Critical Reflection #3

Gender and Cultural Equality

“In Canada, the hijab is often seen as a symbol of Muslim women’s oppression and a restriction to their mobility, particularly in the media.” (Ruby, 34-35)

This is exactly how I perceived Muslim women (oppressed) before reading the article: “Listening to the Voices of Hijab.” I soon learned, however, that “the hijab empowers them in numerous ways: making their identities’ distinct: taking control of their bodies; and giving them a sense of belonging to a wider Muslim world.” (Ruby, 34-35)

To non-Muslim women, such as myself, the hijab is disconcerting. Women of the western world are free to wear what they choose, show their bodies however they like and when we see a woman who “has to” cover her body, it threatens us, it threatens feminism, but why? These feelings are unjustified because we are uneducated about the hijab. It’s important to learn what the hijab is and what it signifies to its’ wearers. The Muslim-Canadian women interviewed in this article choose to wear the hijab: they are not told that they must wear it!

In the article “Listening to the Voices of Hijab,” Muslim women were asked to described the hijab and what it meant to them: they produced a variety of meanings including headscarves, modest clothing and modest behavior. The women believed that wearing the hijab was a way of protecting their moral society, and their bodies. It gives them a sense of security and they feel that they are treated with more respect, especially from men. The hijab is a cultural and religious symbol.

One of the interviewees “stated that the religion accommodates people’s cultural differences…some things are a little flexible, because you have to adjust with time, culture and country.” (Ruby, 36-37)

Muslim women feel they are making a statement of who they are by wearing their hijab: “whether she be identified as a ‘terrorist’ or a ‘good’ person in Canada is a secondary consideration for her. The significant element to her is that she will be known as a Muslim in a non-Muslim country.” (Ruby, 39) Differentiating yourself and having others recognize your difference is important to the cultural identity of minorities and for society at-large.

Works Cited

Ruby, T.F. “Listening to the Voices of Hijab.” The Gendered Society Reader: Canadian Edition. 2008: 34-45.

Blige, Sirma. “Between Gender and Cultural Equality.” Recasting the Social in Citizenship. 2009: 100-33.

Critical Reflection #2

INTERCULTURALISM

From the article; “Quebec Nationalism and the Production of Difference: The Bouchard-Taylor Commission, the Hérouxville Code of Conduct, and Québec’s Immigrant Integration Policy”:

“Of course, we wanted to upset people by speaking about stoning and female circumcision, but it was time that somebody “put on their pants” and looked “beyond the end of their nose.” If we adapt to all the new immigrants, what will become of our Québec culture in ten or twenty years?” (Leroux, 11).

This resonates with me as an Aboriginal person because I can relate to the struggle of identity and self-preservation. Anyone who knows the history of Aboriginal peoples of Canada, or North America for that matter, know how easily it is to misappropriate lands, and to devastate peoples’ cultures and languages. In my opinion, Quebec’s drastic measures to preserve its society, language, and culture are with legitimate reasons. If it can be done to Aboriginal people of Canada then, it can be done to francophone Quebecers. However, we must all be accepting of others who are different than us and be willing to adapt in some way, so that we can exist together peacefully and respectfully.

Gurbaj Singh Multani’s “reasonable accommodation” case demonstrates how the line between what is acceptable or not, is not easily defined. In 2004, the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled that security in schools was more important than the rights of Orthodox Sikhs to wear their kirpans. Two years later, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a ban of kirpans in schools infringed upon the Charter of Rights & Freedoms’ religious freedoms of individuals. “The decision by the Supreme Court was not a popular one in Québec, largely because it was seen as delegitimizing Québec’s juridical and legislative independence” (Leroux, 8).

I can see how people of Quebec can view the ruling as “delegitimizing” but on the other hand I recognize that so long as Quebec is part of this country, that it must respect the decisions of the highest court in Canada. When it comes to the actual wearing of the kirpan, I am conflicted because it can be used as a weapon in schools however, we cannot interdict a person from practicing their beliefs. "Religious tolerance is a very important value of Canadian society" (CBC).

“The Commission’s terms readily adopt the language of interculturalism and accommodation common in Québec society in the prelude to the commission’s proceedings, supplanting the concepts of multiculturalism and tolerance that prevail in the rest of Canada…”“We will avoid the concept of tolerance, which, for some people, betrays a discreet form of hierarchy or paternalism. The individual who professes it implicitly sends the following message: ‘You’re not following the social norms, but I’m overlooking it’” (Leroux, 16).

When highlighted you can clearly see the separation between “Quebec society” and “the rest of Canada.” I prefer the word ‘accommodation’ because it does sound much nicer compared to ‘tolerance’. However, both imply the “other” is not the “norm”. I don’t think that there is much difference between multiculturalism and interculturalism except that the latter is “focused on interaction and integration” (Heinrich) in the French language.
Works Cited

Heinrich, J. “Quebec's diversity is different, Taylor says: Quebec interculturalism. Canadian multiculturalism. Shall the twain ever meet?” The Montreal Gazette. 2008. <http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=0e04c8a5-7b7c-4c42-9e2c-401e4f1b52b6>

Leroux, D. “Québec Nationalism and the Production of Difference: The Bouchard-Taylor Commission, the Hérouxville Code of Conduct, and Québec’s Immigrant Integration Policy.” Quebec Studies, 49(2) 2010: 107-26.

“Timeline: The Quebec Kirpan Case.” CBC News Online. 2006. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/kirpan/>

2 short films from the "Work For All" project

The other films apart of the "Work For All" collection can be watched at: http://workforall.nfb.ca/

"Hanging On" Film Review

The short documentary film “Hanging On” exposes the struggles that immigrants face in the small town of Moncton, New Brunswick. The film is part of the “Work For All” project 2006, an NFB and HRSDC-Labour initiative to combat racism in the workplace. The project includes a collection of 11 short films, I had the chance to watch two of them: ‘Screen Test’ and ‘Jaded,’ both are very engaging and eye-opening.

This film was produced in 2006 and I am very shocked that this kind of behavior is still happening in Canada. It’s definitely something that you would not see as much in larger cities like Ottawa, Montreal or Toronto. In my opinion, it appears that racism and prejudices in the workplace are more prevalent in smaller cities and towns like Moncton, because they are not as culturally diverse as the bigger cities are.

Immigrants to Canada are looking for opportunities in education and the workplace but they are not finding this. They are not finding the diversity that they thought Canada was made of. They’re attending the same Canadian universities and receiving the same degrees, but are not offered the same jobs as others. The people interviewed resorted to working in call centers to make a living because they weren’t being hired for positions in their field of work. One woman interviewed obtained three degrees and a Ph.D. but was not able to find a job; instead she worked in a call centre.

This is just appalling to me, I cannot wrap my head around how a person who has three degrees from a Canadian university and cannot find a job in that field: it’s mind-boggling! Watching this film has really made me more aware of racism and discrimination in the workplace. Our country still has a lot of work to do to ensure inclusiveness and that there is diversity in the workplace. It’s really sad to know that in present-day Canada we have people who have a great deal of education, valuable knowledge and opinions. They have the same ambitions and aspirations, but are simply not given equal opportunity. 

CBC Digital Archives

Making the Mosaic: Multiculturalism in Canada

"In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to declare multiculturalism as official state policy."

http://archives.cbc.ca/society/celebrations/topics/3517/