Fatwa Against Salman Rushdie – 25 Years

2014/02/18 Leave a comment

Hard to believe that it has been almost a generation since the infamous fatwa. While Spears go a bit far in his depiction of Iran (there are nuances and the Iranian govt has effectively disowned the fatwa), his fundamental points about some of the reaction in the West at the time are bang on.

I was in Iran at the time and it was somewhat surrealistic; we had re-opened the Canadian Embassy following the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, when there were efforts by the Iranian govt to open up to the world, and the fatwa set that back considerably.

Twenty-five years ago, on February 14, 1989, war was declared by Islamic end-times fundamentalists upon freedom of thought, freedom of speech, literature, secularism, human expression – in short, against civilization. This war was declared from within Iran, the origin of one of the world’s most ancient, rich and refined cultural traditions, the Persian civilization.

A Persian scholar, Hitoshi Igarashi did more for Iranian culture and letters than any Ayatollah, suicide bomber, or book burner ever could, or will. He is a reminder that the global village is a living and active idea, and that the war on terror is not so much a war among countries or cultures as it is a war for a certain kind of human community. Resistance against and repudiation of the holy warriors’ efforts to set the terms on which the world’s people are to live – or as is often the case, to die – is the work of this century, if not beyond.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/02/14/wayne-k-spear-the-ayatollahs-fatwa-on-rushdie-25-years-old-and-just-as-evil/

Filed under Multiculturalism

British Home Secretary Waited Until Terror Suspect Was Abroad Before Stripping Citizenship | Global Research

2014/02/17 Leave a comment

Interesting debate in the UK over revocation of suspected terrorists. UK has gone further than proposed changes to revocation in the revisions to Canada’s Citizenship Act, namely;

  • Ministerial discretion rather than through the courts; and,
  • Not respecting the international statelessness convention.

MPs voiced concern on Tuesday that prospective changes to the Immigration Bill allowing the Home Secretary to make people stateless would result in ‘two classes of British citizens.’

Theresa May is seeking the power to strip terror suspects of their UK nationality even if it renders them stateless – currently she can only use the law against dual-nationals, who won’t be left stateless by the loss of their British nationality. The changes in legislation will only apply to foreign-born or naturalised British citizens.

Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said: ‘We will have two classes of British citizens. That is a dangerous road to go down.’

Abbott added: ‘The fear will be that although this has started with suspected terrorists, where will it end, once the state decides that British citizenship is not indivisible?’

Security minister James Brokenshire replied: ‘We do not accept that there is, or will be, a two-tier citizenship system.’

But a recent Home Office briefing showing how the Immigration Bill amendment seeks to comply with EU law, said it was ‘satisfied that there is an objective and reasonable justification for treating naturalised citizens differently from others.’

British Home Secretary Waited Until Terror Suspect Was Abroad Before Stripping Citizenship | Global Research.

The US approach is more draconian: revocation through targeted drone strikes.

With A Citizen In The Crosshairs, Where’s The Line Drawn For Drones?

Canadian commentary on the risks of mistakes and lack of due process of the proposed revocation provisions of the Citizenship Act revisions by Azeezah Kanji in the National Post:

Moreover, neither [former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration] Mr. Kenney nor the proposed legislation specifies that revocation of citizenship is permitted only for acts of terrorism executed against Canada or Canadians. Vile as it may be, an act of terrorism committed on non-Canadian soil, against non-Canadian nationals or interests, should not be considered a “fundamental breach of mutual loyalty” against Canada.

The inherently political nature of terrorism means that terrorism accusations, prosecutions and convictions are also deeply politicized, and subject to radical re-evaluation in hindsight. Yesterday’s terrorists may be today’s honorary Canadian citizens — as the case of Nelson Mandela demonstrates.

Banishing those convicted as terrorists does not “strengthen” Canadian citizenship; it only leaves Canadians more vulnerable to the political prejudices of the day.

Sometimes I think that we should have another version of Godwin’s law that prohibits always using Nelson Mandela as an example of “one man’s freedom fighter is another one’s terrorist,” as many of the extremists are a particularly nasty lot with little if anything in common with Mandela’s early days (he targeted infrastructure, not people).

This is not to say that we should not be extremely cautious and examine carefully the implications of such a fundamental change to the long-standing Canadian policy of considering Canadians as equal, whether born-here or elsewhere.

Stripping convicted terrorists of their citizenship leaves all Canadians vulnerable

Filed under Citizenship, Revocation Tagged with ,

Drainville dit non au compromis de Fatima Houda-Pepin and Related Charter News

2014/02/15 Leave a comment

Further to my post Laïcité: Fatima Houda-Pepin dépose son projet de loi | Charte de la laïcité, not too surprising that the PQ government is maintaining their firm line to keep the proposed Charter as it is (while welcoming the dissension within the Liberal Party of Quebec).

«Je respecte la position de Mme Houda-Pepin, mais ce que je dis depuis le départ, c’est que la recommandation de Bouchard-Taylor, c’est un point de départ, ce n’est pas un point d’arrivée. Je pense que Bouchard-Taylor, c’est minimaliste sur les signes religieux», a-t-il [Minister Drainville] expliqué.

Drainville dit non au compromis de Fatima Houda-Pepin | TOMMY CHOUINARD | Politique québécoise.

In other Charter related news, a spirited discussion between Minister Drainville and the Montreal School Board, pointing out some of the contradictions in the Charter in relation to other Quebec laws:

But Mancini responded to Drainville by turning around his questions, asking whether he is aware that Article 37 of the Education Act stipulates schools must respect the freedom of conscience and religion of students.

And the spirit of the act makes it the duty of schools to teach students to respect religious diversity and pluralism.

The government’s Bill 60 proposes to ban the wearing of all religious symbols in the public sector, including the education sector, in the belief the symbols advertise faiths and young minds will be influenced.

It’s the first time in weeks of hearings that the committee has heard this argument.

“This is what we are asking you,” Mancini said. “Which laws must we disobey?”

We don’t want to disobey one or the other, but you are putting us in a position where we don’t know what to do

Montreal school board threatens to fight values charter with ‘all possible resources’ in faceoff with minister

PLQ Couillard, still struggling to define his party’s position, noted how exclusion can foster fundamentalism and extremism:

La charte de la laïcité accroîtra la discrimination à l’emploi dont sont victimes les femmes musulmanes portant un voile. « [Toute politique qui] dit à une femme : “ On ne veut pas que tu sois avec nous. On ne veut pas te voir. Retourne chez toi ” bâtit le sentiment d’exclusion et nourrit les gens qui font de la propagande pour recruter d’autres citoyens dans les rangs des intégristes », a expliqué M. Couillard dans un entretien avec Radio-Canada. La charte de la laïcité est du coup « exactement […] ce dont ils ont besoin ».

La charte alimentera l’intégrisme religieux, craint Philippe Couillard

More on former Supreme Court Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé’s support for the Quebec Values Charter:

But speaking last week at a legislative committee, Justice L’Heureux-Dubé said while freedom of religion is fundamental, the right to wear religious garb is not; it is less important, therefore, than women’s right to equality.

Daniel Weinstock, a philosopher of law at McGill University, said that the “contradictions speak for themselves,” not only in her support for a hierarchy of rights rejected by the court she sat on but in deferring to Quebec legislators. As a judge, she helped “lead the charge to a substantive interpretation of equality rights, taking it away from a purely formal reading. It is a bit of a reverse, to say the least, when all of a sudden her position is that courts should be deferential to legislators.”

Daniel Jutras, McGill’s dean of law, called Ms. L’Heureux-Dubé’s intervention “unacceptable. Putting the weight of a retired Supreme Court justice behind [the ban] is quite problematic. I can’t understand it.” He said her support will have significant impact “not within the legal community but it certainly will be used by the Parti Québécois to legitimate their position that this is not a simple legal issue.”

 Former Supreme Court judge’s support buoys PQ’s charter argument 

Of course, Louise Arbour, another former Supreme Court judge, opposes it (With the Charter, Quebec risks closing its mind).

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

When anti-Israel sentiment shades into anti-Semitism

2014/02/15 Leave a comment

Interesting commentary on the links between anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism from a South African perspective by RW Johnson:

But the unfunny side of all this is when (perfectly acceptable) criticism of Israel is used to encourage entirely unacceptable anti-semitism. If we’re frank about it, this is always likely to happen in South Africa simply because our lines of ethnic and community cleavage have been so envenomed over such a long period. Given the sheer historical fact of anti-black, anti-white or anti-Indian feeling – and the fact that so many still believe that the expression of such feelings is legitimate – it is only a small extra step to get to anti-semitism.

So, whatever the “Boycott Israel” or “Israel Apartheid” lobbies say – and they have a right to exist and to their opinions – if they are honest they must admit that wherever they operate they leave a trail of anti-semitism in their wake. They may say that this is not their intent, but they cannot be unwitting that this is what happens.

This means that an ineluctable burden lies on all our Vice Chancellors and other university administrators. They just have to think about the history of academic institutions and intellectual life generally in this country to know how precious and indispensable the Jewish contribution has been. So that even if the prevention of anti-semitism wasn’t a sacred duty for intellectuals anywhere, we have our own particular South African reasons to say that this simply shall not pass.

Politicsweb – When anti-Israel sentiment shades into anti-Semitism – FEATURES.

Hussein Ibish writes on the BDS campaign, and the need to limit it to the occupied territories, both in fact and in rhetoric. He does not mention the overtones of  antisemitism of BDS when the language includes Israel itself:

There is no question that Palestinians are onto a very good thing here, if they handle it right. And the Israelis clearly have a problem, as acknowledged by all of their sensible leaders. But, ironically, the biggest threat to this sudden and significant piece of leverage is the strident BDS rhetoric that makes pro-peace actions against settlements that are based squarely in international law look like anti-Israel initiatives that don’t square with the goals of either peace or a two-state solution.

If the rhetoric of strident BDS activists can be brought into line with the reality of anti-settlement boycotts, Palestinians could well acquire a significant and desperately needed new tool of leverage with Israel. If not, while demagogues may not be able to stop the growing international anti-settlement sentiment, they can certainly continue to provide apologists for the occupation with vital rhetorical ammunition for counterattack, and space for conflation and confusion, that they would and should otherwise be denied.

Harmful rhetoric can break the momentum of anti-settlement boycott efforts

Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with , , ,

Nudges vs. Shoves by Cass R. Sunstein

2014/02/15 Leave a comment

For those interested in public policy and nudges, good discussion by Cass Sunstein on the benefits of nudges, which preserve choice, to mandatory measures. Another instrument in the public policy toolkit.

Dry abstract below:

Behavioral findings, demonstrating human errors, have led some people to favor choice-preserving responses (“nudges”), and others to favor mandates and bans. If people’s choices lead them to err, it might seem puzzling, or even odd, to respond with solutions that insist on preserving freedom of choice. But mandates have serious problems of their own, even in the face of behavioral market failures. Mandates might not be able to handle heterogeneity; they might reflect limited knowledge on the part of public officials or the interests of powerful private groups; and they override freedom, potentially producing welfare losses and insulting individual dignity. It is true that in some cases, a behavioral market failure (such as a self-control problem) might justify a mandate on social welfare grounds, but on those very grounds, it makes sense to begin by examining choice-preserving approaches, which are far less intrusive and often highly effective.

Nudges vs. Shoves by Cass R. Sunstein :: SSRN.

Filed under Government, Public Policy Tagged with ,

Laïcité: Fatima Houda-Pepin dépose son projet de loi | Charte de la laïcité

2014/02/14 Leave a comment

More on the proposal of Fatima Houda-Pepin. In some ways, more sensible than the Values Charter (limited to officials in positions of authority à la Bouchard-Taylor), in others goes further in limiting requests for accommodation (e.g., school curricula). Most interestingly:

Fatima Houda-Pepin souhaite également la création d’un « centre de recherche-action sur les intégrismes religieux et leurs impacts sur la démocratie, les droits de la personne et les droits de la jeunesse.» Il aurait pour mandat « d’identifier et de documenter les manifestations d’intégrisme religieux basées sur l’instrumentalisation des religions ou sur un code d’ honneur ». Le premier ministre devrait déposer un rapport annuel contenant les résultats des travaux de ce centre et « recommander toute mesure législative ou réglementaire nécessaire à la mise en oeuvre du rapport ». Ce pourrait être « l’adoption de sanctions appropriées, telles que la révocation de l’enregistrement d’un organisme de bienfaisance aux termes de la Loi sur les impôts ».

It should be noted that Houda-Pepin has developed these proposals given some of her experience with Muslim fundamentalists in her own riding and elsewhere in Quebec.

Laïcité: Fatima Houda-Pepin dépose son projet de loi | Tommy Chouinard | Charte de la laïcité.

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

Plus d’un tiers des Français approuve les idées du Front national | Le Devoir

2014/02/14 Leave a comment

Depressing reading but rise of extreme xenophobic right not exclusive to France in Europe. Another reminder of the failure of the French model of integration:

Mais le niveau d’adhésion n’a cessé toutefois de croître ces dernières années. Il était de 22% en 2011, lors de la prise de fonction de Marine Le Pen à la tête du parti fondé par son père, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Il a atteint 31% en 2012 et 32% en 2013.

Plus d’un tiers des Français approuve les idées du Front national | Le Devoir.

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Global Anti-Semitism and the Erosion of Shame | Abraham H. Foxman

2014/02/14 Leave a comment

Abe Foxman, of the Anti-Defamation League, on antisemitism, taking a broad interpretation. His point on the erosion of shame is valid, but is not limited to antisemitism as it widespread in the political, corporate, entertainment and other worlds. On Israel, he, like many commentators, do not distinguish between criticism of Israel per se and Israeli policies and practices in the occupied territories :

Anti-Semitism has characteristics like other forms of bigotry in terms of stereotyping, alienation from the other, and discrimination.

But what makes it different, and which goes a long way to explain anomalous things about anti-Semitism — how long it has lasted, how it pops up in different places, the concept of anti-Semitism without Jews, the contradictory accusations against Jews, etc. — is the core of the anti-Semitic idea: that Jews are not what they seem to be. The real Jew, according to the anti-Semite, is a hidden conspiratorialist, all-powerful and evil….

But other factors play a role and are increasingly worrisome. There is the erosion of shame about anti-Semitism as the Holocaust becomes more remote in time and as survivors pass away. The too-easy analogizing of every bad thing that happens today to the Holocaust, which the Anti-Defamation League condemns whenever it surfaces, is just one manifestation of the loss of impact on attitudes that the Holocaust formerly had.

Pictures of Auschwitz after the war did not lead to the disappearance of anti-Semitism. They did, however, constrain manifestations of Jew hatred. That loss of embarrassment over time reduces those constraints.

Additionally, the ongoing critique of the state of Israel is a powerful corrosive factor. Not every criticism of Israel is illegitimate, and surely not anti-Semitic. But when condemnations of the Jewish state are so clearly biased, when Israel is singled out for punitive treatment, even when some of those engaging in these activities may not be motivated by anti-Semitism, it opens up the Pandora’s Box of Jew hatred and makes it much more acceptable. We see this in the boycott and delegitimization movements against Israel, which lead to anti-Jewish activities, like isolating Jewish students on campus.

Global Anti-Semitism and the Erosion of Shame | Abraham H. Foxman.

Filed under Antisemitism, Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

U of T student loses bid to avoid class with women because he’s shy | Toronto Star

2014/02/14 Leave a comment

For Valentine’s Day.

This is an easy one (but why such a student would pick a Women and Gender Studies course). How would UofT and others handle such a request if it was based on religious grounds is the more interesting question.

U of T student loses bid to avoid class with women because he’s shy | Toronto Star.

Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with

In defence of Ottawa’s citizenship shift: Chris Alexander | Toronto Star

2014/02/13 Leave a comment

Op-ed by Minister Alexander to some of the over-the-top commentary by The Star on the proposed changes to the Citizenship Act. A number of his points are valid, particularly regarding the failure to recognize that there was abuse in the citizenship (and other) programs (reminds me of the Downton Abbey scene in which the Dowager Countess asks Isabelle whether Isabelle never doubts the honesty of people).

However, the change in a basic principle in Canadian citizenship policy for two generations, equal treatment for Canadian-born and naturalized Canadians, should not be glossed over. This change, combined with the “intent to reside” provision, needs to be reviewed closely on both substantive and process grounds. While the easy cases (e.g., the 130 Canadians fighting with extremist groups cited by the Minister) are of legitimate concern, the risk is that this substantive change to traditional policy (“a Canadian is a Canadian”) may cast a broader net with unforeseen consequences.

Minister Alexander’s overall messaging:

The new measures in Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, are a deterrent to those who might seek to abuse our generosity, circumvent our laws or attack us in cold blood.

We are all proud of our Canadian citizenship. Let’s make it stronger than ever by ensuring new Canadians have a real connection to this country, by reducing processing times, by honouring those who serve, by eliminating fraud and abuse and by deterring disloyalty.

In defence of Ottawa’s citizenship shift: Chris Alexander | Toronto Star.

Filed under C-24, Citizenship, Citizenship Act Tagged with

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