a position of authority and enforcement.
Of course, how it will play out ….
Accommodements: la CAQ suivra les traces de Bouchard-Taylor | Jean-Marc Salvet | Politique.
Robert P. George and Katrina Lantos Swett: Religious Freedom Is About More Than Religion – WSJ.com
2013/07/26 Leave a comment
Good piece on religious freedom, and how it has to be based upon the freedom of coercion.
Robert P. George and Katrina Lantos Swett: Religious Freedom Is About More Than Religion – WSJ.com.
Multiculturalism in Canada: Evidence and Anecdote
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Multicultural Meanderings 