Showing posts with label Canada and Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada and Religion. Show all posts
07 March 2015
HuffingtonPost.ca: Muslim Groups Urge Politicians To Uphold Canada's Constitutional Values
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/02/27/quebec-hijab-dispute-late_n_6772132.html
Muslim Groups Urge Politicians To Uphold Canada's Constitutional Values
Posted: Updated:
OTTAWA - A Quebec judge's refusal to hear testimony from a woman in a hijab has become the latest flash point in an increasingly tense relationship between Canadian Muslims and their governments.
Critics are accusing the Conservative government of fostering a combative attitude towards Islam that's reflected in legislation, party fundraising and public remarks by senior Tories, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
But while none went so far as to suggest the Quebec judge's decision was a direct reflection of that attitude, it's natural to want to draw a connection, one Muslim organization said Friday.
"The recent debate around citizenship oaths has unnecessarily muddied the waters and this latest incident in Quebec further reinforces this," Ihsaan Gardee, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said in a statement.
Our elected leaders at all levels of government must uphold Canada's constitutional values and work to bring Canadians together rather than play politics."
Harper recently described as "offensive" the notion that a person would cover their face with a niqab while swearing the oath of citizenship.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander went further in a subsequent email to Conservative supporters, urging them to sign an online petition in support of Harper's remarks; he suggested Muslim women should not be allowed to take the oath while wearing a hijab, which covers the head but not the face.
On Friday, a spokesman for the prime minister said the hijab ought to be allowed in the Quebec case.
"If someone is not covering their face, we believe they should be allowed to testify," Stephen Lecce said in an email.
One Saskatchewan Conservative went further.
"Wow, a headscarf is enough to get you kicked out of a Quebec courtroom?" MP David Anderson wrote on Twitter. "What's happening to religious freedoms?"
Both the New Democrats and Liberals agreed.
"I think the judge in this case made a mistake and I expect this individual to be given a full and proper hearing in short order," NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said in Toronto.
Protecting minority rights is a cornerstone of Canada's democracy, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Friday in condemning the Quebec court's decision.
"The fact that in this situation — in a courtroom of all places — someone's fundamental rights weren't respected is absolutely unacceptable, and we expect that there will be consequences," he said.
But the prime minister isn't helping matters, he added.
When the government introduced its new marquee anti-terror bill last month, Harper drew a direct link between certain acts of violence and Canadian mosques, among other places.
"When we have a prime minister who leaps on occasions to divide and sow fear and raise concerns and unfounded fears about that community, it becomes much harder to send a message of inclusion," Trudeau said.
What happened in Quebec is more a reflection of certain attitudes in that particular province, said Jack Jedwab, the executive vice-president of the Association for Canadian Studies.
Recent polls in Quebec suggest a majority wouldn't want a mosque built in their neighbourhood; the so-called charter of Quebec values, which would have banned public servants from wearing any obvious religious symbols, was a central element of the province's last election campaign.
Still, national polls done by Jedwab's organization over the last few years have suggested a growing number of Canadians believe there is an irreconcilable conflict between Muslims and the West.
The most recent survey, done earlier this month, put that number at 58 per cent.
Privately, Conservatives say those numbers are why they believe there is public support for their stance on the niqab and their approach to the issue being a question of Canadian values.
But it's a troubling road to go down, Jedwab said.
"I wouldn't make a generalization that the Conservatives are creating this climate. I think this climate is created by a variety of different things," he said.
"But I am concerned about the idea that values risk trumping rights and discourse that suggests that values should trump rights is something I'd be concerned about and something we need to have a more mea
05 February 2014
www.aquila-style.com:The Rise of Anti-Muslim Sentiments in Canada
Source: http://www.aquila-style.com/focus-points/rise-anti-muslim-sentiments-canada/
Coming from a Latin American country, Canada, for me, was always depicted as a peacekeeping country that favoured human rights above anything else. After a few years living here, I find that Canadian society is undergoing a fundamental change in matters pertaining to religion, ethnic differences, immigration and the discussion of accommodation versus integration.
Last year a poll conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion confirmed that Canadians are displaying a growing level of mistrust towards Muslims.[i] While no information is provided on how the poll was conducted or the econometric criteria that led to this conclusion, numerous facts in Canadian policy-making point to a changing attitude towards religious minorities, particularly Muslims.
A couple of years ago the current Conservative government made a point of presenting a new citizenship guide, which would “properly” prepare potential Canadian citizens for the Canadian Citizenship Test. The preparation involved informing potential citizens of their rights and responsibilities, along with practices that are unacceptable in Canada. The guide was broadly critiqued (including my own critique after taking the test) because of the use of language that referred to particular practices as “barbaric”, and its categorisation of honour killings, female genital mutilation and gendered violence with “cultural practices”.[ii]
In 2012 an important legal decision was also made. After much discussion in the case of R v. NS, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that an alleged victim of sexual assault, who happened to wear niqab, would not be able to testify in the trial against the accused while wearing her niqab. What started as a case of sexual assault evolved into a case of religious accommodation that raised questions about whether the niqab is mandatory for Muslim women, whether it undermines demeanour evidence, and ultimately, whether religious observances have a place in a courtroom.
These issues, which started as isolated instances, were followed by the controversy of Quebec’s Charter of Values. The proposed Charter of Values is a piece of legislation that, if passed, will prevent people in the public sector from wearing “conspicuous religious symbols”. The Charter defines hijabs, niqabs, kippas, turbans and large objects, like large crosses, as items that have no place in the public sphere. The legislation would affect civil servants, teachers, police officers, medical staff, and many others. Quebec’s government argues that this initiative is a result of numerous religious accommodation cases that “have given rise to a profound discomfort” in the province.[iii]
As the Charter of Values controversy continues, so have religious accommodation cases. Last month York University made the headlines as a male student requested, on religious grounds, not to work with females in a team project. Although the student’s religious background was not disclosed, many assumed that he is a Muslim. While York’s administration said the student should be accommodated, professors in the department raised concerns about gender equality. Given that both gender equality and religious freedom are protected under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which one should be prioritised? The student later withdrew his request, but the case raised concerns across Canada about diverse ethnic and religious communities that interact with and within mainstream secular institutions all across the country.
These events, and many others, make me wonder where we Canadians are heading. To what degree is this really about religious accommodation? If Canadian institutions are the ones deciding what religion should look like, how it should be practised, and when and how it should be accommodated, is it really about the people who practise it? For Muslims, what will living in Canada be like in years to come if, on one hand, hijabs become sources of bullying, but on the other, we have failed to engage in productive dialogue with governments, institutions and our own communities about what religious accommodation really means?
The Rise of Anti-Muslim Sentiments in Canada
February 4, 2014 12:01 PM by Eren Cervantes-Altamirano
Canada is seeing a change in its policies and attitudes towards religious minorities, particularly Muslims. Eren Cervantes-Altamirano discusses this development in a country long regarded to be liberal and tolerant.
Thorns are emerging from a country previously renowned for its green nature. (Image: SXC)
Last year a poll conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion confirmed that Canadians are displaying a growing level of mistrust towards Muslims.[i] While no information is provided on how the poll was conducted or the econometric criteria that led to this conclusion, numerous facts in Canadian policy-making point to a changing attitude towards religious minorities, particularly Muslims.
A couple of years ago the current Conservative government made a point of presenting a new citizenship guide, which would “properly” prepare potential Canadian citizens for the Canadian Citizenship Test. The preparation involved informing potential citizens of their rights and responsibilities, along with practices that are unacceptable in Canada. The guide was broadly critiqued (including my own critique after taking the test) because of the use of language that referred to particular practices as “barbaric”, and its categorisation of honour killings, female genital mutilation and gendered violence with “cultural practices”.[ii]
In 2012 an important legal decision was also made. After much discussion in the case of R v. NS, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that an alleged victim of sexual assault, who happened to wear niqab, would not be able to testify in the trial against the accused while wearing her niqab. What started as a case of sexual assault evolved into a case of religious accommodation that raised questions about whether the niqab is mandatory for Muslim women, whether it undermines demeanour evidence, and ultimately, whether religious observances have a place in a courtroom.
These issues, which started as isolated instances, were followed by the controversy of Quebec’s Charter of Values. The proposed Charter of Values is a piece of legislation that, if passed, will prevent people in the public sector from wearing “conspicuous religious symbols”. The Charter defines hijabs, niqabs, kippas, turbans and large objects, like large crosses, as items that have no place in the public sphere. The legislation would affect civil servants, teachers, police officers, medical staff, and many others. Quebec’s government argues that this initiative is a result of numerous religious accommodation cases that “have given rise to a profound discomfort” in the province.[iii]
As the Charter of Values controversy continues, so have religious accommodation cases. Last month York University made the headlines as a male student requested, on religious grounds, not to work with females in a team project. Although the student’s religious background was not disclosed, many assumed that he is a Muslim. While York’s administration said the student should be accommodated, professors in the department raised concerns about gender equality. Given that both gender equality and religious freedom are protected under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which one should be prioritised? The student later withdrew his request, but the case raised concerns across Canada about diverse ethnic and religious communities that interact with and within mainstream secular institutions all across the country.
These events, and many others, make me wonder where we Canadians are heading. To what degree is this really about religious accommodation? If Canadian institutions are the ones deciding what religion should look like, how it should be practised, and when and how it should be accommodated, is it really about the people who practise it? For Muslims, what will living in Canada be like in years to come if, on one hand, hijabs become sources of bullying, but on the other, we have failed to engage in productive dialogue with governments, institutions and our own communities about what religious accommodation really means?
01 February 2014
Salaam Canada: Queer Muslim Community of Canada
Source: http://salaamcanada.org/
Welcome to the website of Salaam: Queer Muslim Community of Canada. Salaam is an organization dedicated to Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual/ transgender and or intersex, as well as those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, their families and friends.
Welcome to the website of Salaam: Queer Muslim Community of Canada. Salaam is an organization dedicated to Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual/ transgender and or intersex, as well as those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, their families and friends.
28 January 2014
Canadian Council of Muslim Women : Introduction of "Women in Niqab Speak"
Source: mass emailing
Introduction of "Women in Niqab Speak"
CCMW - Women In Niqab Speak
CCMW is no stranger when it comes to addressing the very issues that affect Canadian Muslim communities, including debates concerning Muslim women and their choice of dress.Women In Niqab Speak can be seen as a response to this growing national conversation and a reflection of CCMW's values and continued commitment to the plurality of Muslim communities. It represents an attempt to cast light on the existing agency of and provide space for Canadian Muslim women who wear the niqab to speak for themselves. This study is not intended to dwell upon the religious or theological basis of the practice itself, but rather it is first and foremost about the lived experiences of the women and the diverse narratives that they have shared in their responses. The niqab itself is a complex issue and raises many questions for Muslim communities and the wider Canadian population itself. These questions do not yield simple answers, but they must be explored through open and honest discussion.The findings of this report authored by Dr. Lynda Clarke of Concordia University paint a dynamic, engaging picture of Canadian women who wear the niqab and challenge many of the mainstream presumptions and stereotypes that are presented in the media, policy circles and the wider public. A total of approximately 81 women who wore the niqab participated in this study, 38 of whom responded to online surveys, 35 that participated in focus groups in Mississauga, Montreal, Ottawa and Waterloo and 8 who participated in in-depth individual interviews.
The study can be downloaded from our website.
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