Sunday, March 29, 2015

Accommodation! Compromise! Mais Oui !

I know we live in a democracy.  But, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." (Winston Churchill, November 11, 1947.) However, there are times when  I think we currently live in an oligarchy (government by the few!) There are so many long-term issues that just keep piling one upon the other, not just here in Canada, but in the world at large. So many think their values are far more important than the values of others!


Back in 1982 the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was enacted within the Constitution of Canada. These documents define our way of life. But I have to ask: are we slipping away from these values or do some Canadians not even know they exist? That Charter guarantees the freedom of religious expression for example. Yet, even in the highest places, arguments rave on about the use of the niqab (mask) or burqa (full body cover of many varieties ) worn by some Muslim women. No one seems to have a problem with the hijab (veil that covers the head and chest). The government and the Federal Court are engaged in a little dispute at the moment!  I remember in grade school being taught by nuns who wore outfits that make the various lines of clothing worn by some Muslim women look downright sexy! Of course there are a few exceptions such as the Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2012 that ruled Muslim women must remove the niqab when "the effect of wearing it would impede an evaluation of the witness's credibility". Definitely, and for good reason, reminding all of us of the necessity of accommodation for the common good.

Accommodation in general is always a two-way street, but there are serious issues, such as depraved and malicious behaviour for example, where there is never room for compromise or accommodation!

The Quran directs both men and women to dress modestly and to guard their private parts. But women veiled their faces long before Islam. There is even reference to the veil in the Book of Genesis. (Genesis 38.14 "And she put off the garments of her widowhood, and took a veil".) According to some articles there are even different opinions among Islam scholars as to whether it is obligatory or cultural. (Wikipedia). In 2009 the Muslim Canadian Congress called for a ban on the burka and niqab, but not the hijab. (About 30 Muslim groups did not agree!)

Most Canadians are proud of the fact that we are a multicultural (Intercultural!) country. Yet, many of us are struggling with the rapid evolution of contemporary society. Each of us has our own assumptions, expectations and ideas about the world we live in. We expect people of other cultures to enrich our Canadian way of life, but at the same time, live as Canadians under the Constitution. In the end tolerance is a very pragmatic formula for a well functioning society.

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There is a line in one of Michael Connelly's books that goes something like this: It is in the instinctual interpretation of voice and personality that we form our judgements of others. The same thing might be said this way: You can't tell a book by its cover .

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week


Did you know?
It is thought that the use of Antibiotics on farms is responsible for superbugs. So McDonald's is going to stop selling chicken raised with human Antibiotics. Hamburger anyone?



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