Les femmes d’un bord, les hommes de l’autre | Le Devoir

2014/02/04 Leave a comment

It would be nice to see some commentary in English media on accommodation at the U of Regina, where one of the complications is the large number of foreign students, including from Saudi Arabia, where mixed gender activities are prohibited and uncomfortable for many.

Professor Grayson spoke in favour of the Quebec Charter to French media but has not, to my knowledge, done so to English media. And while I do not agree with the decision of York U administration in favour of granting an accommodation, at least they were reviewing the issue and present, unlike U of Regina where admin appeared to be absent:

Une des personnes qui ont contacté le professeur Grayson est membre de l’Université de Regina. Cette personne, qui ne veut pas que son identité soit révélée, déplore les accommodements accordés par son institution à des musulmans demandant de ne pas être exposés à la vue de femmes. Cette personne cite les fenêtres de la piscine, les groupes séparés selon le sexe et même le fait que « plusieurs étudiants ont préféré recevoir un zéro plutôt que faire un travail sur les femmes et le leadership ». « Ce que j’ai trouvé le plus difficile fut la façon dont les étudiants masculins me dévaluaient et me traitaient comme un objet. En bout de piste, je crois que nous avons un problème au pays […]. Quelqu’un doit se tenir debout. »

Les femmes d’un bord, les hommes de l’autre | Le Devoir.

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Law that strips certain Canadian expats of voting rights to be debated in court

2014/02/04 Leave a comment

One point the plaintiffs are silent on is that they do not pay taxes. Would they prefer the US system, with expatriates required to file tax returns (and get tied up with the IRS under the US FATCA revenue “grab” from expatriates)?

Yes, one can follow Canadian politics and life from afar, one can maintain family and friends, but I fail to see how voting is an absolute right applying to long-term expatriates. But we will see how the courts decide.  The below seems to be wanting to have your cake and eating it too:

“With globalization what we have is this increased movement. And a lot of the reason that Canadians move outside the country is for employment,” she said. “It’s not appropriate to say that in order to exercise your full fundamental democratic rights you have to curtail your employment.”

The case had led to a number of expatriate Canadians coming forward with concerns similar to Frank and Duong’s, said O’Brien.

“If people feel that strongly about Canada and wanting to vote…why would we not want to have their participation in the country,” she said. “Why would we want to limit such a fundamental democratic right that people hold so deeply.”

Law that strips certain Canadian expats of voting rights to be debated in court.

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Un grand pas vers l’égalité homme-femme | Le Devoir

2014/02/03 Leave a comment

Former Supreme Court judge Claire L’Heureux-Dubé supports the Charter, another reflection of how embedded the opposition to any forms of religious expression, given the history of Catholic domination of Quebec and the transformation into a largely secular society in the 60s:

Dénonçant les « diktats de la religion », Mme L’Heureux-Dubé tentera de dissuader les élus d’opposition de se rallier à la position défendue par le Barreau du Québec et la Commission des droits de la personne. À ses yeux, ces deux organismes proposent à l’État de confier un « choix de société » au « gouvernement des tribunaux ». « Le rôle des tribunaux n’est pas de gouverner ni d’entraver les choix démocratiques que se donne une société, mais plutôt de réprimer les abus, s’il y en a, au regard des droits fondamentaux que protègent les chartes », affirme Mme L’Heureux-Dubé qui a siégé au plus haut tribunal du pays de 1987 à 2002.

Un grand pas vers l’égalité homme-femme | Le Devoir.

Somewhat amusing that the leaders of Quebec’s student movement against tuition increases, that led to widespread protest again the Charest government in 2012, now say youth are intimidated by the Charter debate. Come on, this is more of a choice! If I recall the polls correctly, young Quebecers (like all young Canadians) are more relaxed about multiculturalism/interculturalism than older citizens.

«Depuis le début, il y a eu toute une série de sorties publiques, comme celles de Guy Rocher et Jeannette Bertrand. Et ils ont tout à fait le droit. Mais ce sont des gens d’un certain âge qui ont utilisé leur expérience pour donner beaucoup de crédibilité à leurs propos et pour donner l’impression aux jeunes que leur opinion l’était moins», fait remarquer Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, ex-porte-parole de la CLASSE. «C’est un sophisme d’autorité».

Cet automne, lors de son intervention sur la charte au Mégaphone de l’ONF, au Quartier des spectacles, des baby-boomers lui avaient fait la morale lors de la période de discussion. «Je m’étais fait dire “nous les baby-boomers, on a vécu la Révolution tranquille, on sait de quoi on parle et vous, vous n’êtes pas au courant. Vous devez nous écouter.”», note M. Nadeau-Dubois. «Les jeunes sont intimidés. Personne n’essaie de les faire taire volontairement, mais c’est l’impression que ça donne. Et ce n’est pas très invitant.»

Charte de la laïcité : les jeunes intimidés par le débat

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Opinion: Reconciling injustices in a pluralistic Canada

2014/02/03 1 Comment

Interesting commentary by Mark Winston of Simon Fraser’s Centre for Dialogue. Somewhat annoying that no mention of the federal government’s historical recognition program (and Chinese Head Tax program), which were aimed at allowing communities to share their stories and experiences, and have their experiences acknowledged:

What is clear is that the residual impacts of cultural, social, legal and economic injustice are perpetrated for many generations through the trauma of parents passed on to their children. To heal, communities are looking for genuine acknowledgment of what happened or continues to happen, as well as accountability from government, whose motives can appear cynical and suspect.

One theme emerged from all communities: government must uncouple reconciliation from electoral and political cycles, perhaps establishing an independent body to deal with resolving historical injustices.

The unique injustice perpetrated against Canada’s Aboriginal communities stands out as a particularly stark example of bias, due to the unique and extensive destruction of culture and community fabric among indigenous peoples….

How will we know reconciliation has been achieved? A quote from the South African Truth and Reconciliation process provided an answer: “When the past no longer invades the present but informs the future.”

Opinion: Reconciling injustices in a pluralistic Canada.

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Op-Ed: The Muslim convert’s path

2014/02/03 Leave a comment

An interesting account of the conversion process by Stephane Pressault a student at St. Paul’s University. Fairly high level and philosophical; not sure how real world it is but worth reading.

When I meet a new convert, I always make sure to ask them where their ancestors are from. This questions often throws people back as if being Canadian contradicts being Muslim. I seek to change that. Becoming Muslim, for a Canadian convert, means understanding how Islam will shape one’s Canadian identity. Only institutionalized tarbiyah, through traditional scholarship that trains culturally relevant leaders and through artisanship and craftsmanship, that revives excellency in work can a convert embody excellence in their Islam.

Op-Ed: The convert’s path.

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Why we should listen to Elizabeth May – Paul Wells

2014/02/03 Leave a comment

Good commentary by Paul Wells on the shrinking role of government and the reduced capacity it implies:

In 2009, after the opposition forced him to run very large deficits as the price of Conservative political survival, Stephen Harper made a simple, crucial decision: He would eliminate the deficit over time, not by cutting transfers to the provinces for social programs, but by cutting direct spending on the things the government of Canada does. The government of Canada operates embassies, labs, libraries, lighthouses, benefits for veterans and Arctic research outposts. Or rather, it used to. These days, each day, it does a little less of all those things.

The sum of these cuts is a smaller role for the federal government in the life of the nation. Each of the steps toward that destination is trivial, easy to argue both ways (who needs fancy embassies?) and impossible to reverse (if a future government decides, “We need fancy embassies,” it can never get back the prime real estate this government is now selling).

In his long-delayed appearance before the cameras (sorry), Trudeau depicted the Harper government as devoid of ideas. “Its primary interest is the well-being of the Conservative Party of Canada and not of Canadians.” May, on the other hand, is sure the government has ideas; that it is pursuing them even when the rest of us are grandly bored with details; and that it is changing the country. She’s right.

This is not to say that period trimming of government is not needed – it is – but the stealth approach (i.e., the PBO should not have to submit ATIP requests for information on cuts), and limited public debate are worrisome.

Why we should listen to Elizabeth May – Inkless Wells, Opinion, Paul Wells – Macleans.ca.

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On Exile from “The Neighbour” – Short Story by Goli Taraghi

2014/02/01 Leave a comment

A collection of her short stories was given to us over the holidays by a family friend. She captures very well the experiences of many before and after the Iranian Revolution, but my favourite paragraph is the following on exile:

All of us – my children, the friends who occasionally visit us, I myself – are scared stiff of the downstairs neighbour. Our lives as foreigners in Paris are full of hidden anxieties. To begin with, we feel guilty for having taken up space that rightfully belongs to the natives, yet hidden beneath our apologetic smiles and submissiveness lurks an anger that stings and lies in wait for revenge. Humiliated, we painfully swallow our pride – a pride that has been instilled in us over the past two and a half millennia, a confidence that we descendants of Cyrus the Great, even in defeat and despair, are superior to the rest of the world (why, God only knows), and if we have fallen on hard times if little is left of our past glory and splendour, you Western exploiters are too blame.

While different exile communities may describe their experience somewhat differently, there are some universal experiences of exiles, and coming to terms of their fate. My mother’s family left Russia shortly after the 1917 revolution, and likely had some comparable feelings (although they likely did not blame Westerners!).

Book review: ‘The Pomegranate Lady and Her Sons,’ by Goli Taraghi

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Study dispels stereotypes about Ontario women who wear niqabs

2014/02/01 2 Comments

Interesting. I would also be interested in knowing how many were converts versus born Muslim:

A majority of the women who participated said they began wearing the veil after turning 18, and most foreign-born respondents said they only began wearing the niqab after arriving in Canada.

The study suggests concerns expressed by pundits that niqab wearers will use the concealing nature of the garb to avoid being photographed for identification or security purposes, such as boarding a flight at an airport, are unfounded.

“All those interviewed said they understood there were instances where they would be required to show their faces,” the authors wrote. Many interviewees indicated strongly that they would never refuse to reveal their face in an instance requiring they be identified.

The study indicates most women who wear the niqab made the decision based on a personal belief, rather than pressure from spouses or relatives.

“We thought it would be political, but it was more for them an expression of their spirituality or their journey, which we did not think we would hear,” Hogben said.

In fact, several respondents indicated they had been pressured by spouses to stop wearing the veil.

There is an ongoing debate among Muslim scholars as to whether the niqab is obligatory in Islam. The study chose to avoid the “religious or theological basis for the practice itself.”

Study dispels stereotypes about Ontario women who wear niqabs.

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Charte: «un débat malsain et nuisible», selon le patronat | Charte de la laïcité

2014/02/01 Leave a comment

Not too surprising, the views of the main business association in Quebec on the Charter:

«En créant un climat d\’intolérance et de division au sein de la société québécoise, le projet de loi engendre un débat malsain et nuisible à la prospérité du Québec.»

Charte: «un débat malsain et nuisible», selon le patronat | Denis Lessard | Charte de la laïcité.

Christian Rioux, from the secular perspective in Le Devoir, describes well the context for opposition to religious symbols in Quebec, even if I think he is too influenced by the wish for Cartesian clarity and absolutism, and the “old demons of Quebec”. :

Ce faisant, on aura fait triompher la religion des droits. Mais on aura aussi détruit une certaine idée de l’État. Car, si l’on ne peut imposer des exigences plus élevées à un fonctionnaire qu’à un employé de McDo, c’est que l’État est devenu un employeur comme un autre. Or, la laïcité (qui concerne l’État et l’État seulement) est inséparable d’une conception républicaine de ce même État. Ce n’est pas un hasard si le débat actuel remue tant d’émotion. Il vient réveiller tous les vieux démons québécois : du rapport atavique que nous avons entretenu historiquement avec la religion à l’idée que l’État québécois n’est pas qu’une vague administration provinciale, mais le représentant d’une idée qui nous dépasse tous et qui s’appellerait le peuple québécois.

Devoir de réserve

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Reviving the Islamic Spirit 2013: A Call to Spiritual Activism

2014/02/01 Leave a comment

An example of engaged Muslim Canadian youth, emphasizing the spiritual role as well as the broader role for social change:

My take away from this conference was strong yet simple: the spiritual activism our society needs must be a responsibility we as Muslims undertake with pride. In our daily fight against extremism, we must reconstitute the balance of knowledge and revive the spiritual dimension of the human psyche. It is not enough to struggle for our own cause, but to struggle for the greater good of humanity. We are all vital organs in the body that composes mankind.

RIS 2013 was a call not only for social change, but the inward peace that is attained when a life is dedicated to the service of others. As Muslim youth, we are the foundation of the cultural bridges we so desperately need to build. So volunteer with your local charities, get involved with the office of your Member of Parliament, and practice your democratic right to speak against social injustices and fight for equal rights and opportunities for all.

As the Prophet (PBUH) said,  “The ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr”. So write, contribute to the dialogue, be the catalyst for change and the medium for the success of interfaith collaboration – all of which will lead to the transformation of our global community into a global family.

RIS 2013: A Call to Spiritual Activism.

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